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Summary

Description

Circa 1890-1894, range of former warehouses and offices originally built for fruit and vegetable brokering and wholesaling. Unusual steel plate and concrete floor construction (see Statement of Special Interest).

31 MARKET STREET: single-storey and basement, 5-bay, flat-roofed cream sandstone ashlar former warehouse and office building, with 2 wide 3-centre-arched doorways (one now a window), 2 round-headed windows and a similar door, all with set-back margins, and separated by pilasters (door to far right used as entrance to 32 Market Street). The interior was converted as a themed visitor experience circa 2000.

32-35 AND 36-39 MARKET STREET: 2-storey and basement 14-bay flat-roofed cream sandstone ashlar building. Ground-floor openings have set-back margins, and are mostly round-headed. One 3-centre-arched cart entry and 2 shop fronts with wooden fascia. First floor windows raised margins and moulded, modillioned sills. Plain 2-bay extension to east carefully lined in.

Large 4-pane timber in sash and case windows to Market Street elevation; timber casement windows to north elevation with some 4-pane windows, some blocked. Moulded cornice, and tube and stanchion railings to roof edge.

The interiors (Nos 32-35 and 36-39 seen in 2015) were converted to various office, warehouse and night club use from the late 1970s. Some early 20th century glazed office partitioning at first floor is still in place. Cast iron riveted stanchion 'Pheonix' columns (circular in plan and in star pattern, some still exposed) at ground floor; M-shaped steel plate floors to support mass concrete flooring.

Statement of Special Interest

This group of warehouse buildings from 31 to 39 Market Street was erected while Waverley Station and North Bridge were being completely rebuilt in the 1890s.

The former warehouse buildings and offices formerly servicing Waverley Station are an important survival of the wider grouping of station buildings. The buildings retain their late 19th century character to the principal elevation and include an innovative and early use of steel frame construction. These former warehouse buildings are of an unusually high quality architectural treatment and are of an unusual construction for their building type.

These buildings define the southern boundary of Waverley Station and are an important component of the station site. The plain classical character is in keeping in scale and form with other station buildings.

These warehouses have high quality ashlar stonework applying a plain classical treatment with good use of round arched windows adding further architectural interest and are not typical for industrial buildings of their type, in architectural design and construction.

The historical classical architectural context of Edinburgh was specifically referenced. The station, when first constructed in the mid 19th century, was seen as an industrial blight in the centre of 'Modern Athens' and the railway company and city were at pains to ensure that building in and around the station was appropriately matched to their historic setting.

Techniques used in the construction of these buildings is particularly unusual and ensured a high level of reinforcement so that goods could be seamlessly transferred from Market Street to the station and that the likelihood of collapse over a working station would be minimal if nil.

The floors are steel plate and support mass concrete floor (pre-dating the use of reinforced concrete); the technique used here is more often found under the deck of bridges. The steel stanchion columns, shaped in star pattern, known as 'Pheonix' columns were more commonly used in North America. Further research may reveal this to be an early and innovative use of steel framing of a building which was being developed during this period, with fully steel framed buildings appearing in the first decade of the 20th century in the UK.

The Post Office Directories for Edinburgh from circa 1900 to the 1920s notes a variety of fruit and vegetable wholesalers and brokers as resident in the street which was the centre of this trade in the city. These warehouses had direct links to the station and the goods trains which were loaded directly from the warehouse down to station level by way of goods lifts (now removed).

The buildings were extensively remodelled to the interior as leisure and office accommodation from the late 1970s onwards but have retained their 1890s footprint. Good surviving warehouse buildings associated with stations are increasingly rare and the buildings in Market Street have been given an unusual amount of architectural treatment to reflect their context in the centre of Edinburgh. Their construction is also unusually based on bridge engineering techniques to allow for the buildings to be cantilevered out over railway ground below and to ensure absolute stability.

While these buildings are is no longer functionally related to the station their exterior form has not substantially changed and they are a good survival, representing the historical commercial architecture associated with Scotland's largest city station and the former site of Edinburgh's historic fruit market.

Previously listed at category A as part of LB30270 'Waverley Station, 4, 17, 31 and 33 Waverley Bridge and 31, 32, 36-39 (Inclusive Nos) Market Street Including Waverley Bridge and 45 Market Street (Sub-structure only)' and separately listed at category B in 2015.

References

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