Basic Site Details

Name: Scottish Office buildings
Town, district or village: Calton Hill
City or county: Edinburgh
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status: A Listed
Grid ref:
Notes: The drawings for the 1924 scheme have not survived. First scheme by Burnet Tait & Lorne cost £464,500. Final scheme cost £351,875 (recalculated after revision of east wing at £433,200). Of Darney stone. Sculptors Sir William Reid Dick (symbolic figures), Alexander Carrick (heraldry), Phyllis Mary Bone (heraldic animals), Walter Gilbert (bronze doors, executed by H H Martyn). Thomas Hadden did the secondary doors and stairs.

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
 NameCurrent name?Notes
Item 1 of 1St Andrew's HouseYesKnown by this name since construction

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Office  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 1Regent RoadYes 

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 141912  First proposed scheme (unexecuted); detailing identical to Aberdeen Post Office
Item 2 of 141924  Outline scheme drawn up (not proceeded with)
Item 3 of 141929  Scheme I (unexecuted)
Item 4 of 141930  Scheme II (unexecuted), including sheriff court
Item 5 of 1411 December 1933  Tait selected as architect
Item 6 of 1420 February 1934  Full brief
Item 7 of 14April 1934  First scheme costed
Item 8 of 1422 May 1934  Reduced scheme (omitting wings to Regent Road)
Item 9 of 1429 June 1934  Final scheme and report
Item 10 of 148 October 1934  Final scheme authorised
Item 11 of 14January 1935  Design revised
Item 12 of 1419361937  
Item 13 of 1428 April 1937 Foundation stone 
Item 14 of 144 September 1939  Staff moved in

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 23(Sir) Robert Stodart LorimerArchitectADecember 1912 Appointed as consulting architect to advise on first proposed scheme )by Oldrieve at H M Office of Works) and produced sketch designs
Item 2 of 23H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)Architectural practiceAMid 1912 First proposed scheme (unexecuted); detailing identical to Aberdeen Post Office - with W T Oldrieve as architect for Scotland, assisted by chief draughtsman James Cumming Wynnes
Item 3 of 23James Cumming WynnesArchitectAMid 1912 First proposed scheme (unexecuted); detailing identical to Aberdeen Post Office - as chief draughtsman under W T Oldrieve in H M Office of Works
Item 4 of 23William Thomas Oldrieve (sometimes William Thomas Oldgrieve)ArchitectAMid 1912 First proposed scheme (unexecuted); detailing identical to Aberdeen Post Office - as architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works, assisted by James Cumming Wynnes
Item 5 of 23H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)Architectural practiceB1924 Outline scheme drawn up (unexecuted) - J Wilson Paterson as architect for Scotland
Item 6 of 23John Wilson PatersonArchitectB1924 Outline scheme drawn up (unexecuted) - as architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works
Item 7 of 23(Sir) Richard John AllisonArchitectC1929 Scheme I (unexecuted) - in collaboration with J Wilson Paterson of H M Office of Works, Edinburgh, and A J Pitcher
Item 8 of 23Albert J PitcherArchitectC1929 Scheme I (unexecuted) - in collaboration with Sir Richard Allison and J Wilson Paterson of H M Office of Works, Edinburgh
Item 9 of 23H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)Architectural practiceC1929 Scheme I (unexecuted) - J Wilson Paterson as architect for Scotland, in collaboration with Sir Richard Allison and A J Pitcher
Item 10 of 23John Wilson PatersonArchitectC1929 Scheme I (unexecuted) - as architect for Scotland in H M Office of Works, in collaboration with A J Pitcher and Sir Richard Allison
Item 11 of 23John Fraser MatthewArchitectD3 July 1929 Unexecuted proposals for new building (drawings dated)
Item 12 of 23Lorimer & MatthewArchitectural practiceD3 July 1929 Unexecuted proposals for new building (drawings dated)
Item 13 of 23Albert J PitcherArchitectE1930 Scheme II (unexecuted), including sheriff court - in conjunction with J Wilson Paterson
Item 14 of 23H M Office of Works (later Ministry of Works, Department of the Environment and Property Services Agency)Architectural practiceE1930 Scheme II (unexecuted), including sheriff court - J Wilson Paterson as architect for Scotland, in collaboration with A J Pitcher
Item 15 of 23John Wilson PatersonArchitectE1930 Scheme II (unexecuted), including sheriff court
Item 16 of 23George Washington BrowneArchitect 1933 As Royal Fine Art Commissioner, made outline design which influenced the massing of the final scheme by T S Tait
Item 17 of 23(Sir) John Burnet, Tait & LorneArchitectural practiceF19331939Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House
Item 18 of 23Alexander Esmé Gordon (or Esmé Gordon)ArchitectF19331937Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House - as assistant to Tait at Burnet, Tait & Lorne
Item 19 of 23Andrew Douglas BryceArchitectF1933 Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House - in office of Burnet, Tait & Lorne
Item 20 of 23Francis LorneArchitectF1933 Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House
Item 21 of 23Thomas Smith TaitArchitectF19331939Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House
Item 22 of 23James Henry WallaceArchitectFc. 19341939Executed scheme, known as St Andrew's House - in charge of Edinburgh office for Burnet, Tait & Lorne
Item 23 of 23Harry Horace Macdonald F19391940As assistant in the office of Burnet Tait & Partners

