Acheson House, 140 Canongate, Edinburgh

Acheson House is a substantial, three-storey and attic townhouse with an L-plan layout, dating from 1633-4, and restored in 1936-7 by Neil and Hurd. It occupies a prominent position on the Canongate and has forecourts screened by high walls both onto the Canongate and Bakehouse Close. The exterior is constructed of rubble with chamfered sandstone dressings, crow-stepped gables, and dormer windows which break the eaves and are pedimented and finialed. Fenestration is irregular and the building features carved details.

The north elevation, facing the Canongate, has three bays with a central wall-head gable. A timber door is set to the left, with a panel above. A timber balcony is situated at the first floor to the right, adjoining the wall of Huntley House, number 142 Canongate (listed separately). The west elevation, facing Bakehouse Close, features a deeply moulded cill course at the first floor. A studded timber door occupies the north-east angle, framed by a heavy, roll-moulded architrave and a broken pediment dated 1633, bearing the Acheson family crest and cypher. A further studded timber door is located opposite. Pediments with thistle and rose finials, and carved monograms, are also present. A walled L-plan courtyard is enclosed by a screenwall with a two-leaf timber door. A garden sits to the rear, accessed by a studded timber door with a moulded surround from Bakehouse Close.

A variety of multi-pane timber sash and case windows are present throughout. The roof is steeply pitched and covered with thick, grey Scottish stone slates, with evidence of nail-rot noted in 2007. Gable stacks are coped and have moulded detailing, topped with clay cans. Rainwater goods are predominantly cast iron.

The interior features a ground floor with a timber-beamed ceiling and a large stone fireplace in what was formerly the dining room. A curving stone stair has a wrought-iron banister and an acorn newel post, leading to the ground floor. A timber stair, dating from circa 1938, rises through the upper floors. Numerous large fireplaces are present, some with moulded lintels; smaller fireplaces are found on upper levels and in the attic rooms. The first floor includes a former dining room with moulded plasterwork ceiling, displaying a rose and thistle motif. The second floor incorporates a 1938 scheme, including a timber panelled room with a timber fire surround and a timber panelled ceiling. A carved central motif of crossed sword and sceptre, encircled by four crowns, is featured on the ceiling, along with a painted foliate motif, both also part of the 1938 restoration work. Early studded timber doors are found to ground floor rooms, some retaining original wrought-iron latches.