Mackinnon House, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, 23 Tipperlin Road, Edinburgh

Mackinnon House, Royal Edinburgh Hospital

A large purpose-built mental hospital designed in phases between 1839 and 1867. The building is planned on an H-shaped layout with a central kitchen, dining hall and service court to the rear. The main structure was designed by William Burn between 1839 and 1842, with the south-west range added by David Bryce from 1852 and the north-west range by Robert Paterson in 1867.

The exterior is constructed of cream sandstone with stugged ashlar and polished dressings. It features a base course, band course above ground floor level, and an eaves cornice with blocking course. All window mullions are ashlar.

The front courtyard elevation facing south is symmetrically composed with an 11-bay centre block. The outer bays feature chamfered angles. Tripartite windows are used throughout. Three bays advance at the centre, topped by a tall parapet, with a plain tripartite doorway at ground floor and Venetian windows at second floor level. Nine-bay wings flank the centre at right angles, with single windows and two end bays projecting as pavilions. The pavilions have a 5-bay return elevation to the south, featuring single windows and tripartite windows to the left of centre. A single storey timber lean-to addition extends from the south-west wing.

The east elevation spans 30 bays and is symmetrical in composition. Five centre bays are advanced and canted, while outer bays contain tripartite windows. The centre is flanked by single windows. A later single storey entrance porch with a round-arched channelled doorway has been added at ground floor, along with a modern glazed link. Two engaged towers with widely splayed corners and single windows flank the elevation. These towers feature parapets with pierced roundels and pyramidal roofs, with round-arched timber bellcotes topped by leaded domes and weather-vanes. Subsequent bays contain single windows set within recessed depressed-arched panels, possibly representing later alterations. Three-bay canted projections have tripartite windows to their centre bays and single windows to outer bays, with half-piended roofs. Further bays with single windows in arched panels follow the same pattern. Four-bay advanced end pavilions project from either side. A four-bay single storey memorial wing, added in 1930 to the north-east pavilion, features a mansard roof and is ornamented with a bronze bust and relief roundels on its gable elevation.

The west elevation extends for 28 bays with five centre bays advanced. To the right, the south-west range by David Bryce (1852) comprises 11 bays. Three narrow bays with single windows occupy the outer left, topped by a shouldered wallhead stack. A three-storey canted window section follows, featuring panelled aprons to first floor windows and pedimented windows at second floor, with a tall parapet and truncated pyramidal roof. Two centre bays contain tripartite windows, with another canted window section detailed identically to the right. Continuous ornate iron window guards with ornamental brackets extend across the first and second floors of bays with tripartite windows. Four bays of single windows complete the outer right section. To the left of centre, the north-west range by Robert Paterson (1867) contains 10 bays. Three bays of single windows occupy the outer right, while four bays of single windows with tall wallhead stacks linked by balustrade sit at the outer left. Centre bays feature tripartite windows, with a rectangular projection to the left displaying a French pavilion roof with oval-shaped louvred dormers on all faces, elaborate ironwork cresting and an open finialled dome. Continuous ironwork window guards appear at second floor level.

The north elevation faces the rear courtyard, which has been much altered and extended. Single and tripartite windows appear at chamfered angle bays. The kitchen, positioned centrally, features a tall red brick flue. A two-storey dining hall adjacent to the kitchen is marked by tall round-arched windows. The service courtyard is constructed of squared and snecked stugged rubble, with a nine-bay elevation to the north. This elevation is dominated by a central round-arched and keystoned pend within a slightly advanced pilastered and pedimented ashlar bay. The return elevation of the service courtyard to the east has two-storey canted windows flanking a corniced and consoled tripartite doorway. A single storey entrance porch with moulded pilasters, a tripartite doorpiece and pierced balustrade occupies a re-entrant angle to the main north-east wing.

The roofs are covered in piend and platformed slate with lead flashings. Corniced mutual and wallhead stacks are distributed across the building, detailed as described in individual elevations. Moulded eaves gutters and gutterheads run throughout.

Window types are varied, with many replaced by modern plate glass tilt and turn units. The interior has been much altered.