Edinburgh’s post-war listed buildings
SOME 70 post-war buildings in Edinburgh have been awarded a historic listing.
As of August 22, when the data was last compiled by listings managers at Scottish Government agency, Historic Environment Scotland, 19 buildings were ‘Category A’ (the highest listing standard), 36 Category B and 15 Category C.
In 2011, Historic Environment Scotland’s Dawn McDowell, deputy head of Designations, co-authored a summary of post-war listed buildings in the capital.
She and fellow co-author, Jack Gillon, from The City of Edinburgh Council, wrote: “There is a growing interest in buildings of the post-war period – through both advocacy and opposition.
“Post-war architecture is often associated with the perceived failure of high-rise housing projects and bland shopping centres. The idea of giving statutory protection to buildings built after 1945 is often a contentious issue as they do not have the merit of age and frequently do not have an aesthetic value that is immediately obvious.
“However, the post-war years have produced many buildings of architectural quality.
“The protection and conservation of post-war buildings can return a heritage dividend, by giving new life to redundant buildings, establishing a sense of place, and attracting investment and support for regeneration.
“There is a risk that many of these buildings may be lost before a longer time frame allows their true value to be appreciated.”
The various category listings are described (here) by HES, thus:
Category A: Buildings of special architectural or historical interest which are outstanding examples of a particular period, style or building type;
Category B: Buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are major examples of a particular period, style or building type; and
Category C: Buildings of special architectural or historic interest which are representative examples of a period, style or building type.
The list is, as follows:
2, 2A and 3 Queen Street, 12 North St David Street, Scottish Life – Reiach, Hall & Partners – 1969 replica – Category C
National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge – Reginald Fairlie – Opened 1956 – Category B
191 and 193 Canongate – Robert Hurd – 1958 – Category C
82 and 84 Canongate (Niasbet of Dirleton’s House) – Robert Hurd rebuild – 1954 – Category B
98-102 West Bow – T Waller Marwick (replica externally) – 1964-68 – Category B
242-244 Canongate (Chessel’s Court N Block) – Robert Hurd & Partners (free version of 1769 original) – 1963-64 – Category A
Adam House, 5-6 Chambers Street – William Kininmonth of Rowand Anderson Kininmonth & Paul – 1954 – Category B
HMSO, Sighthill – Stewart Sim – 1951 – Category A
Music School, George Watson’s 1962 – Michael Laird – 1962 – Category B
40 and 42 George Street – Cunningham Glass Partnership – 1983 – Category C
114 and 116 George Street – Hugh Martin Partnership – 1992 – Category C
The New Club, 84-87 Princes Street – Alan Reiach – 1966 – Category A
Scottish Widows, 9-10 St Andrew Square – Basil Spence, Glover and Ferguson – 1962 – Category A
10 and 12 Young Street, Sovereign House – Alan Reiach, Eric Hall and partners – 1970 – Category C
Royal Commonwealth Pool, Dalkeith Road – John Richards of RMJM – 1967 – Category A
Mortonhall Crematorium, Howdenhall Road – Basil Spence, Glover and Ferguson – 1964 – Category A
7 and 8 Fishmarket Square, Newhaven – Ian Lindsay & Partners – circa 1970 – Category C
2 Great Michael Rise and 29-33 Annfield, Newhaven – Basil Spence – 1957 – Category B
4-12 Great Michael Rise, Newhaven – Basil Spence – 1957 – Category B
14-20 Great Michael Rise, Newhaven – Basil Spence – 1957 – Category B
16-20 Main Street, Newhaven – Ian Lindsay & Partners – circa 1970 – Category C
24-38 Main Street, Newhaven – Ian Lindsay & Partners – circa 1970 – Category C
1-19 New Lane, Newhaven – Basil Spence – 1957 – Category B
2-16 New Lane, Newhaven – Basil Spence – 1957 – Category B
32 Charterhall Road – Morris & Steedman – 1962, ext 1970 – Category B
Telephone Exchange, 116 Fountainbridge – Stewart Sim – 1948-52 – Category B
1-16 Salvesen Crescent – SSHA – circa 1951 – Category B
GEC Marconi Avionics Radar Laboratory, Crewe Toll – Douglas Bamber – 1954 – Category B
The Old Kirk of Edinburgh, Pilton – Stanley Ross-Smith of Gordon & Dey – 1951 – Category C
65-67 Ravelston Dykes – Morris & Steedman – 1961-64 – Category B
St Andrew’s Church (Church of Scotland) including belltower, boundary walls and steps, 17-19 (odd nos.) Clermiston View – Basil Spence & Ferguson – 1953 – Category C
Forth Road Bridge – Mott, Hay & Anderson, engineers: Freeman Fox & Partners: Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Consultant – 1958-64 – Category A
West Princes Street Gardens, Royal Scots Memorial – Frank Mears and Partners and C d’Orville Pilkington Jackson – 1950 – Category B
West Princes Street Gardens, Shelters – n/a, Edinburgh Corporation? – circa 1950 – Category B
