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Summary

Description

John Chesser, 1875-1880. 3-storey, attic and basement, bowed, classically-detailed terrace with 2-storey and basement bowed and canted bays. Polished, channelled sandstone ashlar with polished dressings; droved sandstone to basement. Base course; string course between ground and 1st floors; cill course to 2nd floor; string course at eaves, with brackets to cornice; stone balustrade above, between alternate triangular pedimented single dormers and segmental pedimented bipartite dormers. Doorpiece comprising pair of stop-chamfered pilasters flanking 2-leaf panelled timber door with large rectangular fanlight; elaborately carved consoles to pilaster-heads, supporting cornice with balcony to window above; narrow flanking lights between paired pilasters; consoled segmental pediment to window above doorpiece; bowed balustrade to canted 1st floor window bay; canted balustrade above, forming balcony to tripartite window at 2nd floor; margins to all window openings, except those to 2nd floor, canted bay; margins moulded at ground, lugged at 2nd floor.

SE (FRONT) ELEVATION: Nos 4-9 at basement: window beneath oversailing entrance platt to left (bipartite at No 9); door and fanlight to right of platt, sometimes in separate bay, sometimes in left-hand light of 3-light bowed bay at right. Nos 10-23 at basement: platt infilled, with window to return, at left; door and fanlight to right; 3 lights to bowed bay at right. Nos 4-23, ground floor and above: 20, 2-bay houses. Ashlar steps and platt to doorpiece to bay to right at ground; single windows to 1st and 2nd floor above; triangular pedimented dormer above; 3 lights to bowed bay at left at ground and to canted bay at 1st floor above; tripartite window to 3rd floor, with segmental pedimented bipartite dormer above. Nos 24-25: angled corner pavilion, comprising 2 3-bay sections, advanced and slightly raised above level of Nos 4-23 Eglinton Crescent; stugged at basement; consoled segmental pediment to 1st floor window of both additional bays. No 24: 3 lights to bowed bay at right; window at left and door and fanlight at right beneath platt; window to outer left; doorpiece to bay to centre at ground, with single windows to floors above, and triangular pediment to dormer; 3 lights to bowed bay to right and to canted bay above; tripartite to 3rd floor above, with segmental pediment to bipartite dormer; single window to each floor, bay to left; segmental pediment to single dormer above. No 25: window beneath platt and to bay to right at basement; door and fanlight to left, with single light to centre of canted bay; ground floor and above: mirror image of No 24.

Predominantly 2-pane timber sash and case glazing. Grey slate mansard roof; coped, channelled, mutual sandstone ashlar stacks; tall, moulded octagonal cans; cast-iron rainwater goods.

RAILINGS: spiked railings to street (set in coping) and to ashlar steps and entrance platts; plain railings to steps down to basement.

Statement of Special Interest

Part of New Town A-Group. John Chesser was the Superintendent of Works to George Heriot's Hospital between 1858 and 1889. During his term of office large quantities of Heriot's land were feued, including land in the W of Edinburgh. Chesser was responsible for preparing ground and elevation plans for the new buildings. Opulent interiors were designed for many of the houses. According to the present owner (2004), 14 Eglinton Crescent was the home of David Alan Stevenson in the late 19th century. He was the cousin of Robert Louis Stevenson and son-in-law of Lord Roberts of Kandahar who was a close friend of Rudyard Kipling. His daughter, Dorothy Emily Stevenson, the novelist, was born in the house.

References

Bibliography

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