Stables, Muirhouse, 35, 37 Marine Drive, Edinburgh

This is a stable block, built in 1832 by Richard and Robert Dickson. Originally part of the Muirhouse Estate, it is situated at 35 and 37 Marine Drive, Edinburgh and has been partly converted into residential accommodation, with campsite facilities to the north. The structure is a single storey, arranged in a U-plan around a courtyard. Later additions have been made to the building’s street-facing side.

The exterior is constructed of random yellow sandstone rubble, with contrasting long and short quoins and raised sandstone dressings. Chamfered arrises feature around the openings, which are ornamented with ornate Renaissance armorial pediments and various carved finials. The courtyard wall to the north wing has been breached to create an arcade.

The west wing (courtyard elevation) has a gabled pend entry with a shallow segmental carriage arch. Above this arch is a blind window, complete with a chamfered surround, armorial pediment and a thistle finial. A single timber panelled door is located to the right of the centre, set behind the arch, accompanied by a window to the outer right. A recessed opening with modern glazing is found to the outer left, and a phone kiosk sits to the left of the arch.

The north wing (courtyard elevation) incorporates a two-bay cartshed with segmental arches which have been blocked off to form a porch, with a modern single door on the right and a window on the left. The west elevation has a coped and stepped gablehead. The east (rear) elevation features a gable, with property divisions beginning from a single door in the outer right bay.

The Marine Drive (north) elevation has a single window in the outer left bays and a round-arched surround containing a carved panel above a single window. The eastern rear elevation has a central gable, a property division from a single door, and a timber-boarded door to the penultimate bay to the right. A small single window sits beside a modern tripartite window inset within a chamfered, segmental-arched recess, and a projecting flat-roofed extension is located in the bay to the left.

The south wing (courtyard elevation) has a blind window to the ground in the bay to the left of centre. The west elevation again exhibits a coped and stepped gablehead and a central window with an armorial pediment and flanking pyramidal finials.

The south (entrance) elevation features a coped and stepped gablehead to the right and a blind architraved window with an urn-shaped finial within the pediment. A modern glazed and timber door sits to the left, and a bipartite window is in the outer bay. The east (rear) elevation incorporates single windows to the ground in the penultimate and outer bays, a bipartite window to the centre, a small single window to the right and a bipartite window in the bay to the outer right. A boarded timber opening to the first floor is housed within a central gable, with architraved pediment and fleur-de-lys finials. A mix of 12-pane timber sash and case windows and timber casements are used on all elevations; modern glazing is found on the rear extension. A grey slate roof in diminishing courses is present, with Velux insertions in both wings. Rendered ridge stacks with concrete coping are on the rear of the right wing, a rubbleridge stack sits above the entry, and a rubble apex stack with projecting cornice is at the rear.