8-18 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh is a Grade B listed building in the City of Edinburgh local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 14 December 1970. Townhouse. 1 related planning application.

8-18 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh

WRENN ID
dusk-pillar-martin
Grade
B
Local Planning Authority
City of Edinburgh
Constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP: Chris Murray (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
14 December 1970
Type
Townhouse
Address
8-18 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG
OS grid reference
NT 260 735
Coordinates
55.94968, -3.18614
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: related consents · flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

This former townhouse at 8-18 Blackfriars Street in Edinburgh dates back to the late 16th century, with alterations made in the 17th century. The building has four storeys and a deep basement, situated on sloping ground. It features a projecting three-storey stair tower and an ogee-headed doorway. The exterior is constructed from rubble with predominantly raised ashlar margins and has irregular fenestration. The principal and rear elevations display evidence of earlier openings, which are marked by segmental relieving arches.

To the left, there is a later addition that is two storeys high with a basement, made from squared and snecked rubble, and includes nine bays. This addition has a single projecting bay at the far right and a wide band course between the first and second floors, with regular fenestration.

Inside, the principal ground floor room retains an original fluted-columned fireplace and an ogee-headed niche to the left. The wooden lintels of earlier window openings are exposed, while the rest of the interior has been extensively refurbished.

Local climate

8-18 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 970 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 53% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 43 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 25 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  • No EPC on record for this property
  • No sale records on file
  • Related listed building consents — 1 application
  • Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
  • Flood risk assessment
  • Radon risk assessment
  • Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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