Sandy Bells, 25 Forrest Road, Edinburgh

Sandy Bells is a 4-storey and attic public house and tenement building dating back to 1872, with an earlier building incorporated and altered in 1891 by R Thornton Shiells & Thomson. The building is an asymmetrical block of 11 bays, with 4 bays extending to Forresthill, and incorporates shops and a public house on the ground floor. It is constructed of squared and snecked bull-faced sandstone with polished dressings that are painted to the ground floor. Architectural features include a continuous cornice to the shops (excluding numbers 7 and 9), a string course stepping over the 1st-floor windows (again, excluding 7 and 9), and a corbel table at the 3rd floor. Long and short quoins are also present. The ground-floor openings have stop-chamfered details, while windows on the 1st and 2nd floors have tabbed surrounds. Timber panelled doors with plate glass fanlights provide access to the flats. Dormerheads with finials break the eaves at the 3rd floor.

The east-facing (Forrest Road) elevation features an angle turret with a conical slated roof on the outer right-hand side, and a balustered balcony at the 2nd-floor corner. Gables are present to the 2nd and 3rd bays from the right, containing bipartites and a carved panel. A corbelled central wallhead stack with chequer-set machicolations and a carved panel is flanked by single windows with gabletted dormerheads. Further angled bipartites and a canted window with a swept corbelled gable are also notable features. Full-height canted windows are located at the outer left, with chequer-set machicolations and a small timber dormer to the facetted slated corner spire. A 2-leaf timber panelled storm door and glazed inner door are found on the canted corner, leading to the public house.

The south-facing (Forresthill) elevation includes a wallhead stack with chequer-set machicolations, a central gable with a wallhead stack, and a gabletted dormerhead.

The interior of Sandy Bells bar features a timber bar, corniced gantry with mirrored shelves and clock, a broken pedimented arch to the rear, timber panelling, and settles. Predominantly 4-pane glazing is found in timber sash and case windows. The building is roofed with grey slates and includes corniced stacks with circular cans.