1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Angle Park Terrace, Edinburgh

Angle Park Terrace, Edinburgh — Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

This is a 5-storey Victorian tenement block, probably designed by W F Rollo Wilkie around 1889. The building has a distinctive flat-iron plan with a canted corner section to the northeast. The main southeast elevation to Angle Park Terrace extends for 6 bays, while the north elevation to Henderson Terrace spans 4 bays. Ground-floor uses include shops and a public house, with residential flats above.

The exterior is constructed in snecked yellow sandstone with red sandstone detailing. Red sandstone margins frame the lugged windows, which have extending tabs. A red sandstone band course runs below the first floor, with a further cill course at the fourth floor. The corniced eaves course and long and short quoins emphasise the corner section. Corbelled details appear on some chimney stacks and at the corbelled first-floor window at the corner.

The southeast elevation features shop windows and doors to the left, with an entrance door to the flats at Number 4. The public house occupies the right side, with an inset door to the private bar flanked by panelled splays. A window sits to the left of the entrance, and three large windows to the right. The words 'PRIVATE AND JUG BAR' are etched into a glazed door panel. 'THOMAS WILKIE INNES WINE & SPIRIT MERCHANT' is inscribed above the windows. Decorative cast-iron railings protect the lower level of the pub windows, and the ground-floor windows have angled cills. Above, the tenement shows windows aligned at each bay and storey: bipartite windows occupy the first, fourth and fifth bays, while single windows mark the second, third and sixth bays.

The northeast corner elevation contains the main pub entrance at ground floor, where the entrance lobby features glazed terracotta tiles with a black band and panelled timber splays, doors and ceiling. Leaded coloured glass sits above the panelling. A painted sign reading 'ATHLETIC ARMS' is slightly advanced above the doorway. Canted bow windows project at each floor above, with a single central window flanked by narrow windows. Cornice and corbelling appear below the first-floor window, with cornices at the first and second floors. A corniced cill course marks the first-floor window, while plain cill courses appear at the second, third and fourth floors.

The north elevation facing Henderson Terrace shows a large pub window to the left with a narrower window to the right, with this arrangement repeated to the centre and a tripartite window to the right. A bipartite window sits to the far right, with basement windows below. Above, the tenement displays single windows at the first, second and fourth bays and bipartite windows at the third bay. A continuous cill course runs across the fourth-floor windows.

The west elevation is partially obscured by an adjoining 4-storey tenement visible only at fourth-floor level, while the southwest elevation meets an adjoining shop at ground and first-floor level.

Interior

The interior preserves an exceptional and largely unaltered traditional decorative scheme dating to around 1900. Terracotta tiles line the entrance, with linoleum floors elsewhere and an inset compass detail by the entrance. Two timber-panelled doors open from the main corner entrance, featuring leaded coloured glass panels. Red leather benches run along the outer walls, interrupted by advanced timber-panelled sections between windows. Tongue and groove timber lines the window splays. Narrow timber tables on metal legs are fixed to the floor in front of the bench seats.

The bar comprises a semi-island oak structure with a flat main bar (formerly bowed) and a concave bar to the west. Timber panels punctuate the bar, separated by fluted pilasters with ogee moulding to the top. Brass match strikers and original brass beer taps sit on the timber bar surface. A rectangular-plan, corniced timber pillar extends from the bar to the ceiling to the west, with bevelled mirrors positioned nearby. A free-standing central oak bar unit (for bottles and glasses) features arches between carved angle pilasters with Corinthian capitals, topped by a dentilled and corniced frieze. A large timber sideboard behind the bar displays carved detailing and glazing at the rear. Gas gauges and access to the cellar sit to the left of the sideboard.

The private bar occupies an L-plan area to the rear of the island bar, partitioned off with artificially grained wood featuring dentilled cornice and leaded coloured glass panels. An L-plan oak bar with timber and glazed screen above has voluted, fluted pilasters between square glazed panels and open serving hatches. Six semicircular panels above (two to the east, two to the south) display moulded architrave and leaded coloured glass with stylised floral design. Scroll brackets support a shelf to the rear of the screen. Access to the bar to the south leads to the former jug bar. Further timber panelling to the rear of the private bar incorporates leaded coloured glass. Benches and tables replicate those in the main bar.

A back lounge to the west is separated from the main bar by a glazed and panelled screen with etched glass. Tongue and groove timber dados line the walls, with benches as in the main bar and brass service bells set within the dado. A ladies' lavatory to the north has a timber door with leaded coloured glass and features floor-to-ceiling blue and green tiles. Dentilled cornices appear throughout the private and main bars, back lounge, gents' lavatory and to boxed beams. A festoon motif decorates the private and main bar frieze. Stucco plaster covers the private bar ceiling and part of the main bar, painted red.

Roof and Chimneys

The building has a pitched roof (not visible in 2002). Chimney stacks include gable-end examples to the southwest and west with red sandstone cornice and quoins. A southeast-elevation wallhead stack to the left sits above a raised, flat wallhead. The stack to the right is shouldered and corniced with an advanced corbelled section. A corniced wallhead stack to the far right is advanced to the third floor with corbelled detail. Further ridge stacks run along the north elevation. Numerous clay cans top all stacks.

Alterations

Some uPVC windows have been inserted to the flats, though timber sash and case windows remain to both flats and pub. Plate glass windows serve the pub and shops.