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Summary

Description

1764. 3-storey, attic and basement, 3-bay former town house (currently offices, 2007) with oversailing entrance platt. Painted harl with ashlar margins and raised long and short quoins; rubble to rear (E). Band course above basement, raised cills, cornice. Later pair of bipartite dormers. Entrance door to far left with 4-pane timber entrance door with 3-light fanlight above.

Predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slates. Coped gable stacks. Raised skews.

INTERIOR: (seen 2007). Converted to form offices. D-plan open-well stair with cast iron balusters and timber handrail, wooden balusters at attic.

RAILINGS: to W. Row of spear-headed metal railings with integral gate.

Statement of Special Interest

This is a good example of a late 18th century town house and it is the only surviving dwelling on the former Surgeon's Square. Situated on sloping ground, The East elevation is close to the Flodden Wall a (Scheduled Ancient Monument) and it is a significant contribution to the local streetscape when viewed from the E.

Named Chisholm House after George Chisholm, the first lecturer in Geography at Edinburgh the house is portrayed on the 1st Edition Ordnance Survey Map of 1849-53 as a Burns Hospital.

Surgeon's Square was dominated by the 1697 Surgeon's Hall (see separate listing) on the South side of the Square and had a number of town houses on the East and West sides, some of which were used for privately-run anatomy classes.

Currently offices for the University of Edinburgh (2007).

List description revised as part of Edinburgh Holyrood Ward resurvey 2007-08.

Statutory address updated (2015). Previously listed as 'High School Yards, Chisholm House, including railings'.

References

Bibliography

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