Former bonded warehouse, 15 Duke Street, Leith, Edinburgh

Description

A two-storey former bonded warehouse with attic, which was built between 1795 and 1804, and is fronted on Duke Street by a two-storey, two-bay addition that dates from the mid-19^th century. The building is rectangular on plan with a single piended slate roof. The walls are largely squared rubble construction roughly brought to courses, with dressed quoins and architraves. There is a vehicular entrance to the right, with a single gate pier, leading to a cobblestone courtyard, with a small single-storey outbuilding to the north end. The property is currently vacant and in a derelict condition (2023). It is located at the western end of Duke Street, close to the foot of Leith Walk in the northeast of Edinburgh.

The narrow main (south) elevation to Duke Street is symmetrically arranged and dates from around 1852. The walls are tooled ashlar sandstone walls (painted) and detailing includes a continuous cill course, a moulded eaves cornice and a blocking course to the parapet. There is a modern metal security door. All other openings are boarded-up. The side (east) elevation has a single door opening and traces of a forestair evident in the wall. The stonework is painted but matches that of the adjoining warehouse to the north. The rear (north) elevation is abutted by the former warehouse (see below).

The main (east) elevation of the warehouse projects slightly and is approximately seven bays. The openings have flush margins with droved tails. Towards the centre is a former loading door that has a pedimented roof breaking the eaves and retains its timber loading arm and metal hook. Most of the openings are now blocked and no glazing or window frames remain. There are traces of a former forestair and ground floor abutments evident in the wall fabric. There is potential that some of the roof trusses may be contemporary with the early date of construction, or to the second phase of construction, but this could not be determined.

The interior of the building was seen in 2022. It has been largely stripped of historic fabric, with exposed rubble walls throughout. There are some alterations to the layout evident, including later timber and brick partitions, bracing and floor structures. There is evidence of earlier floor structures visible in the wall fabric and a timber panelled door/shutter remains to the ground floor of the Duke Street elevation.

There is a single freestanding gate pier to the right of the main elevation on Duke Street. This is built of coursed and painted ashlar stone, with a pyramidal cap. There are replacement metal gates to the vehicular and pedestrian entrances that lead to a cobbled courtyard with granite setts. The yard is enclosed by a high rubble wall to the north and by the rear elevations of tenements on Academy Street to the east. A single storey, rectangular-plan outbuilding is located at the northern part of the yard. It is built of squared and coursed sandstone, with droved ashlar surrounds to the large opening on its west elevation. The roof is flat with an ashlar parapet.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the interiors are excluded from the listing.

Historical development

Constructed between 1795 and 1804, 15 Duke Street is thought to be one of the oldest surviving warehouses in Leith. It was built for brothers John and Robert Cockburn, renowned Edinburgh wine merchants, who founded Cockburn's of Leith in 1796. 15 Duke Street was their first premises and warehouse.

The site of 15 Duke Street was undeveloped in 1751, as seen in Cooper's A Plan of the City of Edinburgh with the adjacent grounds (1751). In this map, the site roughly corresponds to the land outside the southeast corner of The Town of Leith defences. Aitchison's map (Plan of Leith Eng'd for Aitchison's Directory) of 1795 shows some development in the area of 15 Duke Street but none reflecting the current form of the building.

The former warehouse building is first shown on Ainslie's map of 1804, although it is shown as extending further north than its current form, and there is an earlier frontage towards the south (at the Duke Street end).

The footprint of the warehouse is shown in more detail in Kirkwood's plan of the City of Edinburgh and its environs (1817), as being set back from Duke Street with no block fronting Duke Street to the south. A square-plan building abuts to the north, in what is now a vacant plot. This block may have once formed part of the bonded warehouse, accessed via a pend at what is now 11 Academy Street, however this remains unclear and was shown as being a separate building by the Ordnance Survey map of 1914 (surveyed 1912, published 1914).

