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Edinburgh, 59 Belford Road, Belford House
Commercial Office (20th Century)
Site Name Edinburgh, 59 Belford Road, Belford House
Classification Commercial Office (20th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Sloan's Garage (Site Of)
Canmore ID 119273
Site Number NT27SW 630
NGR NT 23890 73816
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/119273
- Council Edinburgh, City Of
- Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District City Of Edinburgh
- Former County Midlothian
Building Notes
John Hardie Glover, a senior partner with Basil Spence & Partners purchased this nineteenth century coach house in 1948. It is situated in what were the grounds of Belford House on the north side of the Water of Leith to the west of Edinburgh's New Town. At the time of purchase the interior was derelict but the stone and slates were in a decent enough condition to allow Glover to alter and repair the building, creating a flat for his family.
As part of the renovations, Glover demolished part of a turret, created a whole new first floor and installed a large picture window and several copper-clad dormer windows into the upper storey of the house. The living accommodation was located on the upper level, and comprised a main living and dining room, a kitchen, three bedrooms and a bathroom. The ground floor was originally used as a garage, with a playroom and extra storage facilities, however this was converted into a small flat for resident household help in 1956.
Archive Details and Summary
The Sir Basil Spence Archive holds one manuscript file for this project containing a journal extract from House and Garden, which along with a description of the project includes images of the building's interior.
This text was written as one of the outputs of the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2005-08.
Archaeological Evaluation (May 2022)
NT 23873 73803 An evaluation was carried out in May 2022, ahead of development at Nos 59 and 60 Belford Road.
The lower courses of an early 20th-century brick wall were found relating to a fragment of a concrete surface. The trenches revealed demolition and levelling deposits including brick fragments, rubble, concrete, slate, glass, metal, and occasional plastic. The natural sandstone bedrock was observed between 1.0–1.8m and in several places had been truncated for foundations and services. Archive: NRHE (intended)
Funder: Majestic (Belford) Ltd
Katie O’Connell – AOC Archaeology Group
(Source: DES Volume 23)