West Princes Street Gardens, Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial – Ian Hamilton Finlay – 1999 – Category A
The Robin Chapel, Thistle Foundation – John F Matthew, Glass, Sadie McLellan – 1949-52 – Category A
Thistle Foundation – Stuart Matthew of Lorimer & Matthew – 1946-50 – Category B
Craigsbank Church – Sir William Kininmonth, of RAKP – 1964-66 – Category A
Morocco Land Redevelopment, 249-263 Canongate and 43 New Street – Robert Hurd, with Ian Begg Project Arch – 1956-57 – Category B
Greenhouse, Royal Botanic Gardens – GAH Pearce, Ministry of Public Works – 1967 – Category A
10A Greenhill Park – Alexander Esme Gordon – 1968 – Category B
Scotstoun House, South Queensferry – Peter Foggo, and Ove Arup engineers – 1965 – Category B
Pollock Halls of Residence (Phases I and II), Dalkeith Road, University of Edinburgh – Rowand Anderson Kininmonth & Paul – 1956-64 – Category A
Adam Ferguson Building (Block D), GeorgeSquare, University of Edinburgh – RMJM – 1965-67 – Category B
David Hume Tower and Lecture Block (Blocks A and B), George Square, University of Edinburgh – RMJM – 1960-63 – Category A
George Square Theatre EU (Block E), George Square, University of Edinburgh – RMJM – 1965-70 – Category A
Main Library, George Square, University of Edinburgh – Spence Glover & Ferguson – 1965-67 – Category A
William Robertson Building EU (Block C), George Square, University of Edinburgh – RMJM – 1965-70 – Category B
Scottish Widows HQ,15 Dalkeith Road – Basil Spence Glover & Ferguson – 1972-76 – Category A
Avisfield, 12 Cramond Road North – Morris & Steedman – 1955-57 and 1964 – Category B
Clapperfield, 1 Clapperfield Lane – Stuart Renton (Reiach & Hall) – 1959 – Category B
Waverley Telephone Exchange,12 East London Street – R Saddler – 1964 – Category B
65-71 (odd) and 97-103 Canongate including 1-3 Brown’s Close – Basil Spence, Glover and Ferguson – 1961-69 – Category B
64 Princes Street (British Home Stores) – RMJM – 1964-68 – Category B
Hudson Beare Lecture Theatre, Kings Buildings – Robert Gardner Medwin – 1961 – Category B
St Andrews Parish Church, 42 Pennywell Gardens, Muirhouse – Harry Taylor – 1962-65 – Category C
1-63 Claremont Court – Basil Spence & Partners – 1959-62 – Category C
7 and 9 Laverockbank Avenue and 13-17 Laverockbank Crescent – Basil Spence & Partners – 1957-60 – Category B
Millbuies House, dovecot and compost shelter – Robert Matthew of RMJM & Partners, James Law – Dunbar Naismith, project architect – 1955-60, 1961 Compost shelter and dovecot – Category B
223 Oxgangs Road North, Colinton Mains Parish Church – Ian G Lindsay and Partners – 1952-54 – Category B
St Nicholas Parish Church (Church of Scotland), 124 Sighthill Loan 517-519 Calder Road, Wester Hailes Road – Ross, Doak and Whitelaw – 1955-57 – Category B
Murchison House, King’s Buildings, West Mains Road – Allan Pendreigh, Property Services Industry – 1971-77 – Category B
Dalhousie Land, University of Edinburgh,15 John Street – Esme Gordon and Gordon Dey – 1960-63 – Category C
Longstone Primary School, including boundary walls, gates and railings and excluding linking canopy to Redhall School, 3A Redhall Grove, Edinburgh – G Reid and J Smith Forbes – 1954-57 – Category C
Anti-aircraft operations room, including radio transmission mast, Craigiehall, South Queensferry – n/a – 1953-54 – Category B
Cables Wynd House, excluding ancillary brick walls and lower level car parking block to southeast, Cables Wynd, Leith – Alison & Hutchison & Partners – 1963-65 – Category A
Lothian Regional Bus Depot, Murrayburn Road – T Bowhill Gibson – 1955 – Category C
Linksview House, Tolbooth Wynd and Kirkgate, Leith – Alison & Hutchison & Partners – 1964-67 – Category A
Castle Terrace Car Park, including external concrete steps and painted steel railings, Castle Terrace and King’s Stables Road – Designed and built between 1959 and 1966 by Edinburgh’s City Engineers, Kinnear & Gordon (consulting engineers) and T. Waller Marwick & Associates (consulting architects), it was commissioned by the Edinburgh Corporation – 1959-1966 – Category B
Hunter Building, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Edinburgh – The Hunter Building was designed by Anthony Wheeler in 1971 and the building officially opened in 1977. It has an L- shaped plan composed of a four-storey block (aligned east-west) and a four storey and basement block (aligned north-south) – 1971-77 – Category B
Former RAF Turnhouse Sector Operations Command centre and R4 ROTOR Sector Operations Centre, excluding ancillary building to south, Barnton Quarry, Edinburgh – Barnton Quarry was selected as the location for the construction of the Sector Operations Centre for the Scottish Sector, designated R4 along with the other SOC sites. Building work began in 1951, with most of the construction work completed by the end of 1952, although delays in the supply of telecommunications equipment meant the site was not operational until February 1953 – 1951-1952 – Category A
Picture credit: Place Design Scotland
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