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Buildings

Basic Site Details

Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Edinburgh
Scotland
The new infirmary at Edinburgh was opened on Wednesday. The late Mr D. Bryce, RSA, was intrusted with the planning of the buildings, of which his nephew and partner, Mr John Bryce, has superintended the completion. The style adopted is the old Scotch Baronial. The Lauriston facade presents a central elevation 100 feet long, with the height of three stories, in addition to a half-sunk basement. From each side of this central building, which is partly appropriated as administrative accommodation, there run out, in the same line, three tiers of corridors giving access to the wards of the Surgical Hospital, and offering, in the front view, as many ranges of large three-light windows surmounted by a stone balustrade. These corridors are continued from end to end of the buildings, and on their north side there are carried out, at right angles, towards Lauriston, four pavilions or blocks of wards, severally measuring 128 feet in length, with an extreme width of 33 feet 2in. In their side elevations the several pavilions show ranges of plain windows, the walls being relieved with string-courses and diversified at the top with stepped gables, small turrets, and chimneys characteristic of the style. The masonry throughout is ashlar, with tooled facings to doors, windows, and gable-heads. There is accommodation for 600 patients. The amount of space provided for each patient varies from 2,350 to 2,380 cubic feet, as compared with 1,800 cubic feet allowed in St Thomas\' Hospital, London, and 1,226 cubic feet in Fort Warren, Massachusetts. [Building News 31 October 1879 p536]


CHECK 1890s journal references - are these for work by George Washington Browne?

Structural Engineers Phase 1 Blyth & Blyth; Service Engineers Steensen, Varming & Mulcahy; QS George Berry & Partners; main contractor W & J R Watson

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:

Class classic

ClassificationOriginal ClassificationNotes
HospitalNot Known

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:

Str Add classic

AddressCurrent AddressNotes
1 Lauriston PlaceOld address
1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11,13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 20 Simpson Loanand numbers 22, 23, 25 And 26.<br><br>New address 2011.<br><br>

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:

event classic

Event TypeFromToNotes
18701876
18761879Work completed October 1879
1885Increased accommodation
18911892Extensions
1903a1911bAdditions
1906a1912bNurses' quarters (possibly a conversion of terraced houses on Archibald Place?) and additions
1934Additions
Plans prepared, construction not yet begun1955Redevelopment - phase I
Proposed1958/06/27\'Tenders invited for work in connection with modification of West Entrance and erection of Porter\'s Lodge...Applications to Secretary and Treasurer, Royal Infirmary.\' per Builder p1198
Proposed1958/10/17\'improvements...Est. cost £13,000\' per Builder p675
Proposed1960/11/25rebuilding of Royal Infirmary; teaching hospital and research centre with 800 beds as part of £20m. teaching hospital and medical centre development scheme in Scotland per Builder p1004
Proposed1961Proposed reconstruction of the Royal Infirmary on the same site. Schemes were explored by Robert Matthew & Johnson-Marshall, with Professor Richard Llewelyn Davies as consultant. A block model was prepared as a feasibility study. Providing an 800-bed teaching hospital at a cost between £7-9million. Over a period of six years, replacing a number of existing buildings. (AJ, 2nd March 1961)
Plans prepared, construction not yet begun1961/01/27for new 800-bed teaching hospital with associated academic departments and labs, out-patient department, residential area and training facilities for hospital technicians and nurses; 12-storey ward block and acadmic and lab block on a podium; proposes demolition of the old Infirmay and retention of the Florence Nightingale Nurses\' Home [223316] and the Simpson Maternity Pavilion [211108] per Builder p201
Addition197
Build/construction19751981First phase of redevelopment begun - to replace facilities to be demolished in succeeding phases. Ij the upper levels 65 flats for student nursesand pupil midwives, overnight rooms for staff on call, outpatients clinicfor dermatology, ENT, and genito-urinary medicine and related academic departments. Blood tranfusion unit at ground level. Lower levels will contain changing rooms, mortuary and post-nortem facilities. Boiler pnat below these.

