159 Lower Granton Road And Gatepiers, Edinburgh

This is a circa 1840 stable complex with associated gatepiers, located in Edinburgh. The complex is set around a central courtyard and features a mixture of single and two-storey buildings with plain classical detailing.

The stable complex comprises a seven-bay carriage housing with accommodation above to the south, a range of stables with haylofts to the east, and a single-storey stable/storage section to the north. The exterior is of coursed, tooled sandstone with droved ashlar dressings, and ashlar coped gables.

The north elevation, facing Lower Granton Road, features a pair of ashlar gatepiers with moulded coping, a short section of retaining wall with ashlar coping, and a single-storey blank section. A two-storey coped gable end is situated to the far left, with a single architraved window on each floor. Quoins flank this bay, delineating the end of the stable complex.

The courtyard elevations reveal a symmetrical arrangement: the south side has a two-storey carriage house with segmental-headed arches and windows above, with two bays set back on either side; those to the right have piended dormer windows. The east side has a two-storey stable section, with alternate dormer windows to the hayloft. The north side features a single-storey stables/storage section with an entrance to the left and a curved corner with quoins; a single window is visible on the return wall. A short, single-storey section with a lean-to roof is located to the west, alongside a rendered, flat-roofed extension. The complex abuts the rear wings of The Granton Tap and The Anchorage.

Most windows are 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The roofs are mainly grey slate, with piended sections over the central carriage housing, and four corniced ashlar stacks on the west side, likely shared with adjacent properties. A significant portion of the east courtyard is now roofed over with corrugated iron, a feature added in 1997. Cast-iron rainwater goods are also present.

Internally, much of the original layout remains, including wooden horse stalls with cast-iron posts in the north and east ranges. An original or early fireplace with a stone surround and intact cast iron range is present in a main room. Some rooms interconnect with adjoining properties.

A curved section of coursed rubble wall, a later addition, separates the property from the adjacent pub. This abuts the original coped section of coursed sandstone before the western gatepier, where it rises and curves to meet the pub.