John Swan And Sons Livestock Market, New Mart Road, Edinburgh

John Swan And Sons Livestock Market, New Mart Road, Edinburgh

A substantial livestock market designed by R M Cameron in 1910, with extensions added by John Fraser in 1924 and Alan L Goodwin in 1929. The building is a single-storey rectangular-plan complex with later additions to the north, south and east. It displays bold classical details executed in red brick with polished red sandstone dressings, a vitrified brick base course, and a slate roof to the principal range with corrugated-iron roofs to the secondary structures.

The south-facing entrance elevation comprises a long low range in three sections. The central section is symmetrical with five bays, featuring a sandstone base course. The centrepiece is a segmental-arched doorway with keystone and decorative wrought-iron infill, now fitted with a modern roller shutter; a sign with decorative iron bracket is set above. To either side are architraved round-arched openings glazed with louvred ventilators above. Coped Dutch-style crowstepped gables crown this central section, with segmental-arched doorways to the outer left and right, each fitted with deep-set two-leaf doors with louvres above. The western section has a segmental-arched roll-moulded doorway and four rendered panels with small segmental-arched windows set in brick frames. The eastern section comprises later flat-roofed rendered offices added in 1962, standing two storeys high.

The west elevation displays five gabled bays, with three central timber gables recessed behind a single-storey range with lean-to roof. The outer left and right bays are in brick with keystoned round-arched openings.

The north elevation includes a short range advanced to the outer right, designed by Alan L Goodwin in 1936, and a long low range featuring rendered panels set in brick surrounds, with pens and a setted roadway below.

The interior of the market rings is glazed in white brick, with steel columns and roof structure supporting the pens.

A two-storey Caretaker's House adjoins the main building. Its ground floor is in brick with the upper floor rendered, covered by a grey slate roof. Segmental-arched openings, tall tapered wallhead stack and short tapered ridge stack are features. The south elevation has two bays: a doorway in the right-hand bay with four-light fanlight and glazed upper panel, and two small windows at first-floor level above; a tripartite window occupies the ground floor of the left bay. The west elevation has an oculus at first-floor level to the outer right and bipartite windows in the remaining bays. The north elevation adjoins a former cartshed and the east elevation is obscured by a later cattle court.

Two-leaf wrought-iron gates hang between red sandstone ashlar gatepiers, which are banded and surmounted by ball-finials. These stand between the rendered offices and the caretaker's house, with a setted court behind.

An extension to the east, designed by Alan L Goodwin in 1929, comprises cattle and pig pens and a market ring. It is single-storey with a broad gable and rectangular plan, constructed in red brick with sandstone dressings and rendered panels. The east elevation facing Chesser Avenue features a round-headed broad gable flanked by quasi-gabled pavilions to the outer left and right, with long and short surrounds to a ventilator set in the gablehead. The south elevation facing New Mart Road consists of ten bays, with a keystoned doorpiece to the outer left fitted with a two-leaf door with glazed upper panels and louvered ventilator above. A gabled pavilion occupies the outer right with louvered ventilator set in a rendered panel, with matching ventilators in the remaining bays.

A further brick addition by John Fraser of Dunfermline, dating to 1924, adjoins this extension at right angles to its outer right.