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Summary

Description

John Tait, circa 1830-1840, with later alterations. 3-storey over basement, 8-bay near-symmetrical terrace. Broached sandstone ashlar at basement; polished sandstone ashlar above with polished dressings; squared and snecked rubble to SE elevation. Band course between basement and ground floors and between ground and 1st floors; cill course to 2nd floor; coped blocking course to cornice above. Windows at ground and 1st floors recessed with projecting cills and plain aprons; architraves with cornices and moulded reveals to outer doorways (Nos 2 and 4); ashlar steps and entrance platts oversailing basement.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: segmental-arched doorway with timber door and 3-pane segmental-arched fanlight at basement in bays beneath oversailing platts; windows in remaining bays. Deep-set timber panelled door with 4-pane rectangular fanlight to doorways at 3rd bay from either end (Nos 2 and 4 respectively) at ground floor; identical arrangement to plain doorway at left of No 4 (No 3). Regular fenestration to flanking bays and to all bays of upper floors.

SE ELEVATION: window at lower basement in bay to centre and in recessed bay to outer right; door with 3-pane fanlight to intervening bay and in bay at left; window at each central bay above, with additional window to left at attic.

NW ELEVATION: obscured by adjoining building.

NE ELEVATION: not seen 2000.

12-pane timber sash and case windows; 2-bay timber sash and case window at ground floor to SE elevation. Grey slate roof; coped skews. Coped, cement-rendered stacks with cylindrical cans to SE wallhead, at centre and to NW (mutual). Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen 2000.

RAILINGS AND LAMP STANDARD: spear-headed (plain up steps to doors) cast-iron railings on ashlar copes; cast-iron railing-mounted lamp standard with glass globe to No 2.

Statement of Special Interest

Part of the Edinburgh New Town A-Group, a significant surviving part of one of the most important and best preserved examples of urban planning in Britain. Archibald Elliot planned the Rutland Square/Street scheme in 1819 for James Stuart. The scheme is outlined on John Wood's revised edition of the map first published by Thomas Brown in 1820, although at that stage it was still speculative. John Learmonth did not buy the ground until 1825, and he developed it from 1830. John Tait, his architect, worked to Elliot's plans and adopted the giant Corinthian pilaster motif at the entrance to the square (1 Rutland Square/28 Rutland Street and 32 Rutland Square/27 Rutland Street, listed separately). This part of the square does not appear on the 1840 PO Directory map, but the other 3 sides of Rutland Square do. The homogeneity of the Rutland development as a whole was compromised when half of the south-east side of Rutland Street was demolished to make way for the Caledonian Station and Nos 5-9 (odd nos), the rear of St Thomas' Church, were re-faced in the Romanesque manner in 1882 by Wardrop and Reid. Rutland Square, however, remains elegantly intact and, together with the remaining portions of Rutland Street, constitutes an important example of early 19th century planning in Edinburgh.

References

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