72, 74, 76 West Port, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Edinburgh

Entry Name: 72, 74, 76 West Port, Edinburgh

Listing Name: 62-76 (Even Nos) West Port, Including 1-32 (Inclusive Nos) Cordiners' Land and Garden Walls and Railings

Listing Date: 10 April 1986

Category: C

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 371000

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB30195

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200371000

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Architectural structure

Description

David McArthy, 1887. 4-storey and attic 8-bay asymmetrical tenement block with original shops to ground floor. Squared and snecked stugged sandstone with red sandstone dressings (harled to side) with 3-storey brick wing at right angles to rear and 2-storey brick house to rear.

N (WEST PORT) ELEVATION: continuous cornice above shops; cill courses at 1st 2nd and 3rd floors; chamfered reveals. Glazed timber panelled doors to shops. Tabbed windows. Bipartite windows in outer right bay; red sandstone dormer with square window and ball-finialled decorative pediment (dated 1887). Crowstepped gable to 2nd and 3rd bays from right: single windows to right, bipartites to left at 1st 2nd and 3rd floors; keyblocked circular window in gable Crowstepped gable to 4th bay from right: timber panelled door to close (Cordiners' Land) in corniced roll-moulded surround with hoodmoulded carved panel over (see Notes); bipartites at 1st 2nd and 3rd floors; square window in gable. Single windows in 4th bay from left; wallhead stack corbelled out at 2nd floor, shouldered at eaves to right. Single windows in 3rd bay from left; small pedimented red sandstone dormer with square window. Broad shouldered wallhead stack corbelled out at 2nd floor between 2nd and 3rd bays from left; carved panel (see Notes) in aedicule with scrolled pediment clasping thistle. Crowstepped gable to 2 outer left bays; single windows to right, bipartites to left; keyblocked circular window in gable.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: modern advanced harled stair tower to rear with pitched-roofed painted metal balcony tower; concrete access decks with cast-iron brackets and railings; modern pitched-roofed dormers with decorative metal frames. Later 3-storey 6-bay wing adjoining to SW: red brick with yellow brick dressings; open stair (concrete steps, cast-iron handrail) at angle; white glazed tiles; concrete access decks with cast-iron brackets and railings timber panelled doors with 2-pane fanlights flanked by single windows; 3 projecting blocks to rear: piend-roofed single bay block to right; piend-roofed stair tower to centre; later polygonal block to left.

Free-standing piend-roofed 2-storey brick house to S (modern single storey wing to left): oriel window to centre at 1st floor.

8-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows (modern glazing to free-standing block to rear). Grey slates. Corniced stacks with octagonal chimneys to main block. Corniced brick stacks with circular cans to block at rear.

GARDEN WALLS AND RAILINGS: garden to centre at rear with cast-iron railings on retaining walls.

Statement of Interest

Built for the Association for Improving the Dwellings of the Poor. The free-standing brick house to rear was the wash-house and factor's office. Inscription below the wreathed emblem of the Cordiners in carved panel over door of Cordiner's Land reads 'Behold how Good a thing it is And how becoming well, Together such as brethren are in unity to dwell. 1696.' That in aedicule below wallhead stack reads ' Love God above all and your neighbour as yourself.' The West Port was originally the SW city gate, and the street now known as West Port lay in the burgh of Portsburgh.

External Links

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