Darroch Hall And Administrative Block, Carlyle Hall, Suffolk Road Halls Of Residence, 8 East Suffolk Road, Edinburgh

Darroch Hall and Administrative Block, Carlyle Hall, Suffolk Road Halls of Residence, 8 East Suffolk Road, Edinburgh

Designed by A K Robertson in 1914 and completed to his design by Frank Wood in 1925, this is a symmetrically arranged group of five Arts and Crafts residence blocks set around a rectangular garden. The layout comprises Buchanan Conference Rooms to the north-west nearest the entrance gates and lodge; Carlyle and Darroch blocks to the north-east, joined by a smaller administrative block; Playfair to the south-east; and Balfour to the south-west. Remains of tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool lie to the north-west of Balfour.

LODGE

A two-storey symmetrical three-bay L-plan house rendered in snecked rubble with polished ashlar dressings. The ground floor windows have cills; the eaves are deep; and the roof features jerkin heads. The south entrance elevation displays a plain timber door set in a re-entrant angle with a stepped hood. The bays to the south-west and south-east contain three-light canted windows to both ground and first floors, separated by swept slate-hung aprons. The roof is of grey slate, swept at the eaves. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present. The rubble stacks are tapered with two courses of slate to the caps.

BUCHANAN CONFERENCE ROOMS

A three-storey symmetrical fifteen-bay U-plan block in snecked rubble with polished ashlar dressings. The first and second storeys are recessed; the head of the ground storey wall is coped with a balcony formed behind it. Two outer wings are advanced, each with giant pilasters to their edges. An eaves course and cornice run to the second storey.

The south-east entrance elevation features an advanced central bay with a two-leaf round-arched timber and glass door. The first storey has a bipartite mullioned window with rosettes above each window-head. A corbelled curvilinear gable with carved rose motifs and a blind arrow slit rises above. The flanking bays contain mullioned bipartite windows to the ground floor and single windows to the first, with single dormers to the second storey. The next four bays on either side have single windows to ground and first floors, with single dormers to the second. The bays in the re-entrant angle of each wing have a single window to the left at ground level and single windows and dormers respectively to the right of the first and second floors. The outer wings are bowed, with three lights to both ground and first floors and single dormers to the second floor. These dormers are framed by elaborate stone structures with volutes and finials terminating in semicircular pediments.

The grey slate roof is arranged in two bands, the lower forming the second storey in mansard form and swept at the eaves, with the upper piended. The windows comprise a variety of timber sash and case types, many twelve- or sixteen-pane. The rubble stacks are regularly disposed, tapered, with two courses of slate to the caps and corniced.

The interior was not seen in 1996.

CARLYLE

A three-storey symmetrical fifteen-bay U-plan block, essentially similar to Buchanan Conference Rooms but with the following differences. The south-west entrance elevation shows a window to the first floor of the central bay corbelled out to form a small balcony to the second floor. The curvilinear gable is less elaborate and has two stacks immediately behind it. The bays flanking the central bay have single rather than bipartite windows to the ground floor. The bays in the re-entrant angle of the outer wings have two single windows to the second storey. The outer wings are not bowed. The second floor dormers have curvilinear gables and no finials.

Stacks are disposed only at the wallhead at the outer right and left, with an additional stack to the rear of the right, apart from two central stacks along the length of the roof.

The interior was not seen in 1996.

ADMINISTRATIVE BLOCK

A two-storey symmetrical five-bay rectangular-plan building linked to Carlyle and Darroch by recessed wings. It is rendered in snecked rubble with polished ashlar dressings, a base course, dividing band course, cornice, and advanced bays to the outer right and left.

The south-west entrance elevation has a two-leaf round-arched timber and glass door. Single dormers to the first floor appear above both flanking bays, with single windows to the flanking bays at ground level. The outer bays are bowed with three-light windows. The stone surrounds of the dormers feature broken pediments with finials: the dormer to the left and a semicircular pediment (also broken) to the dormer to the right.

The roofs, stacks and windows are the same as in the other blocks, except that the central section of mansard extends further down.

The interior was not seen in 1996.

DARROCH

A mirror image of Carlyle, except with finials to the framed dormers of the outer wings and with no stack to the rear of the right.

The interior was not seen in 1996.

PLAYFAIR

A three-storey symmetrical fifteen-bay U-plan block, essentially similar to Buchanan Conference Rooms but with the following differences. The north-west entrance elevation features a corbelled and castellated three-light canted window to the first floor of the central bay, forming a balcony to a single second storey window above. The element is gabled with skewputts. The bays in the re-entrant angle of the outer wings have two single windows to the first and second storeys respectively. The ground floor of the outer wings is only canted with a single window to the first floor above. The second floor dormers of the outer wings have curvilinear pediments with no gables.

Stacks are symmetrically disposed in a slightly different formation to Buchanan.

The interior was not seen in 1996.

BALFOUR

A three-storey symmetrical fifteen-bay U-plan block, essentially similar to Buchanan Conference Rooms but with the following differences. The north-east entrance elevation shows a more advanced central bay. A mullioned bipartite window to the first floor is corbelled and canted, forming a balcony to a single window of the second storey. The second storey is gabled with skewputts. Single windows appear to the ground floor in the returns to the central bay and to the bays flanking it. The bays in the re-entrant angle of the outer wings have two single windows to the second storey. The outer wings are not bowed. The framed dormers of the outer wings have curvilinear pediments with no finials.

Stacks are symmetrically disposed in a slightly different formation to Carlyle.

The interior was not seen in 1996.