Listed Building

The only legal part of the listing under the Planning (Listing Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 is the address/name of site. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing – see 'About Listed Buildings' below for more information. The further details below the 'Address/Name of Site' are provided for information purposes only.

Address/Name of Site

42 GREENHILL GARDENS ST BENNETS INCL GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLSLB30520

Status: Designated

Documents

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Summary

Category
B
Date Added
12/12/1974
Local Authority
Edinburgh
Planning Authority
Edinburgh
Burgh
Edinburgh
NGR
NT 24837 71719
Coordinates
324837, 671719

Description

John Henderson, circa 1859. Adjoining chapel by Robert Weir Schultz, 1950-7 (see separate listing). Alterations by Reginald Fairlie 1930-34. 2-storey near rectangular-plan Scottish 17th century villa. Squared and snecked pink sandstone with polished dressings. Cill course to garden front; crowstepped gables; chamfered reveals.

N ENTRANCE elevation: flat-roofed porch (1930-34) adjoining house to outer right and linking chapel; roll-moulded doorway with St Andrew panel and motto "Salva me bona crux"; deep-set boarded door. Advanced gabled bay to outer right of house; 2 single windows at ground;machicolated corbel table above; 2 slit windows at 1st floor; single window in gablehead. Tall round-headed stairwindow to centre. Single window at ground to outer left. High coped wall screening piend-roofed garage adjoining to N; flat-roofed rendered garage and service wing adjoining to E. S GARDEN elevation: 3-bay. bay to outer left with rounded angle at ground, breaking eaves as tower with saddleback roof; paired single windows at ground and 1st floors; single window breaking eaves in pointed-arched pediment. 2-storey, 5-light canted window in central bay; slate roof. Segmental-arched window at ground in bay toouter right; single window at 1st floor with bracketted pediment. W ELEVATION: 3-bay. Linking block to chapel at ground floor. Single window with corbelled pointed-arched pediment at 1st floor in 1st bay. Single window at 1st floor in 2nd bay. Square section bartizan with slit windows clasping NW angle of saddleback-roofed tower (see S elevation). E ELEVATION: M-gabled. Flat-roofed service and garage wing at ground; 2 segmental-arched windows at 1st floor centre; single window to right.Small-pane sash and case windows; plate glass sash and case windows to S. Grey slate roof; corniced gablehead stacks; double shouldered wallhead stack to N; moulded eaves guttering; beak skewputts. INTERIOR: decorative plaster cornices; timber fireplaces; timber balustrade and handrail; glass cupola over entrance hall.

Statement of Special Interest

A-Group with 42 Greenhill Gardens (chapel). The house was originally designed for George Seton, advocate, by John Henderson (see NMRS WatherstonCollection). In 1890 St Bennets was purchased by the Archidiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh as an official residence for the archbishop. In 1905 plans were drawn up by Robert Weir Schultz for a small chapel to be added to the W. Reginald Fairlie carried out alterations to the house in the early 1930s, including the repositioning of the staircase, and the addition of the vestibule and offices which now link the chapel to the W side of the house.

References

Bibliography

Plans and elevations from NMRS Watherston Collection, EDD/471/1-12; Gifford et al. Edinburgh (1984), p621; Cardinal G J Gray St Bennets Archbishop's House, Edinburgh (1987).

About Listed Buildings

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Listing is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for buildings of special architectural or historic interest as set out in the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997.

We list buildings which are found to be of special architectural or historic interest using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Listed building records provide an indication of the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building which has been identified by its statutory address. The description and additional information provided are supplementary and have no legal weight.

These records are not definitive historical accounts or a complete description of the building(s). If part of a building is not described it does not mean it is not listed. The format of the listed building record has changed over time. Earlier records may be brief and some information will not have been recorded.

The legal part of the listing is the address/name of site which is known as the statutory address. Other than the name or address of a listed building, further details are provided for information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland does not accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered as a consequence of inaccuracies in the information provided. Addresses and building names may have changed since the date of listing. Even if a number or name is missing from a listing address it will still be listed. Listing covers both the exterior and the interior and any object or structure fixed to the building. Listing also applies to buildings or structures not physically attached but which are part of the curtilage (or land) of the listed building as long as they were erected before 1 July 1948.

While Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating listed buildings, the planning authority is responsible for determining what is covered by the listing, including what is listed through curtilage. However, for listed buildings designated or for listings amended from 1 October 2015, legal exclusions to the listing may apply.

If part of a building is not listed, it will say that it is excluded in the statutory address and in the statement of special interest in the listed building record. The statement will use the word 'excluding' and quote the relevant section of the 1997 Act. Some earlier listed building records may use the word 'excluding', but if the Act is not quoted, the record has not been revised to reflect subsequent legislation.

Listed building consent is required for changes to a listed building which affect its character as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The relevant planning authority is the point of contact for applications for listed building consent.

Find out more about listing and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.

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