Norwich Union Insurance Societies, 49 George Street, Edinburgh

This is a substantial, 1775 building originally constructed as a classical tenement in Edinburgh, with significant alterations in 1877, 1921, and subsequently. The building has been modified in phases, primarily by George Beattie & Sons, John Kinross, and J Inch Morrison. It is located at 49-55 George Street.

The front elevation comprises three distinct sections. No. 49, built out in 1921 by John Kinross and J Inch Morrison, presents a three-bay block with a simplified Greek Doric front of two stories. The façade is polished ashlar, with the second floor stonecleaned. The ground floor is rusticated with multi-pane canted glazing and a pair of doors to the left. A plinth features a Greek key frieze, and metal glazing is set back behind square columns with decorative cast-iron balustrading. A stylised triglyph frieze and heavy cornice top the façade. Three flagpoles are present. The original second floor retains its eaves cornice. A single, piend-roofed dormer was added in the 20th century. The rear elevation features dressed stone and a tripartite window at the centre of each floor.

No. 51 was refaced and slightly built out in 1877 by George Beattie & Sons. It presents a three-bay block with a Renaissance-detailed two-story front, also in polished ashlar. The ground floor has a large, segmental-pedimented doorpiece to the left and a three-bay arcaded window to the right, featuring small Corinthian pilasters. Lugged architraves and a consoled cornice are visible above the first floor. The original second floor retains its eaves cornice. A single, piend-roofed dormer mirrors the one at No. 49. The rear elevation is an irregular three-story construction of coursed rubble, extending behind Nos. 53-5. It incorporates arched openings at ground level, loading doors, and a flying link to Nos. 54-8 Thistle Street.

Nos. 53-55 are five bays wide and include two modernised shops at ground level, the right-hand shop retaining later 19th-century consoles and cornice, along with access to a common stair. A pair of late 19th-century canted dormers and a bipartite dormer are also present.

The interior of No. 49 reveals a good inter-war classical decorative scheme, including an open dog-leg stair and a top-lit banking hall to the rear with a compartmented ceiling. The front block of No. 51 was remodelled in the later 19th century incorporating two top-lit auction rooms to the rear, the eastern room being of considerable historic interest. The windows are a mix of timber and metal casements to the addition, 12-pane timber sash and case windows at the second floor, and plate glass in the new front. The roof is covered in grey slates.