6 Maritime Street, Leith, Edinburgh

Probably James Simpson, dated 1899. 3-storey (raised basement to No 6) 6-bay asymmetrical office block and warehouse extending to rear divided by pend, free Renaissance details. Cream sandstone, polished ashlar front (detailing badly weathered, 1992) to office, squared and snecked rubble with stugged dressings to warehouse and rear. Base course; string/cill course at ground and 1st floor; string course above 1st floor; eaves cornice and balustraded parapet with square dies; office block with architraved windows at ground (shouldered) and 1st floor; warehouse block with rounded arrises at ground and 1st floor; ashlar mullions.

E (FRONT) ELEVATION: 4-bay offices to left, 2-bay warehouse to right. Depressed-arched keystoned pend (cobbled with cast-iron cart tracks) with blocked voussoirs to right of centre; canted oriel with scalloped parapet and carved foliate corbel at 1st floor above; single window at 2nd floor. Round-arched keystoned doorway with blocked voussoirs to left of centre, framed by half-fluted Ionic pedestalled pilasters embossed midway with cartouches (SMJ & Co), frieze divided by scrolls with cartouches (1899 and estd. 1840), pediment with shell motif, 2-leaf panelled door with dentilled cornice, plate glass fanlight; single windows above. Bays to left with tripartite windows at 1st floor and ground floor, former with pulvinated frieze and carved detail, 2 single windows at 2nd floor. Bay to outer left with bipartite window at ground floor; canted oriel detailed as above at 1st floor; single window at 2nd floor. 2-bay warehouse with tripartite windows to each bay and floor (taller at ground floor). String course above ground floor stepping over carved lions head with motto 'spe vires augenter? at centre.

W (REAR) ELEVATION: office block with single and bipartite windows (altered above pend); graduated 9-light stair window with ashlar mullions and transoms to right of pend; velux rooflights. 6-bay 3-storey and raised basement at right angle to left of pend; raised doorway on flank and single windows (formerly barred); single windows and single storey brick addition and engaged stalk to gable elevation.

Mostly plate glass timber sash and case windows, replacement windows to 2nd floor; 6-pane timber hopper windows to warehouse. Slate mansard roof with metal flashings; mutual stack to S. Ornamental gutterheads.

INTERIOR: tiled vestibule, tripartite inner door, carved panelling. Timber staircase with carved balustrade and newelpost. Ornate cornices at 1st floor (now in residential use, 1930s green and black vitrolite bathroom). Warehouse of cast-iron columns and steel beam construction.