Description

1864. Terrace of eight 2-storey, 2-bay villas with a 3-storey and basement corner tenement pavilion block at the north corner, together forming one side of a dead end street. Droved ashlar to principal elevations with squared and snecked sandstone rubble to rear. Prominent full height 3-light canted bays. Pilastered and round-arched architraves to entrance doors with cornice extending to form band course at first floor level. Projecting cills with plain brackets and plain moulded window surrounds. Continuous decorative stone balustraded parapet along full length of terrace.

4-panel timber entrance doors. Predominantly 4-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Some non-traditional replacement windows. Corniced stone ridge stacks and slate roofs.

The majority of the houses have low boundary walls with cope to the street. Nos. 1, 2 and 6 have entrance steps and railings.

The interior of one terraced house, seen in 2014, contained a contemporary decorative scheme in classical style with ornate plaster cornicing and turned stone stair with decorative cast iron balusters and timber handrail, geometric floor tiles to entrance lobbies and arched openings to inner hall. Some marble fire surrounds to principal rooms. 4-panel timber doors.

Statement of Interest

11-21 Millerfield Place was built in 1864 and is an early example of a planned terrace with full height canted bay windows, a design detail which became prevalent in villas and tenements in the suburban areas of Scotland's larger towns and cities from 1875 onwards. The terrace has good Italian Renaissance architectural detailing such as the bracketed cills, round-arched doorways, prominent cornicing and stone ballustrading to the eaves. This terrace is similar in design to the terrace opposite, 11-21 Millerfield Place (see separate listing), and together they form a good group in the conservation area of parallel terraces with an open aspect onto the meadows, a large public park.

Millerfield Place was built in 1864 on part of the feued back lands of Millerfield House or Hope Park, a late 18th century mansion which fronted onto Sciennes Road. This house was owned by the engraver William Miller in the latter part of the 19th century, and following his death in 1882, his house was demolished to make way for Sciennes School, which opened on the site in 1892. The rear elevation of the school terminates the south end of Millerfield Place. The terraces first appear on the Large scale Ordnance Survey Town Plan Map of 1881.

Post Office Directories and census records, indicate Robert M Ballantyne lived at 6 Millerfield Place between 1868-78. Ballantyne (1825 – 1894) was a Scottish author who wrote more than 100 books for children, particularly adventure stories based around the sea. 'The Coral Island: A Tale of the Pacific Ocean' published in 1858 is arguably his most famous work, and is known to have been read by Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.

In the early 20th century 6 Millerfield Place was the childhood home of professor David Daiches (1912-2005). Daiches was a literary scholar and historian whose autobiography, Two Worlds: An Edinburgh Jewish Childhood (1956) features 6 Millerfield Place.

Category changed from B to C, statutory address and listed building record revised in 2015. Previously listed as '1-10 Millerfield Place'.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata IDs Q17801605 Q56632597

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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