Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

University of Edinburgh, Reid School of Music, 14 Bristo Square, EdinburghLB27995

Status: Designated

Documents

There are no additional online documents for this record.

Summary

Category
A
Date Added
14/07/1966
Last Date Amended
01/03/2019
Local Authority
Edinburgh
Burgh
Edinburgh
NGR
NT 25819 73066
Coordinates
325819, 673066

Description

David Cousin, dated 1858. Tall, classical, 2-storey, with basement, 7-bay, rectangular-plan, Italianate former music school building, (now in use as a concert hall), prominently sited on sloping ground within a group of university buildings at Teviot Row. Symmetrical entrance (west) elevation with central bay with bracketed and hoodmoulded tripartite windows flanked by paired, single storey entrances with classical columned porticos and entrance steps. Single storey section to north elevation housing museum, 1st floor behind with 5 windows flanked by shell-headed niches. Smooth sandstone ashlar. Base course, ground floor string course, 1st floor cill and lintel courses with ornate, dentilled, heavy bracketed eaves over band course with inscriptions. Bracketted cills and hoodmoulds. Plainer elevation in coursed rubble to south.

Interior: main concert hall space with outstanding classical decorative scheme with coffered semi-elliptical tunnel vault ceiling, grand dentilled cornice, cornice bands to mid height and plain pilasters between windows. Raked floor to west and piano lift to basement. Organ by Jorgen Ahrend 1978 in a case by James Haig Marshall of Ian G Lindsay and Partners. Classical architraves, timber dado panelling and panelled shutters. Plain stair to basement.

Statement of Special Interest

An outstanding, prominently sited, 19th century classical building commissioned by the University of Edinburgh and by a noted Scottish architect, surviving in near its original form. The building demonstrates fine classical Italian detailing to both the elevations and the interior and the main performance space is on a grand scale.

The foundation stone was laid 13 February 1858 and the building was opened the following year on 14 February 1859. When built the Reid School of Music was used as a classroom rather than a performance space as it is used today. The building was funded by General Reid (1733-1815) who bequeathed money for its construction.

David Cousin (1809-1878) was one of the most outstanding architects of his generation but his recurrent faltering health and interest in civic duties resulted in a limited body of work. He gained renown for designing planned cemeteries in the 1840s at the start of his career such as Dalry and Warriston Cemeteries in Edinburgh. He became a member of the new Free Church, building several provincial churches for them before his major commission for them in 1853: the neo-Norman style St Georges Church on the Mound in Edinburgh with its paired spires standing prominent on the city's skyline. Cousin became architect to the British Linen Bank in 1845, an institution for whom he worked extensively during the latter part of his career. He produced some very fine examples of Italianate palazzo style architecture for the bank such as the British Linen Bank in Dundee. On 1st June 1847 he was appointed Edinburgh's Superintendent of Public Works and his first major work in that capacity was the Mannerist palazzo of the Corn Exchange in the Grassmarket (1848) and the abattoirs (1851-52) for which he made a study visit to Paris. The appointment as Superintendent brought with it responsibility for the University of Edinburgh which was then still municipally-owned, hence the reason he came to carry out the commission for the Reid School of Music.

The Reid was designed as a 'dry acoustic' with little reverberation and the 1978 organ was designed to complement the building to create a fine acoustic clarity, in contrast to the adjacent McEwan Hall and organ with high reverberation and much grander sound. A classical style inscription is carved into frieze below the cornice: 'Endowed by General Reid. School of the Theory of Music, University of Edinburgh'. The North Room was built as a museum and now houses part of the University of Edinburgh's Musical Museums and the John Donaldson Collection of over 1000 musical instruments. It is thought to be the oldest purpose-built musical museum in Europe. John Donaldson (1789-1865) was Professor of Music from 1845-1865.

(List description updated at re-survey 2011-12).

Statutory address updated (2015). Previously listed as 'Teviot Row, University of Edinburgh, Reid School of Music'.

Statutory address, revised in 2019. Previously listed as 'University of Edinburgh, Reid School of Music, Teviot Row, Edinburgh'.

References

Bibliography

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland: http://www.rcahms.gov.uk/canmore.html CANMORE ID 74111

J Gifford, C McWilliam and D Walker Buildings of Scotland Edinburgh (1984) p186.

Dictionary of Scottish Architects, www.scottisharchitects.org.uk (accessed 2012).

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

Images

Southeast Elevation, University of Edinburgh, Reid School of Music, Teviot Row, Edinburgh

Printed: 29/03/2024 15:20