Free Church Of Scotland College And Offices, 16 North Bank Street, Edinburgh

Free Church of Scotland College and Offices, 16 North Bank Street, Edinburgh

David Cousin designed this substantial office building between 1859 and 1863, probably incorporating earlier fabric into its structure. It is a seven-bay double-pile building constructed on a steeply sloping site, rising to five storeys with attic on the left side and four storeys with attic on the right, distinguished by a central pavilion-roofed entrance tower and a recessed single bay to the outer right. The rear elevation rises to five storeys with attic and basement, its roofline punctuated by a taller turreted tower to the right and a lower pyramidal tower to the left, both visible from North Bank Street. The building displays Jacobean and Mannerist detailing throughout.

The principal and side elevations are constructed in squared and snecked sandstone with polished ashlar dressings, whilst the rear is of random rubble with polished dressings.

The North Bank Street elevation features a moulded base course and moulded string course running to the eaves line, with a moulded dividing band between first and second floors to the right and buckle quoins to the right. Windows are surrounded by moulded frames. The slightly advanced central entrance bay takes the form of a square-plan tower. Its entrance comprises a round-arched decoratively panelled two-leaf timber door within a round-arched surround featuring a decorative keystone and vermiculated voussoirs, set within a consoled and corniced pilastered doorpiece. Bracketed jetties project at second and third floor level. The first floor displays a tall window, whilst the second floor has paired windows flanked by annular colonnettes and topped with strapwork pediments. The tower rises above the eaves line as a decorative structure with blind openings, bracketed eaves, large corner gargoyles and brattishing, surmounted by a fish-scale-slated pavilion roof with an initialled weathervane inscribed "FC" for Free Church.

To the left, three regularly fenestrated bays rise with strapwork pediments. A conical-roofed central turret is flanked by dormers with broken pediments. To the right, three bays are fenestrated with corniced windows to the ground floor and tall paired windows to the second floor (lighting the Presbytery Hall) topped with high strapwork pediments. The third floor displays segmental pediments. A conical-roofed bartizan projects to the outer right, with three dormers bearing segmental pediments to its left. The outer right bay is recessed with a balustraded balcony and a narrow ground-floor window bearing a strapwork pediment and monogram inscribed "D COUSIN, ARCHITECT". The rear section at the right features a tall square-plan crowstep-gabled tower with balustraded balcony, a finialled ogee-roofed bartizan to its right, and a taller bell-cast pyramidal-roofed turret to its left.

The west elevation towards the steps to Milne's Court displays an advanced balustraded bay to the left with a tripartite window to the second floor, lighting the Presbytery Hall. A corbelled-out circular stair tower with narrow shouldered windows occupies a re-entrant angle. A two-bay block to the right features a timber-boarded door in a moulded and corniced surround with a carved panel of a burning bush above, regularly fenestrated upper storeys, a bartizan to the left and a balustraded parapet.

The south elevation facing James Court has stone steps and platts spanning a basement area, leading to a timber-panelled door with letterbox fanlight in a roll-moulded surround positioned in the outer right bay. A finialled pyramidal-roofed square-plan tower rises above this entrance. The remainder of the elevation is regularly fenestrated, with paired windows to the third floor at the right and a shouldered wallhead stack to the left. A stained glass window at ground floor in the third bay from the right, set in a moulded surround, bears a carved inscription, date and initials. Spear-headed cast-iron railings protect the basement area, and brattishing runs along the roofline.

The interior contains the Presbytery Hall, panelled in Oregon pine with coupled fluted Corinthian pilasters. Decoratively panelled timber doors in corniced surrounds feature carved overdoors. A Mannerist timber chimneypiece incorporates a clock. The ceiling is a decorative coved and compartmented plaster surface, painted and gilded, with pendants and heraldic devices. A tripartite stained glass window to the west illuminates the hall. The room contains an important collection of furniture, portrait paintings and busts.

Chalmers Hall, located at the third floor and formerly known as the Ladies Missionary Society Hall, features a barrel-vaulted ceiling with grid-iron ribs, timber panelling and an embossed paper festooned frieze. Ionic pilastered timber chimneypieces line the walls. The outline of an engaged drum staircase obtrudes to the northwest.