Standing Building Recording

Date 1 February 2013 - 17 December 2014

Event ID 1015334

Category Recording

Type Standing Building Recording

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1015334

Addyman Archaeology was commissioned to undertake historic building recording at Panmure House, Canongate, Edinburgh as part of a planning condition prior to the repair and conversion of the building. The present recording exercise followed extensive removal of cement pointing to the exterior and considerable stripping of the interior. Panmure House is one of Edinburgh's most significant early buildings and has historical associations as the town residence of the important political figure of late 17th century and early 18th century Scotland, Henry Maule, 4th Earl of Panmure, and as the home of economist Adam Smith. The early structure dates to the 1690s and was of T-plan form, although the northern section of this range is now absent. This is reflected in the surviving roof structure, which displays carpenters' laying-out marks in numbered sequence, from XXIIII (24) to XXXXIIII (44), implying 23 missing frames. The house itself was of comparatively modest external appearance - long and low, presenting windows of moderate size with chamfered surrounds, and other vernacular details such as crow-stepped gables. On-going archaeological monitoring will take place as building works progress, which are expected to restart in 2017. Analysis will include coordination with the below-ground excavation results as well as comparison with buildings of similar period and function.

Information from Kenneth Macfadyen and Tom Addyman (Addyman Archaeology) December 2014

OASIS ID: addymana1-198286