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Caswell, Dawn E (McDowell, Dawn E)1997Thomas Tait and St Andrews House: A 1930s Scottish Public Interior Unpublished MPhil thesis, University of Glasgow 
Item 2 of 6Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M1984Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltdp441
Item 3 of 6Glendinning, Miles1997Rebuilding Scotland: The Postwar Vision, 1945-75  Tuckwell Press Ltdp2 Illustration of St Andrew's House
Item 4 of 6St Andrews House exhibition A celebrating exhibition, St Andrews House, 1939-1989 Catalogue of exhibition, 3-31 October 1898) 
Item 5 of 6Walker, David M1989St Andrews House: an Edinburgh controversy, 1912-39  pp14-15; summarises Office of Works files at NAS, MW5
Item 6 of 6Walker, Frank Arneil1986South Clyde Estuary: An Illustrated Architectural Guide to Inverclyde and Renfrew  p39

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 19Architect and Building News1934Jul-Dec pp117, 200
Item 2 of 19Architect and Building News1939Jul-Dec p58 Illustration
Item 3 of 19Architectural Review1940no87 (Jan-June) pp20-22
Item 4 of 19Builder16 November 1934CXLVII pp 840-842
Item 5 of 19BuilderEarly 1934CXLVI p200
Item 6 of 19BuilderLate 1934CXLVII p180
Item 7 of 19BuilderEarly 1936CL pp69, 920, 933
Item 8 of 19BuilderEarly 1937CLII p712
Item 9 of 19Builder17 November 1939CLVII  
Item 10 of 19Builder20 May 1960  'The Scottish Royal Fine Art Commission' p972
Item 11 of 19Edinburgh Evening Dispatch18 August 1938   
Item 12 of 19Scotsman29 August 1934   
Item 13 of 19Scotsman29 April 1937   
Item 14 of 19Scotsman7 April 1938   
Item 15 of 19Scotsman27 August 1938   
Item 16 of 19Scotsman4 December 1939   
Item 17 of 19Scottish Architect and Builders JournalOctober 1939   
Item 18 of 19Weekly Scotsman21 April 1937   
Item 19 of 19Weekly Scotsman27 August 1938   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 5Historic ScotlandListed Buildings Register27756 
Item 2 of 5National Archives of Scotland (formerly SRO)Ministry of Works files MW5/133 (Descriptive report 29 June 1934)
Item 3 of 5National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSLorimer and Matthew Collection LOR E/96
Item 4 of 5Professor David M Walker personal archiveProfessor David M Walker, notes and collection of archive material Information on Andrew D Bryce from personal recollections of Esmé Gordon, Margaret Brodie and Harold Cullerne Pratt
Item 5 of 5RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination Papers Alexander Esmé Gordon: F no5129 (combined box 58). Harry Horace Macdonald: A no13737, F no7158 (Combined Box 176)