Basic Site Details
| Name: | Nelson Hall and West Branch Library |
| City or county: | Edinburgh |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Parish: | |
| Status: | Demolished |
| Grid ref: | |
| Notes: | The first of the Nelson Hall and Public Branch Libraries to be erected by the Nelson Trustees in connection with the Public Library Committee has just been completed. The site of the building, which is to be called the Nelson Hall and West Branch Library is at the corner of Murdoch Terrace and Dundee Street. The Nelson Hall occupies the whole of the west side of the building and will be used as a news-room and recreation room. It measures 75 feet long, 33 feet wide and 37 feet high. The library is in the centre of the building. The upper floor consists of a staff workroom, committee room and hall for small meetings. Above this and facing to the south is the caretaker’s house. The work has been superintended and carried out by Mr Harry R Taylor, architect, of Messrs Lessels and Taylor. [Builder 22 May 1897 p464] Since replaced |
Building Type Classification
| The building is classified under the following categories: | |||
| Classification | Original classification? | Notes | |
 | Library | ||
| Public hall | ||
Street Addresses
| The following street addresses are associated with this building: | |||
| Address | Main entrance? | Notes | |
| Dundee Street | Yes | |
| Murdoch Terrace | Yes | |
Events
| The following date-based events are associated with this building: | ||||
| From | To | Event type | Notes | |
| 1893 | 1895 | ||
| 1897 | Opened | ||
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. | ||||||
| Name | Role | Partnership Group | From | To | Notes | |
| Henry ('Harry') Ramsay Taylor | A | 1893 | 1897 | ||
| James Lessels | A | 1893 | 1897 | ||
| James Lessels and Harry Ramsay Taylor | A | 1893 | 1897 | ||
Clients
| The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design: | ||
| Name | Notes | |
| City of Edinburgh | |
| Nelson Trustees | |
References
Periodical References
| The following periodicals contain references to this building: | |||||
| Periodical Name | Date | Edition | Publisher | Notes | |
| Builder | 22 May 1897 | p464 - opening | ||
| Edinburgh Evening Dispatch | 7 August 1895 | |||
Archive References
| The following archives hold material relating to this building: | ||||
| Source | Archive name | Source catalogue no. | Notes | |
| National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMS | Newscutting album No 4 complied by Harry Ramsay Taylor | ||
| RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert Museum | RIBA Nomination Papers | Harry Ramsay Taylor: F v18 p29 no1188 (microfilm reel 12) | |