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Summary

Description

James C Walker, 1869-71, with additions 1876 (Groome: see REFERENCES). 4-storey early mass concrete hotel, built as the Waverley Hydropathic Co Ltd. Subsequent additions and alterations, including modern 2-storey pitched roofed and single storey flat-roofed additions to rear (N), enclosing rear courtyard.

Rendered concrete; mock ashlar detailing, with string courses between floors, raised long and short quoins and raised window margins on moulded console brackets; piended slate roof; effect of original roofline lost due to loss of wallhead and ridge stacks over main block and W wing. 4-pane sash and case windows (with horns), timber frames decorated with bead and reel mouldings at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors, plainer cavetto moulded frames at ground.

ENTRANCE (S) ELEVATION: taller 4-storey, 6-bay block to right; entrance in altered entrance porch at centre of lower 7-bay 4-storey block to left; slim 6-storey square-plan parpetted tower recessed in SW re-entrant angle to right of W block. Right-hand (E) block; symmetrically disposed openings; 2 projecting canted bays rising to 2nd floor with balustraded parapets, pair plain bays at centre, single plain bays flanking. Pair wallhead stacks over canted bays now lost.

Left hand (W) block: 7-bays, centre 5 symmetrically disposed, advanced centre bay with porch; projecting W bay with full-height canted window; E bay rising above wallhead as tower (parapet altered, original open-work balustrade now blocked out in solid concrete). Flat-roofed porch altered in 20th century (see NOTES), originally 2-storey, 1st floor tripartite window originally internal. Simplified roof-line, with stacks and finials removed.

W ELEVATION: 7-bays; 2-bay central projection, 2 pain bays left, 3 to right, stair bay at centre.

REAR ELEVATION: masked by modern additions; full-height canted bay in NE re-entrant angle.

E (FLANK) ELEVATION: narrow gable front with 3-storey canted bay with balustraded parapet; polygonal 5-storey tower to right at NE angle with ingle windows to each elevation, except 5th, which has paired round- arched windows, all with bead and reel moulded timber window frames; slated spirelet roof, bell-cast at eaves. Simple weather-vane finial at apex.

6 CAST-IRON LAMP STANDARDS: 2 pairs at E and W entrances, 2 at forecourt. Polygonal cast-iron shafts on chamfered plinths; tall turned cast-iron shafts for lamps at forecourt; short moulded bases for those at entrances.

Interior not seen (1991), see NOTES.

White marble statue of SIR WALTER SCOTT to S.

Statement of Special Interest

Listed for its technological significance as probably the earliest mass concrete building in Scotland, anticipating Murray Robertson's work in Dundee by 5 years. Listing at Category B reflects the loss of detail rather than historic significance.

Built on Skirmish Hill on a site convenient for the railway, Melrose and Abbotsford; steepness of site since reduced, surface of entrance court raised (see below).

ENTRANCE PORCH has been altered; originally flat-roofed, with decorative cast-iron railing at wallhead; entered by steep flight of steps (ground level has since been raised with tar-macadam) to segmental-arched door on S elevation; flanks apparently with full-height glazed windows. Early view prior to alterations may be seen at NMRS.

INTERIOR: Groome (1884, vol 5, p22, both editions) notes that as a hydropathic establishment it accommodated 150, with dining and drawing rooms, each 84 feet long; 2 billiard rooms, etc; "besides every variety of bath".

References

Bibliography

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