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Edinburgh, 38, 39 St Andrew Square, Bank Of Scotland

Bank (Financial) (19th Century), Lamp Post (19th Century), War Memorial(S) (20th Century)

Site Name Edinburgh, 38, 39 St Andrew Square, Bank Of Scotland

Classification Bank (Financial) (19th Century), Lamp Post (19th Century), War Memorial(S) (20th Century)

Alternative Name(s) British Linen Bank; Lamp Standards; War Memorial Plaques

Canmore ID 52426

Site Number NT27SE 380

NGR NT 25689 74089

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/52426

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Digital Images

Administrative Areas

  • Council Edinburgh, City Of
  • Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
  • Former Region Lothian
  • Former District City Of Edinburgh
  • Former County Midlothian

Architecture Notes

ARCHITECT: David Bryce 1846

Sculpture: A Handyside

REFERENCE

Dick Peddie & McKay, Edinburgh

Plans - proposed additions and alterations to Porter's House

Kinnear & Peddie - 1886

Plans: Addition & alterations - Dick Peddie & Walker Todd 1929-30

Attic 2, Bin 23, Bag 2

Plans: 1/2" details of library - Kinnear & Peddie 1887

Attic 2, Bin 23, Bag 2

Plans: new telling hall - Peddie & Kinnear 1858

Photographs

Notman Collection

Notman 330 General view from West

Acc No 1991/54

Copyright and permission to reproduce: RCAHMS

Print Room

Inglis Photograph Collection

Street front c.1910 including sentry boxes

Acc No 1994/90

Photographs

Bedford Lemere Book 5 19736 (1906) - photographs

NMRS Library

Newscutting. article by J Brian Crossland on "Victorian Edinburgh". Missing at time of upgrade, 1.2.2000.

Leaflet. The British Linen Bank. Missing at time of upgrade, 2.2.2000.

Activities

Project (1997)

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

Field Visit (24 April 2002)

A series of 12 portrait medallions, starting above the clock on the west side of the telling room, with Adam Smith, and running clockwise (W-N-E-S-W):

Adam Smith, General Sir Ralph Abercromby, John Rennie, James Watt, John Napier of Merchiston, Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, Archibald 3rd Duke of Argyll, Henry Home, George Buchanan, Sir Walter Scott, Sir David Wilkie and Adam Duncan.

Adam Smith (1723-90), author of 'The Wealth of Nations'.

General Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801).

John Rennie (1761-1821), engineer; builder of bridges, including Kelso, Leeds and Musselburgh, and designer of London Bridge. In the employment of Boulton & Watt from 1784-91.

James Watt (1736-1819), inventor of the Steam Engine.

John Napier of Merchiston (1550-1617), inventor of logarithms.

Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun (Lord Milton) (1692-1766), Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland, founder and first Deputy Governor of the British Linen Company.

Archibald (Campbell), 3rd Duke of Argyll (1682-1761), the first Governor of the British Linen Company.

Henry Home (Lord Kames) (1692-1782), one of the promoters of the British Linen Company.

George Buchanan (1506-82), historian and scholar.

Sir Walter Scott of Abbotsford, Bart. (1771-1832), novelist and poet.

Sir David Wilkie, R.A. (1785-1841), painter to His Majesty King George IV.

Adam Duncan, Admiral, Earl of Camperdown (1731-1804).

Inscriptions : None

Signatures : None visible

Design period : 1847-1851

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN1380)

Field Visit (27 March 2002)

Navigation: female figure with an anchor by her left side and a stick(?) in her right hand.

Commerce: male figure with book in left hand and a large parcel tied with rope by his left foot.

Manufacture: a female figure with spindle(?) in left hand and a distaff in right hand.

Architecture: a female figure with a tablet of stone in her left hand.

Science: bearded male figure with a kind of bolt(?) in his right hand, his left hand holding a parchment on his left hip. At his right foot is an anvil and a hammer.

Agriculture: Female figure with wheat sheaf in right hand and a circle of wheat stalks in her left hand. Around her head are ears of wheat.

On a frieze running below the figures are 6 putti. Each putto is directly below each figure and has further attributes:-

Navigation: putto with trident and sea creature.

Commerce: putto with globe and map.

Manufacture: putto with a spindle [?].

Architecture: putto with a mallet and chisel, carving a capital.

Science: putto with a wheel behind him, hammering something on an anvil.

Agriculture: putto with a scythe and wheatsheaf.

Between the putti, the frieze is carved with flowers and foliage.

The capitals of the columns are also carved with foliage.

Immediately below each of the main figures is a lion's head.

Inspected By : T.S

Inscriptions : None

Signatures : None Visible

Design period : 1847-1851

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN1378)

Field Visit (27 March 2002)

In pediments above 1st floor windows are heads and foliage.

1. A head with leaves instead of hair. 2 + 4. A wreath of oak leaves. 3. Head of Mercury wearing winged helmet. 5. Female head wearing bonnet. 1, 3 + 5. Heads are flanked by oak leaves entwined with ribbon.

Inspected By : T.S

Inscriptions : None

Signatures : None Visible

Design period : 1847-1851

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN1379)

Project (February 2014 - July 2014)

A data upgrade project to record war memorials.

Watching Brief (28 January 2019 - 10 December 2020)

Addyman Archaeology undertook a programme of monitoring as part of the redevelopment of the Category A Listed Buildings at 37-39 St Andrew Square in Edinburgh’s New Town.

The monitoring of the ground breaking works did not reveal any archaeology predating the construction of the New Town. The excavations revealed further evidence of the transformations that 37-39 St Andrew Square underwent through the years, mostly relating to the new bank modification of the 1840s.

Information from Alice Amabilino and Antoine Ruchonnet (Addyman Archaeology) December 2020.OASIS ID: addymana1-411107

Standing Building Recording (28 January 2019 - 10 December 2020)

NT 25703 74095 A programme of historic building recording and monitoring was undertaken, between January 2019 and December 2020, as part of the redevelopment of the Category A Listed Buildings at 37–39 St Andrew’s Square in Edinburgh’s New Town. The recording of the underlying masonry revealed three main phases of the building’s history. The original, pre-1807, building was found to survive to the N. When the new bank building was built by David Bryce in the 1840s, the northern building was partially transformed and the southern building was demolished, with some stones being reused in the fabric of the new structure. Finally, there were some 20th-century changes, particularly the building of the canteen in the courtyard, which has been removed by the current refurbishments.

The monitoring of the ground-breaking works did not reveal

any archaeology predating the construction of the New Town. The excavations revealed further evidence of the transformations that 37–39 St Andrew Square underwent through the years, mostly relating to the new bank modification of the 1840s.

Archive: NRHE (intended) Funder: Gleneagles

Antoine Ruchonnet – Addyman Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 22)

OASIS ID: addymana1-411107

References

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