The footprint of the warehouse appears unchanged in Charles Thompson's Plan of the Town of Leith and its environs (1822) but is recorded as being owned by 'R&J Cockburn'. Cockburn & Co. It is listed as wine merchants, Duke Street, Leith in Pigot and Co.'s National Commercial Directory (1837).

The Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1853 (surveyed 1852, published 1853) shows that by this time the present two-storey extension block had been added to the south, in line with Duke Street. This extension likely functioned as offices to the bonded warehouse and stairs are shown on the eastern elevation, indicating that there was direct access to the upper floor, either from the warehouse courtyard or the street. Ancillary structures and a wall are also shown at the north end of the courtyard, separating it from that to the north. By this time, an earlier development to the west appears to have been replaced by a large rectangular building adjoining the western elevation of 15 Duke Street.

The buildings are shown on the 1876 Ordnance Survey Town Plan (surveyed 1876, published 1878-81) with minor additions to the east elevation of the warehouse and some changes to the ancillary buildings to the north. The 1895 Ordnance Survey Town Plan (surveyed 1894, published 1895) shows 15 Duke Street in much the same configuration, but it is identified as Bonded Stores and a crane is illustrated to the north of the courtyard, just south of the outbuilding. The building adjoining to the north of the warehouse appears to be in separate ownership by this time, accessed via pend on Morton Street.

Later maps show little change at 15 Duke Street. There was some infilling around the buildings to the north of the warehouse and by the Ordnance Survey map of 1914 (surveyed 1912, published 1914) the buildings to the west had been replaced by the Picture Palace cinema. The Ordnance Survey National Grid map of 1946 (surveyed 1946, published ca. 1946) showed no change to the footprint of the building.

By the mid 1980s, the building was no longer in use as a warehouse and in the 1990s it was in use as a public house, known as 'Skivvy's' or 'Skivvies'. The building has been vacant since the late 20^th century. Since 2002 various planning permissions have been sought for the conversion of the building but these have largely been refused.

Statement of Interest

15 Duke Street meets the criteria of special architectural or historic interest for the following reasons:

It is a good representative example of a late 18^th to early 19^th century bonded warehouse that displays features of definite design quality, which although altered, retains much of its historic form and character.

The block fronting Duke Street is a later addition but contributes to the special interest of the building as it demonstrates how this industrial site was given a more formalised appearance in the mid-19^th century.

The overall footprint remains relatively unchanged, and the building retains a number of distinctive features that are indicative of its former industrial function.

The setting has been well-retained and a number of buildings of a similar construction date survive nearby.

The survival of the associated ancillary features such as the outbuilding, gate pier and cobbled yard contribute to the historic character of the building and tell us about how the site would have functioned.

It is an early surviving example of a warehouse building type characteristic of Leith, but that is now becoming increasingly rare.

It is an important reminder of Leith's industrial and commercial past and in particular its historic association with the harbour.

The building has a close association with the 'Cockburn's of Leith' company, whose famous Cockburn's Port is still in production today.

In accordance with Section 1 (4A) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 the interiors are excluded from the listing.

Architectural Interest

Design

15 Duke Street was built as a bonded warehouse with the specific purpose of storing wine, and potentially other liquor and tobacco. This industrial use is reflected in its utilitarian design and simple detailing. The building has architectural features that are of design interest for its type and date and retains much of its traditional form and character. It has good quality stonework, the original openings remain evident, and it retains a number of distinctive features that are indicative of its former industrial function. These include the early timber hoist and metal hook, the large openings, and the remnants of external stairs (forestairs).

The two-storey addition that fronts Duke Street, dating from the mid-19^th century, survives with much of its early character intact and forms part of the special interest of the site. The stripped-down classical appearance is typical for a building of this date and reflects its function as a formal frontispiece for the industrial warehouse to the rear. It would have given the building a degree of importance within the wider streetscape.

