2 and 4 New Skinner's Close (former Skinner's Hall), Edinburgh

The former Skinner's Hall (2 and 4 New Skinner's Close) is a three-storey and attic, former L-plan hall dating from 1643 with 19th century extensions to the south and west. It now forms a roughly T-plan residential property. It is rubble-built with tooled and polished dressings, chamfered arrises at the windows, and long and short quoins. The east elevation and the end gables are rendered.

The former Skinner's Hall has a semi-octagonal, capped stair tower with a roll-moulded, architraved doorway with cornice in the northwest re-entrant angle. There is a small splay at the west corner of the north gable. Single bays flank the stair tower and pedimented dormers (one with a spherical finial) break the roof eaves.

A four-bay tenement block (built around 1800) adjoins to the west of the former Skinner's Hall and has a shallower roof pitch, a central wallhead gable and a chimneystack to the apex of the west gable. Shouldered and pedimented dormers break the roof eaves to the rear (courtyard) elevation. A squared and snecked rubble-built tenement block (built around 1850) adjoins to the south of the former Skinner's Hall and has a shallower roof pitch. There are pedimented dormers breaking the roof eaves at the third floor. The south gable is partially crow-stepped and has a broad end chimneystack and a square advanced chimneystack to southwest corner.

There is a raised terrace at the rear of 2 and 4 New Skinner's Close and forestairs with iron railings attached to the west elevation of 1 to 4 Coinyie House Close leading to a paved courtyard area and former drying green.

The building has predominantly 12- and 16-pane glazing in replacement timber sash and case frames. The roof is covered in graded, grey Scottish slate and there are coped end and wall-head gable chimneystacks in a mixture of sizes. There are cast-iron rainwater goods.

The building was converted to flats in around 1981. Internally, numbers 2 and 4 New Skinner's Close are understood to retain two 17th century moulded fireplace surrounds at first floor level and an 18th century wooden chimneypiece with urns and flower motif (Buildings of Scotland).