Edinburgh, 12 North St David Street

134. St. David Street.

This is one of the earliest parts of the New Town, and few of the original buildings remain. Among the survivals may be noted the tenement at the S. end, Numbers 5-11, at present occupied as an hotel with shops in the lower part [demolished c.1965].* With its rubble masonry and central gablet bearing a chimney, this building is one of a type formerly very common in the southern suburbs, and its presence here shows that the terrace-house did not become standard until after 1773-4, the date at which it was built. Number 21 situated at the S.W. corner of St. Andrew Square, has been considerably altered on the lower floors; but the upper part, first occupied by David Hume, the philosopher, who died there in 1776, is still intact above the modern extensions. At the N. end of the street there are two self-contained terrace houses Numbers 6 and 8, while Number 12 at the corner of the street contains flats above a maindoor house facing Queen Street. This tenement was built by John Brough in 1780. Numbers 3, 5, 7 and 9 on the opposite side are main door houses and flats. All these buildings, which stand N. of St. Andrew Square, have fronts of droved ashlar and correspond generally with those in Queen Street and George Street.

RCAHMS 1951, visited c.1941

*In the original arrangement also there may have been one or more shops on the street floor and flats on the upper storeys, each flat containing about six rooms.