Bible Land, 185, 187 Canongate, Edinburgh is a Grade B listed building in the City of Edinburgh local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 14 December 1970. Tenement. 3 related planning applications.

Bible Land, 185, 187 Canongate, Edinburgh

WRENN ID
mired-porch-tarn
Grade
B
Local Planning Authority
City of Edinburgh
Constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP: Chris Murray (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
14 December 1970
Type
Tenement
Address
Bible Land, 185, 187 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8BN
OS grid reference
NT 263 737
Coordinates
55.95129, -3.18076
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Bible Land, located at 185 and 187 Canongate in Edinburgh, dates back to 1677 but was predominantly rebuilt in 1956 by Robert Hurd. This building is a four-storey and attic double tenement, notable for its interesting roofline that features an ogee-capped dome above the central turnpike stair. The ground floor includes a pair of shops. The exterior is constructed of random-rubble stone with polished ashlar dressings and chamfered margins.

At the center, there is a slightly recessed boarded timber doorway topped with an elaborately moulded and pedimented cartouche. To the right, the building has a five-window arrangement, which includes a pair of windowed gablets, one of which has curved skews. To the left, there is a four-window arrangement in a 2-2 pattern, featuring gable-headed dormers. The rear of the building has irregular fenestration.

The windows are 12-pane timber sash and case, and the roof is covered with Scottish slate. The building features ridge and end stacks, clay cans, and cast-iron rainwater goods.

Local climate

Bible Land, 185, 187 Canongate, Edinburgh sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 970 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 53% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 43 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 25 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 3 applications
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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