Together the buildings are noticeably smaller in scale when compared with later buildings in the streetscape and are important early survivors that are indicative of Leith's industrial history, both as a port and an independent burgh.

The surviving cobbled yard, associated outbuilding and entrance gate pier reflect the industrial use of the property and help us to understand how it would have functioned when it was a warehouse. These ancillary features further contribute to the special interest of the site.

The interior of the building was seen in 2022. The interior and plan form have been substantially altered with little distinction between the front block and the former warehouse. It generally comprises a large open space with evidence of recent works being carried out to subdivide the space and install a new floor (both of which are unfinished). Much of the internal fabric has been stripped out, with the stone walls exposed (with many infill repairs). None of the original floors, and few internal partitions remain but there is evidence of where the former floor joists where embedded in the walls, indicating earlier floor levels. No early features remain.

The building has been vacant and disused for some years. Its interior scheme has largely been removed and there have been some changes to the exterior, including the loss of the forestairs and the insertion of some additional openings. However, much of the external character and overall form of the building has been retained, along with features that evidence its former function.

15 Duke Street is a good representative example of a bonded warehouse from the late 18^th or early 19^th century, which was extended in the mid-19^th century. Despite later alteration and lack of interior fixtures and fittings, the group of buildings survive largely in their original form and retain much of their early character and external appearance.

Setting

The building is located on Duke Street, a principal thoroughfare in Leith which is close to the main junction, the 'Foot of the Walk'. The setting of the building within a built-up, mixed use urban area is typical for the building type. The building in its current form remains a prominent feature within the streetscape, and its small scale and narrow plot are important reminders of the early development of the street. The retention of the entrance gate pier and cobbled yard contribute to the setting of the building and are important functional features. Together, these structures form an important group along the streetscape that is indicative of the area's industrial and commercial heritage.

The immediate area surrounding 15 Duke Street has seen much development since it was first constructed but it retains a number of buildings of a similar date that contribute to the group interest. The buildings in the block surrounding the bonded warehouse, between what is now Constitution Street and Academy Street, largely date from the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries and are mostly residential. They include the tenements at 5-13A Academy Street (listed category B, LB26705) and at the corner of Constitution Street and Laurie Street (listed category C, LB27264), and the former villas to the north at 17 Academy Street (listed category B, LB26718) and 161 and 163 Constitution Street (listed category B, LB27272).

The block saw much infill development and the insertion of replacement buildings from the mid-19^th to the early 20^th century. Notable survivors include the adjoining former Palace Cinema to the immediate west, built in 1912 and now a mixed-use commercial premise (listed category B, LB27281), and the tenement to the immediate east, on the corner of Duke Street and Academy Street (listed category C, LB27406).

The site is located within the boundary of Leith Conservation Area. Leith was a thriving and expanding commercial and industrial area throughout the 19^th century. Much of its present urban layout and architecture date from this significant period as an independent burgh and trading port (City of Edinburgh Council, 2002). The long warehouse building at 15 Duke Street predates Leith becoming an independent burgh in 1833. At this time, this particular part of Leith was predominantly residential, with most industrial and commercial activity taking place to the north, towards the port. The former warehouse is an important surviving remnant of this part of Leith's early industrial heritage, within what was a largely residential area.

The industrial character of the wider area around the building has changed in recent decades. This is as result of a number of factors that include the expansion of Edinburgh, a decline in heavy industry and the subsequent regeneration of Leith. Historic Ordnance Survey mapping shows that there was a wide variety of other industrial and commercial buildings within the wider Leith area during the 19^th and 20^th centuries. These included those associated with distilling, shipbuilding, flour milling and rope, twine, and sail making, as well as various other warehouses. Whilst some of these former industrial buildings have since been demolished, many still remain. The vast majority have been converted for commercial or residential use, but they contribute to the industrial character of Leith and to the wider setting of the building.

Historic interest

Age and rarity

The older a building is, and the fewer of its type that survive, the more likely it is to

be of special interest.

