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Abden House, Pollock Halls Of Residence, Edinburgh

A Category B Listed Building in Edinburgh, Edinburgh

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.9375 / 55°56'14"N

Longitude: -3.1693 / 3°10'9"W

OS Eastings: 327054

OS Northings: 672219

OS Grid: NT270722

Mapcode National: GBR 8TM.J2

Mapcode Global: WH6ST.9122

Plus Code: 9C7RWRPJ+X7

Entry Name: Abden House, Pollock Halls Of Residence, Edinburgh

Listing Name: University of Edinburgh, Abden House, Marchhall Crescent, Including Gatepiers and Boundary Walls, Edinburgh

Listing Date: 29 March 1996

Last Amended: 17 July 2015

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 405378

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB29303

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Edinburgh, Pollock Halls Of Residence, Abden House
Edinburgh, Pollock Halls Of Residence, Abden House, Boundary Walls And Gate-piers

ID on this website: 200405378

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: Southside/Newington

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: House

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Description

Thomas Davies, 1855. 2-storey with basement and attic, 3-bay, irregular-plan, Jacobean mansion; single storey wings adjoining to N and S. Squared and snecked cream sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. Base course; roll-moulded architraves; eaves cornice and parapet; curvilinear gables and dormerheads; decorative, carved strapwork set in dormerheads; further strapwork to cornices of porch and single storey wing to S; carved star, flower, fleur-de-lys, and thistle finials to gable and dormerheads.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: MAIN BLOCK: 3-bay with advanced bay to left; advanced, enclosed porch in re-entrant angle; steps up to architraved doorway with strapwork carving directly above; deep set, 2-leaf panelled door; single window above and to both floors in bays to outer right;

2 dormers above. Single windows between floors in advanced bay to outer left with 2 small windows to basement.

E ELEVATION: 3-bay; advanced bay to outer right with tall, 3-light canted window at ground; bipartite window to 1st floor above with strapwork carving above cornice; single attic window also with strapwork carving. Tall single windows to ground floor in bays to outer left; single windows and dormers to floors above.

SINGLE STOREY WING TO S: flat roof; advanced to W and E; canted to W with blank central wall and single windows in flanking bays; central, full-height, 3-light, canted window to E with pierced parapet above; blank wall to S.

SINGLE STOREY WING TO N: irregular-plan incorporating garage and later conservatory to W; 2-bay to E.

Variety of small-paned, timber, sash and case windows. Grey slate roofs; corniced, octagonal wallhead and ridge stacks with fluted flues, some with decorative capitals.

INTERIOR: fine interior with many original features remaining: oak panelled porch and ENTRANCE HALL, the latter with ornate cornice and ceiling; deeply coffered with circular designs to square central panels. 2 "HISTORY ROOMS" facing gardens and hillside to E: to N with reeded panels to plasterwork; panelled doors; simply carved, black marble fireplace; ornate cornice and ceiling. To S the drawing room; panelled walls, some panels handpainted silk featuring oriental scenes of flowers and birds, others full-height mirrors giving an illusory sense of space; marble fireplace with decorative surround featuring pulvinated friezes and cornice; delicately moulded plasterwork throughout including floral frieze, ornate cornice and strapwork ceiling.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: pair of stugged, channelled gatepiers with pyramidal caps and ball finials to Marchhall Place; high rubble boundary wall surrounding estate.

Statement of Interest

Thomas Davies (d. 1859) was a civil engineer who practiced in Edinburgh in the 1850s. As well as Abden House, he designed a double villa in Newington in 1855.

Abden House first appears on Bartholomew's Edinburgh Post Office Map of 1865.

Listed building record and statutory address updated (2015). Previously listed as 'Marchhall Crescent, Abden House including gatepiers and boundary walls'.

External Links

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