Edinburgh, 64 Queen Street

64 QUEEN STREET.

The most elaborately finished house in Queen Street is probably Number 64, originally the town house of Francis, 7th Earl of Wemyss. Wider than its neighbours, and with a frontage exceeded only by Number 8, it has room back and front for four openings on each floor. The front (Fig. 363 [SC466040]) is of ashlar, droved on the basement floor, channel-jointed on the street floor, the zone being defined by a belt above and below. The superstructure is of droved ashlar with projecting quoins. The entrance, situated at the W. end, has a fanlight and side-lights, and is enclosed by an architectural framework of pilasters and entablature. The windows at the W. end of the front are centred above the entrance, while the other windows are arranged in triads to correspond with the spacing of the windows in the neighbouring and narrower fronts. The windows of the street floor have false voussoirs cut on their lintels. The first-floor windows have continuous moulded sills, moulded architraves, plain friezes and moulded cornices. The second-floor windows have unmoulded sills and moulded architraves. A block cornice runs across the front at the wall-head.

The entrance opens into a spacious, square vestibule at the N.W. corner of the building. This has an enriched ceiling and cornice and inset in the walls are six oval panels bearing classical figures in relief. The mantelpiece and the door-screen are both modern. The vestibule leads into the staircase, situated in the lobby of the house against the W. gable, and containing a scale-and-platt stair with stone steps and a graceful balustrade of wrought iron surmounted by a hand-rail of solid mahogany. The staircase gives access to five rooms on the street floor. Of these the original dining-room occupies the N.E. corner. Lit from the N. by three windows, this has on the E. a mantelpiece of white marble carved on the frieze with an urn and two rosettes. The walls have a dado rail with plaster panelling above, and an enriched cornice as well as an enriched ceiling in which classical figures are prominent features. There are two doors on the W., of which the one to the N. is a dummy. Both door-heads are shaped and enriched with trophies and classical figures. At the S.E. corner the study or morning-room lies behind the dining-room. This is lit from the S. by a Venetian window and has on the E. a mantelpiece of white and coloured marble. The walls have a dado rail and plaster panelling, an enriched cornice and a particularly good enriched ceiling with classical figures, in some cases set out on plaques. On the W. are two doorways with shaped door-heads enriched with festoons and classical heads. At the S.W. corner is a smaller room lit from the S. by one window and having on the W. a plain mantelpiece of gray marble. The walls have a dado rail and an enriched cornice. The ceiling is also enriched, cupids and trophies appearing among the devices upon it. Between this room and the last lay another room, from which a strong-room has been shut off, the remainder being converted into a lavatory with an entrance passage. The basement has been modernised, but originally it contained five rooms, including the kitchen at the S.E. corner.

On the first floor there are four rooms. The front drawing-room lies above the dining-room at the N.E. corner. Lit from the N. by three windows, it has on the E. a mantelpiece of dark green marble with Doric columns surmounted by lion masks on the frieze. The walls have a dado rail with plaster panelling above, framed by a bead, originally gilt, which breaks out into a bunch of grapes at the corners of each panel. The cornice is enriched and there is an enriched ceiling. On the S. massive folding doors admit to the back drawing-room. This latter room, situated at the S.E. corner, is the best in the house. At its W. end is a little ante-room separated from the remainder by a bold lonic arcade. The ante-room is lit by a narrow window-actually one half of a window, the other half of which appears in a room at the S.W. corner of the house-while the back drawing-room proper is lit by a Venetian window. This latter part has an enriched ceiling with classical figures and the walls are panelled as in the front drawing-room. On the E. is a simple mantelpiece of white and-coloured marbles, and on the N. the folding doors that open into the front drawing-room. The walls have a dado rail, plaster panelling as in the front drawing-room, and an enriched cornice. A doorway on the W. communicates with the room at the S.W. corner. This room is lit by the other half of the window previously mentioned in addition to a separate window. On the W. it has a plain mantelpiece of white and coloured marbles. The walls have a dado rail and an enriched cornice. The last room on this floor is at the N.W. corner of the house. Lit from the N. by one window, this has on the W. a white marble mantelpiece with a cast iron interior grate on which appear in relief two caryatids in Egyptian costume and the lictorial fasces. The walls have a dado rail, plaster panelling and an enriched cornice. The ceiling is likewise enriched.

The main stair rises no higher than the second floor. Below the level of the second-floor landing the staircase has an enriched band, while the upperpart has a frieze enriched with classical heads and garlands surmounted by an enriched cornice. Above this, in the lunettes formed by the pendentives that support the enriched circular coving of the cupola, are classical figures and trophies. The landing leads to six rooms, either bedrooms or dressing-rooms, none of which is of any special interest. A separate stair, geometrical in form with wrought-iron balusters and a mahogany rail, leads to the attic which contains a single large room, evidently servants' quarters and of no interest.

RCAHMS 1951, visited c.1941