Bennets Bar, 8, 10, 12 Leven Street, Edinburgh

Bennets Bar, located at 8, 10, and 12 Leven Street in Edinburgh, was designed by George Lyle of Lyle and Constable in 1891, with alterations made in 1906. This late Victorian public bar is situated within a plain, four-storey tenement building that is not listed. The interior retains original features along with additions from 1906, showcasing Jacobethan timberwork, stained glass, and pictorial tiles.

The pub front features two outer bays with timber mullions and decorative leaded glass that displays brewery names in gilded letters. The entrance is located in the central bay and consists of a two-leaf glazed timber panelled door, also adorned with decorative leaded glass inscribed with brewery names (Jeffrey's and Jenkinson's, Leith) in gilded lettering, complemented by brass door furniture.

Inside the main bar, there is a swan-neck pediment above the doors. To the left of the entrance, there is a snug and a jug and bottle compartment, while to the right is another snug, separated by decorative timber partitions inset with coloured leaded glass. The bar counter is accompanied by an ornate two-tier arcaded gantry on the north wall, featuring three niches above the centre, with mirror-backed open arcading and shelved recesses on either side. This area is decorated with Corinthian colonnettes, a fluted frieze, a dentilled cornice, and a balustered parapet that includes a central clock and urn finials. The south wall has a round-arched arcade supported by colonnettes with incised shafts and aeolic capitals, featuring enamelled roundels in the spandrels, along with bevelled mirrors framed by pictorial tiles depicting allegorical figures. An ornate timber chimneypiece on the east wall includes an enamelled cast-iron inset and floral glazed tiles. The ceiling is compartmented and features vigorously-moulded plasterwork.