65 Commercial Street, Edinburgh

The complex of warehouses at 92-96 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, dates primarily from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The initial design and construction were undertaken by John Rennie and John Patterson between 1800 and 1806, with a central section completed in 1820 for the Carron Company by Thomas Brown. Later alterations occurred in 1882, when Archibald Thomson redesigned the facade facing Dock Place.

The warehouses are an unusually long, 35-bay, four-storey building with an attic and offices at the eastern end. The exterior is characterized by squared and coursed rubble stonework, with ashlar dressings and horizontal band courses marking the floors. The north elevation, facing the docks, mirrors this detail. Most of the segmental-arched window openings are fitted with iron bars, though some are blocked or incorporate louvred timber doors. A brick groin-vaulted basement is present beneath the first section (Bond 42) and extends to the ground floor of the rest of the block. Low parapets conceal the roofs, with a later stone attic added to Bond 42.

The gable end elevation at 13-15 Dock Place is a symmetrical three-storey and attic structure rendered in plaster and framed by rusticated pilasters on panelled pedestals. A heavily panelled double door with a rectangular fanlight is centrally positioned at ground level, with moulded architraves to the ground and first floors. A lintel course is present at ground level, a cill course to the second floor, and a band course at the cornice level. Attic windows are set within a raised wallhead, which steps up to incorporate three blind panels, with a blind window in the center. Oval plaques bearing the initials “WR” and “BT” flank the outer bays, accompanied by a moulded cornice. Three flag poles are positioned centrally at the attic level.

The three-storey returns, to the east, are stone-cleaned, with the ground and first floors created from the first three storeys of the warehouse. String courses and the original windows of the top floor have been retained. Architraves frame the lower floors, and a bipartite window is located on the ground floor to the west. A pair of modern, gable-headed dormers punctuate the roofline. A pair of panelled doors are set centrally on the north side, and further windows have been added. The windows are timber sash and case.

The warehouses themselves are arranged in five blocks of bays (7, 5, 7, 6 and 7), with wallheads between them. Gabled dormer openings and crane hoists are feature throughout each block. The eastern block has been converted into offices at ground level. The second block, built for the Carron Company, features more closely spaced bays and pedimented hoists; a tripartite doorway remains on Commercial Street. A painted legend, "CARRON COMPANY LTD WAREHOUSE," is still visible facing the docks. The central block has two piend-roofed dormers, and the western block features a raised attic with applied iron lettering reading “MACDONALD & MUIR BONDED STORES,” and in italics, 'HIGHLAND QUEEN'. The west-facing elevation has five bays and three windows in the attic. Ashlar coped skews and grey slates cover the roof.

The interiors feature brick groin-vaults at ground level, supported on stone piers, with flanking access barrel-vaults. Upper floors employ a combination of timber post and beam, ashlar, and cast-iron supports. Bond 42 and the Carron Warehouse retain some full-height ashlar piers and saddles, while the Carron warehouse also incorporates cast-iron Doric columns.

Giant, chamfered square ashlar gate piers, topped with cornices and ball finials, mark the eastern approach to Dock Place, flanking the entrance. These are paired with similar piers at the former lock to the north.