Messrs Melrose Tea, 55-57 Couper Street, Leith, Edinburgh

This building comprises a warehouse and head office, designed in a Free Renaissance style by George Washington Browne and constructed in 1900. It occupies an obliquely angled corner site in Leith, Edinburgh, forming an open U-shape. The building is constructed primarily of cream sandstone, with ashlar facing on the principal elevation, an ashlar base course, and a parapet; red engineering bricks are used at the rear.

The south-facing elevation, fronting onto Cougburgh Street, is a two-storey, nine-bay ashlar facade set upon a raised base course. The ground floor cill level is raised, with moulded architraves and cornices above the windows. A polished pink granite arcaded doorpiece features at the oblique left angle, originally consisting of a pair of arched doorways supported on panelled piers that turn the corner, along with a shallow entablature and blank paterae in the spandrels. One doorway has been unsympathetically filled in with concrete, obscuring the upper window. The outer left bay is pedimented and flanked by corbelled turrets above ground level; there is a single window at ground level, and a stepped tripartite window at first floor level, with block corniced lights and a heavy keystone to the central light. A dentilled pediment and cartouche, bearing the initials “JM” and “JE,” are located in the tympanum, topped with a barrel finial. Each turret features bipartites at first floor level and breaks the eaves in a louvred, Ionic columned, and corniced dome capped cupola. To the right of the main bay, the elevation is lower, with five bays featuring a cornice, regular fenestration, and parapet coping breaking over open oculi in each bay. The final three bays have four short windows at ground level, with the end window featuring a round-headed frame and three-quarter engaged columns (the opening in the base course having been filled in). Above, single windows are present to the left and a keystoned round window to the right, framing a canted tripartite oriel.

The southwest-facing elevation, fronting onto Couper Street, is a three-storey and basement, nine-bay warehouse facade rising to the north. It is constructed of squared and snecked cream sandstone with long and short ashlar dressings, featuring regular fenestration. The three northern bays include an attic storey and an additional parapet. Bipartite windows are set into the base course. Tall single windows are at ground level, short bipartite windows at first floor level, and small tripartite windows with chamfered reveals at second floor level. Similar bipartites are at the attic storey. A broad, depressed-arch carriage pend runs through the basement and ground floors on the right side, constructed from pal stones. A window is located between bays five and six, the window on bay seven is bipartite, and windows are present between bays seven to nine.

The rear elevations are constructed from red brick, with a canted staircase bay to the office range, featuring tall, narrow windows.

The windows are a variety of timber sash and case and casements, both multi-pane and plate glass. The offices have a pitched roof covered in grey slates, while the warehouse has a pitched and flat-topped roof, also covered in grey slates, with ashlar coped skews.

The interior maintains the Free Renaissance style with timber detailing and cornices. The entrance hall features pilastered timber lobbies and an oak stair with turned balusters and panelled newels. The main ground floor room has a panelled fire surround, with an overmantel framed by engaged fluted columns supporting an entablature. A first-floor meeting room includes oak doorcases, cornices, window surrounds (with panelled pilasters to the tripartite windows), and arched framing to the turrets. Fitted panelled cupboards are located in an adjoining closet. The warehouses have been gutted.