Penicuik, 12 High Street, White's Palace
Public House (Period Unassigned)
Site Name Penicuik, 12 High Street, White's Palace
Classification Public House (Period Unassigned)
Alternative Name(s) The Railway Tavern
Canmore ID 213364
Site Number NT25NW 75
NGR NT 23517 59914
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/213364
- Council Midlothian
- Parish Penicuik (Midlothian)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District Midlothian
- Former County Midlothian
Standing Building Recording (10 September 2015 - 20 January 2016)
GUARD Archaeology Ltd. were commissioned to undertake a programme of historic building recording and a watching brief at the Railway Tavern, 12 High Street, Penicuik by D2Architectural Design on behalf of their clients Mr Alex Haig and Mr Ken Haig during the course of refurbishment works to the Railway Tavern. The building is probably one of the oldest buildings within Penicuik and has undergone various phases of development and refurbishment over the last 200 years.
These changes are visible in the form of structural alterations and internal re-fitting. There have also been extensive additions to the property in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century.
Information from GUARD Archaeology Ltd.
Standing Building Recording (30 August 2016)
NT 2352 5991 A programme of standing building recording and a watching brief were undertaken on 30 August 2016. The building is probably one of the oldest buildings in Penicuik and has undergone various phases of development and refurbishment over the last 200 years. For structural reasons the internal modifications and renovation work was much more extensive than initially planned. Many of the original internal walls had been removed or partly removed during earlier renovations and were now supported with steel beams and columns. The front wall, which was bulging outwards, had to be completely dismantled and rebuilt. Despite the
various extensions and modifications, it was possible to reveal traces of the earlier buildings and to determine the building sequence. The most surprising discovery was the fact that the W gable wall had been completely rebuilt in brick following a fire next door. Similarly, the remains of the original rear wall of building survived on the upper floor supported on steel beams with the original windows openings now blocked up. In addition, the stone perimeter wall to the courtyard to the rear of the building has various blocked openings including windows, which would suggest that this had once been a house and corresponds to a building
shown on the 2nd Edition OS map of Penicuik (1894). Due to the high level of rebuilding undertaken for structural reasons the building has been de-listed.
Archive: NRHE (intended)
Funder: Alex Haig and Ken Haig
Alan Hunter Blair – GUARD Archaeology Ltd
(Source: DES, Volume 17)