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.

design classic

PersonPartnership GroupRoleFromToNotes
David Bryce18701876Main block
John Bryce II (or John Bryce (junior))18761879Completion of work
Arthur George Sydney MitchellB1885Increased accommodation
George WilsonB1885Increased accommodation - as assistant to Sydney Mitchell
George Washington Browne18911892Operating theatres (date uncertain, but 1890s journal references may refer to this work)
(Sir) Robert Rowand AndersonC1903a1911bAdditions
Arthur Forman Balfour PaulC1903a1911bAdditions
Rowand Anderson & PaulC1903a1911bAdditions
Robert Reid Mill19041921Unspecified work, as architect and surveyor of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary (with the exception of the war years)
Cousin, Ormiston & TaylorD1906a1912bNurses' quarters (possibly a conversion of terraced houses on Archibald Place?) and additions - Taylor responsible
Henry ('Harry') Ramsay TaylorD1906a1912bNurses' quarters (possibly a conversion of terraced houses on Archibald Place?) and additions
Thomas W Turnbull1936Additions
Robert Hogg MatthewJArchitect1955Phase I - redevelopment
Robert Jestyn Gwent Forestier-WalkerJArchitect1955
Thomas ('Tom') Riddell SpavenJArchitect19551981Redevelopment- phase I

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:

client classic

NameNotes
Managers of the Royal Infirmary
South East Regional Hospital BoardFor redevelopment 1950s

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

Child Structures

This structure or site has the following component or child structures (click on an item to view details):

Child classic

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:

bio ref classic

AuthorYearTitlePartPublisherNotes
Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M1984Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland)Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltdp259
Glendinning, M, MacInnes, R and MacKechnie, A1996A History of Scottish Architecturep582
Glendinning, Miles2008Modern architect: the life and times of Robert MatthewRIBA Publishingp299,445
Groome, Francis HOrdnance Gazetteer of Scotland (1882-85)Edinburgh, London & Glasgow: Thomas C Jack, Grange Publishing Worksvol II, p523
RIBA1981Directory of Practices 1981
RSA1871998
Richardson, Harrietn.d.Scottish Hospitals SurveyUnpublished typescript (copy in DMW Archive)Listed as Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Turner, A Logan1937The Story of a Great Hospital: The Royal Infirmary Edinburgh 1729-1929First edition
Turner, A Logan1979The Story of a Great HospitalSecond edition?
Turner, A Logan1929The Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Bicentenary Year

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:

period ref classic

Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Builder1876/05/27XXXIVObituary of David Bryce
Builder1891/01/31LX'Proposed extension'
Builder1892/04/09LXIIPlans for extension approved
Building News1892/01/08*Additions
Architect and Building News1934Jul-Decp226
Builder1958/06/27p1198
Builder1958/10/17p675
Architects Journal1961/03/02p339 'Reconstruction of the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh'
Building News1879/10/31p536 - opening
Builder1960/11/25'£20m. Hospitals Programme' p1004
RIBA Journal1938/09/12*London: Royal Institute of British ArchitectsObituary of Arthur Forman Balfour Paul
Building News1885/10/09*
Building News1891/10/30*'Proposed extension'
Illustrated London News1879/11/11*
Builder1961/01/27'Edinburgh Royal Infirmary' pp201-202; photo of model on p201

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:

arc ref classic

SourceNameCat NumberItem NameNotes
RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination PapersArthur Forman Balfour Paul: L v20 no1511
Royal Infirmary ArchivesRoyal Infirmary Minute Booksvols 23-28, 1866-1876
Royal Infirmary ArchivesRoyal Infirmary Plansperspective views 12 August 1870; scale drawings 1872-1876
National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSDrawings CollectionOriginal drawings 1999/83
National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSHarry Ramsay Taylor's Newsaper Cutting Book (report on Charlton monument has a biography & joblist)
Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register30307Medical pavilions
Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register30306Main block including ward pavilions
Courtesy of Archie ClarkInformation sent to Dictionary websiteSent September 2014