Edinburgh Printmakers, 23 Union Street

The Edinburgh Printmakers, located at 23 Union Street, is a two-storey, four-bay classical building designed in 1930 by James Tweedie, with George Robb as his assistant. Originally a public wash house, it sits on a sloping site and features a single-storey bay to the south, along with an integral tall red-brick chimney on the south elevation. The exterior is constructed from squared and snecked rock-faced sandstone with ashlar margins, while the rear is rendered. Notable architectural details include raised cills and an eaves course.

The entrance is marked by an off-centre, advanced classical key-stoned doorway, which has a projecting cornice and features a six-panel, two-leaf timber entrance door along with a part-glazed interior door. The ground floor includes flanking bi-partite windows and a tri-partite window on the far right.

Inside, there is a large hall at the rear that boasts a full-length louvred roof lantern and a round-arched upper floor window. The tall, octagonal chimney is set on a square-plan base at the south elevation. The original layout remains largely intact, featuring a staircase with simple iron balusters and a timber handrail, timber flooring on the upper storey, and some part-glazed internal screens. A round-arched division is present on the ground floor, and the basement contains internal brick divisions.

The large hall at the rear is finished with white glazed-brick tiles and retains some original lettering indicating the drying horse area. The street elevation predominantly features 8-over-8 pane timber sash and case windows, and the building is topped with a piended roof covered in grey slates.