Edinburgh, Clerwood Terrace, Clermiston House

181. Clermiston House.

The lands of Clermiston were separated from the estate of Corstorphine in 1771. In 1792 the present mansion was built near the top of the W. slope of Corstorphine Hill, by Samuel Mitchelson, one of the Principal Clerks of Session (1). Apart from additions on E. and N.E. the building is roughly cubical and consists of a sunk basement, two upper floors and an attic. The masonry is rubble on the basement floor and droved ashlar above; the stone probably came from Ravelston quarry. The facade faces W. Its central part is recessed and the projection on either side is pedimented. The recess contains a shallow, pillared loggia surmounted by a balustrade. The basement windows are plain. The windows of the ground floor have moulded architraves and cornices, while those of the first floor have moulded architraves only. The dormers on the attic floor are modern. The ground floor is defined by a plain belt. The moulded sill-course of the ground-floor windows continues as a string-course across the front of the projections. There is a moulded cornice at the wall-head.

The plan is simple, resembling in arrangement those of Murrayfield [NT27SW 123] and Beechwood [NT27SW 142] (RCAHMS 1951, Nos. 178 and 180). On the ground floor there is a central vestibule with the staircase at its E. end and two public rooms on each side. The vestibule has an enriched ceiling and the walls are enriched with sculptured plaques. The staircase is lit by a cupola and contains a rather cramped geometrical stair with stone steps and heavy, turned balusters. The former dining-room and front drawing-room occupy respectively the S.W. and N.W. corners, while the back drawing-room and morning-room are situated at the N.E. and S.E. corners. These rooms are well-proportioned and are finished with dado panelling, plaster panelling and enriched cornices. Two of the mantelpieces are of marble, a third is of pine with stucco enrichment. The back drawing-room has become an ante-chamber to the modern dining room in the N.E. extension, and its mantelpiece has been removed. The kitchen quarters and offices are in the basement. On the first floor there are three large and two small bedrooms, as well as bathrooms which were originally dressing-rooms. In the attic there are two bedrooms. None of these apartments is of special interest.

RCAHMS 1951, visited c.1941

(1) New Stat. Acct., i, p. 215.

Photographic survey of Clermiston House, Edinburgh by the Scottish National Buildings Survey in 1962. The building has since been demolished.