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Summary

Description

1859 villa with later 20th century alterations and 1922 hall addition by Todd and Miller. Large 3-bay, 2-storey, rectangular-plan, multi-gabled former villa adjoining large 5-bay classical piended-roof public hall to rear.

MEMORIAL HALL: 5-bay principal (E) elevation with large corniced doorpieces to advanced outer bays and 3 tall pilastered 28-paned windows to central bays. Deep base course, frieze decorated with paterae; dentilled cornice and overhanging eaves. Plainer 5-bay elevation to W. Roughly symmetrical side elevation with central raised piended roof projection room with simple cantilevered balcony. Smooth painted render to main elevation with wet dash to side and rear. Multi-pane timber sash and case windows, timber entrance doors; small grey slates, concrete ridge tiles and cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: main auditorium with curved ceiling, stage and balcony to rear. Plain cornicing with decorative detailed cornicing around stage and 6 plaster ceiling roses. Corniced doorpieces. Wide concrete stair to rear leading to balcony with cinema style seating; further small stair to projection room.

FORMER VILLA: 2-storey, 3-bay former villa with advanced central buttressed gablet with clock flanked by gabled eaves breaking dormers; later canted bay window to ground left. Coursed ashlar to principal elevation with margined quoins, painted render to sides. Eaves course, beaked skewputts and stone skews. Corniced pilastered doorpiece to W gable. Mixture of plain, 4-pane and 6-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows. Slate roofs, cast-iron gutters and plastic downpipes.

INTERIOR: converted to office accommodation but some good Victorian detailing survives including geometric tiled floor to lobby and curved stone stair with cast iron balusters and secondary stair to rear. Decorative plaster cornicing and ceiling roses and marble chimneypieces with cast-iron tiled inserts.

Statement of Special Interest

Located on a prominent island site, bounded by Chapel Street, Drovers Way (leading to Leithen Road) and Bond Street. The buildings make a strong contribution to the townscape. The Memorial Hall is of particularly good quality with the fine decorative detailing of the principal elevation making a good contribution to the streetscape.

The double-ridged house formerly known as Holm Villa was built by the 8th Earl of Traquair as part of his estate in 1859 on a prominent corner of Leithen Road and was used as a family home for some years. In 1919 it was purchased by the mill owner Henry Ballantyne, refurbished and gifted to the town for use as the Burgh Chambers. A few years later he commissioned the adjoining Memorial Hall from architects Todd and Miller of Edinburgh, although by the time the building was finished the firm was practicing under the name J M Dick Peddie and Walker Todd.

The hall was built with a capacity of 800 people and was opened to the public on 11th November 1922 by Henry Ballantyne. The triangular garden to the front of the villa was landscaped to represent the Leithen valley with model of the Cuddy Bridge and to incorporate the War Memorial. The slate backed clock with ventilators to the gablet of the villa was added in 1960 and is dedicated with a bronze plaque to Janet Muir.

Dick Peddie McKay drawings showing joinery details in the RCAHMS dated 1921 (DPM 1920/180/1-10).

References

Bibliography

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