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Summary

Description

Circa 1818; public house John Forrester 1898-9. 4-storey, basement to Broughton Place elevation, 5-bay x 5-bay, terrace Classical corner tenement, full-height 2-windowed bow to Broughton Street, shop and public house with fine late Victorian interior at ground. Sandstone ashlar, rusticated in regular bays at ground. Base course, band courses between floors, cill band at 1st floor, corniced eaves and blocking course.

W (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: classically detailed, part-glazed, timber public house front with entrances to left and right, balustraded, ball-finialled parapet with segmental-arched pedimented tablet, scroll-flanked above. Entrance to flats above to right (second door at left now blocked). To left at ground to Broughton Street and spanning 2 bays to Broughton Place irregular-plan projecting shopfront. Regular fenestration above.

N (BROUGHTON PLACE) ELEVATION: projecting timber-panelled shopfront to 2 bays to right with deep entablature and central segmental pediment and balustered rail with ball finials; two-leaf timber panelled doors to right and left with ovoid fanlights. Wrought iron lifting mechanism for beer barrels to right. Doors to right of pub front in remaining bays, regular fenestration above with windows blinded for symmetry in 2 bays to right at 1st and 3rd floors.

Timber sash and case windows with 12-pane glazing, 4-pane at ground, stacks with terracotta cans, decorative cast-iron railings.

INTERIOR: good late 19th century Classical style decorative scheme. Lobbies with 2-leaf timber half-glazed inner doors. Compartmented ceiling to pub; decorative plaster cornices with egg and dart and foliate mouldings and decorative consoles. Tiles to dado with panels showing Scottish rural scenes, polychrome embossed tiles at upper edge, plain tiles around scenes. Timber chimneypieces with tiled grates, over-mantles with mirrors. Ceiling-height carved oak gantry with deep architrave and split pediments with ball finials; timber panelled bar counter with pilasters and quasi-consoles.

Statement of Special Interest

This is an impressive New Town tenement block with a prominent bowed corner and a fine late 19th century front to the Barony Bar. It plays a significant role in the streetscape of this area linking the later 18th century rubble blocks at 65-79 Broughton Street with the S side of Broughton Place which was developed from 1807 onwards. The E side of Broughton Street and Broughton Place were part of the Gayfield Estate. The grounds of Gayfield House were feued by the solicitor James Jollie from 1785. By 1807 Hugh Cairncross, ex-assistant to Robert Adam, was employed to draw up the designs for parts of this and he is responsible for the design of Broughton Place. However 81-87 Broughton Street is taller than the tenement on the S side of Broughton Place to which it is adjacent. Clearly it was not part of the same programme of work and this is fully supported by its slightly later date. Kirkwood's map of 1817 (perhaps surveyed somewhat before this date) shows that at that date the corner block was not yet built; Kirkwood's map of 1819 shows the finished building.

The interior of the bar is significant for the fine tiled panels with Scottish scenes, the good timber chimneypieces and the fine cornices. The timber bar and gantry with ornamental balustrades and ball finials echo the detailing on the exterior woodwork.

The architect of the Barony Bar was John M Forrester, who worked as a surveyor and valuer as well as an architect. It is probable that most of his work was in the two former capacities as we only know of five architectural works, all of which are public houses. However he was held in high esteem by the city's publicans and was a frequent guest at licensed trade functions. Forrester's office was located at 39 Broughton Street and all the pubs we know he designed are in the NE part of the city.

List description updated as part of the Public Houses Thematic Study 2007-08.

References

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