Bonded warehouses were used to store, manipulate, or manufacture goods without payment of duty, and were often managed by the government or private investors. They were located near docks and transportation routes and were generally used to store tobacco and liquor such as wine and whisky. The owner and state could alter the goods according to the market, for instance roasting coffee and mixing/bottling of wine and spirits, while they were in the warehouse 'in bonds', (Wessex Archaeology, 2022).

Bonded warehouses were common on harbour sites as goods were brought in and stored until use. 15 Duke Street is not a rare survival for its building type within the context of Leith and it harbour, however it is now among the earliest surviving warehouses in the area.

In 1977, Hume (p.194) noted that Leith contained the finest collection of general and bonded warehouses in Scotland. However, it was noted that by that time some of the oldest examples had been demolished, as trade and industry developed from the mid-20^th century on. Today, there are some early examples of bonded warehouses that survive along Commercial Street, at nos. 72-98 (listed category A, LB26825), no.102 (listed category A, LB26838), and nos.110-150 (listed category B, LB26864), and also at 1A and 2-11 Dock Place (listed category B, LB26890). This group forms a substantial multi-storey range that is notable for its scale and early date (around 1800 to around 1850). They have been converted for residential and commercial use but are among the oldest surviving regular range of multi-storey harbour warehouses in Britain.

The majority of other examples that now survive in Leith appear to date from the earlier to later 19th century (around 1825 to 1900), and the vast majority of these have been converted for residential or office use. As a result, the building type is becoming rarer and those that survive may be of special interest. Examples include 22 John's Lane (listed category C, LB27530), 124 Great Junction Street and 13-16 Yardheads (listed category B, LB27507),17-18 John's Place (listed category B, LB27550) and 45, 46 Timberbush (listed category B, LB27902). Of these examples, all except 22 John's Lane have been converted for residential use.

15 Duke Street dates from the late 18^th or early 19^th century and retains much of its early character and form. When compared with other listed examples in Leith, it is an early surviving example of a building type that is becoming increasingly rare.

The addition of the later office frontage is a less common survivor of industrial buildings and perhaps reflects the status of the Cockburn brothers' company in the mid-19^th century. This more formal addition with its classical proportions is not typical and sets it apart from other examples of bonded warehouses in Scotland. A comparable example is the former Edinburgh and Leith Gasworks on Baltic Street, Leith (listed category B, LB26744).

Social historical interest

Social historical interest is the way a building contributes to our understanding of how people lived in the past, and how our social and economic history is shown in a building and/or in its setting.

Leith was an important harbour town in 19^th century Scotland and had a large number of bonded warehouses. The building type is therefore characteristic of the area and surviving examples are of importance to the history of Leith's economy. 15 Duke Street is typically located close to the harbour and was likely to have been used for storing wine, and maybe also tobacco, which were dutiable goods in the early 19^th century.

15 Duke Street is a reminder of the industrial and commercial heritage of Leith and its importance as a major trading port. As the industrialisation of Scotland grew and traditional ways of living such as cottage industries and small-scale agricultural subsistence dwindled, urban centres expanded to accommodate the ever more centralised industrial workforce. Places such as Leith experienced a boom in population and urban expansion, with Leith's harbour becoming one of the busiest in Scotland during the 19^th century.

15 Duke Street is an important early survivor of a building type that would have once been characteristic of the area. It also predates the expansion of Leith in the mid-19^th century and is a tangible reminder of the importance of the harbour trade to the economy of the area.

Association with people or events of national importance

There is a close historical association with wine merchants John and Robert Cockburn who founded Cockburn's of Leith in 1796. 15 Duke Street was their first warehouse and premises. The company's famous Cockburn's Port is still in production today.

John and Robert's brother was Lord Henry Cockburn, the Scottish lawyer, judge and literary figure who served as Solicitor General for Scotland between 1830 and 1834.

External Links

Historic Environment Scotland Listing

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