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Summary

Description

George Smith, 1838-40. 3-bay Jacobean former church (now public house and shops). Stugged cream ashlar with polished dressings (rubble to sides and rear). Base course. Long and short quoins. Chamfered mullions and transoms to windows; Slightly advanced pitch-roofed 3-storey centre bay with shaped gable, obelisks on kneelered skewputts and engaged octagonal apex finial; modern glazed door in round-arched hoodmoulded surround with carved headstops and roll-moulded reveals; projecting consoled quadripartite window at 1st floor with decorative consoled cornice; tripartite window at 3rd with strapwork above cornice. Piend-roofed recessed flanking bays: eaves cornice and parapet with obelisks to outer corners, strapwork scrolls linking outer bays to taller inner block; timber panelled doors in corniced surrounds to ground (formerly windows with strapwork decoration over), consoled windows with lugged architraves to 1st.

INTERIOR: double-return stair with cast-iron balusters in entrance hall. Floored over at gallery level; cast-iron columns to horseshoe gallery still in situ. Kingpost roof with decorative circular ventilators.

Grey slates. Paired corniced chimney stalks to rear of centre block.

Statement of Special Interest

Ecclesiastical building no longer in use as such. Built as St John's Church and Parish School (Church of Scotland) for the Parish of Old and New Greyfriars. Land 'on the south side of the new street called Victoria Street' was fued from the Edinburgh Savings Bank. The school house was at the lower level with the 'place of worship' above. Victoria Street and Terrace were part of Thomas Hamilton's plan for the new Southern and Western Approaches to the city. Hamilton was replaced as architect to the Commissioners in 1834 by George Smith. The architectural style specified by the Commissioners of the 1827 Improvement Act for the new buildings associated with the developments (including this building) was 'Old Flemish,' a variation on Scotch Baronial owing much to the detailing of Heriot's Hospital.

References

Bibliography

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