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Buildings

Basic Site Details

Leith Hospital
Leith
Edinburgh
Scotland
1899 Diamond Jubilee Extensions
LEITH.—The Hospital is to be extended in commemoration of the Queen\'s Diamond Jubilee. The extension will take the form of an addition to the King-street pavilion, whereby the wards in the south end will be incorporated into the new building, and the present ward of six beds on each flat will be made wards of twenty beds. Day rooms baths, lavatories, and lifts will be provided at the ends of the wards. The present north wards will be utilised for the administrative offices, doctors\' and nurses\' rooms, kitchen, etc, of the new wards. The extension will allow of an increase of 27 beds in the King-street pavilion, and on completion the hospital will contain in all 102 beds, besides three isolation rooms. The accepted elevation shows a frontage to King-street on the lines of the existing work, but treated in a less severe style, and terminates with a gable and oriel window, with balustrading. Ground on the other side of King- street, opposite the hospital, will be occupied by a new kitchen, laundry, and nurses\' home. Plant for steam power will he put down for the kitchen and laundry, and it is intended to provide an installation of the electric light and motive power for lifts, etc. The nurses\' home will accommodate thirty nurses. The buildings will be connected with the hospital by a subway under King-street. The total cost of the new buildings, including machinery and plant, is estimated at between £17,000 and £20,000. The plans have been prepared by Mr. W. N. Thomson, architect, Leith. [Building News 27 January 1899 p127]

The home contains separate bedrooms for 33 nurses, dining halls for nurses and servants, a sitting room and a reading room and in the rear of it new offices - a kitchen, laundry, boiler house, engine house and disinfector - have been erected. [British Architect 29 May 1903 Page 397]

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
Taylor GardensYes
8 Mill LaneYesEarliest Part
King StreetYes

Events

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

event classic

Event TypeFromToNotes
1850Original building
18731875Northeast extension
1894Mill Lane block heightened (architect not known)
18981903Large Renaissance-style nurses' home to south, built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee
1926Alterations; new nurses' home; new outpatients' department; new casualty department
1934cReconstruction; new paying patients' and eye wards; additional nurses' home and maids' home
Survey1984Fire precaution survey

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
Peter Hamilton1850Original building - Mill Lane block
James Simpson18731875Northeast extension
William Nicholas Thomson18981903Large Renaissance-style nurses\' home to south, and ward extensions, built to commemorate Victoria\'s Diamond Jubilee
George Simpson19231927New wing in Taylor gardens replacing Peddie's poorhouse (see separate entry for the latter) - Taylor Gardens Memorial block
James Stewart JohnstonB1926New outpatients' department and new nurses' home - supervised, as assistant to Joseph Marr Johnston
Joseph Marr JohnstonB1926Alterations; new nurses' home; new outpatients' department; new casualty department
James Stewart JohnstonC1934cReconstruction; new paying patients' and eye wards; additional nurses' home and maids' home - as Honorary Architect to Leith Hospital
Peter Burnett CairdDArchitect1984Fire precaution survey - partner in charge
Reiach & HallDArchitectural practice1984Fire precaution survey

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 Ltdp464
Hoy, Christine1988A Beacon in Our TownEdinburgh
Kenna and Mooney1983People's Palacesp133
Richardson, Harrietn.d.Scottish Hospitals SurveyUnpublished typescript (copy in DMW Archive)

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:

period ref classic

Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
British Architect1903/05/29p397
Building News1899/01/27p127 - Diamond Jubilee works

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:

arc ref classic

SourceNameCat NumberItem NameNotes
National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSW N Thomson & Co handlists of practice records
Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register27822
Courtesy of Peter B CairdInformation sent to DSASent March 2011
RIBA Archive, Victoria & Albert MuseumRIBA Nomination PapersJoseph Marr Johnston: F no2400 (box 6); James Stewart Johnston: L no4394 (combined box 11) & F no2400 (box 6)