NT2776 : Crest at Custom House, Leith
taken 8 years ago, near to Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland
‘Open Doors’ is an event in which the public are given access to buildings that are not normally open to them. In Edinburgh it is organised by The Cockburn Association Link
Custom House, Leith
Built in 1810-12 by Robert Reid to oversee the payment of duty for goods passing through the port of Leith. Its use as a customs house ceased in 1980 and it was used as a store by the National Museums of Scotland for many years. It is now in a sorry state of emptiness and decoration, and the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust is leading an initiative to restore the building and return it to public use Link .
Raimes Clark & Co Ltd, Smiths Place
A Palladian-style Georgian villa, the head office of Raimes Clark, originally manufacturing chemists, celebrating 200 years here, and now the parent company of Lindsay & Gilmour Pharmacies, a large group of independent pharmacies in Scotland and the north of England Link . The house has a magnificent oval cantilevered staircase, period fireplaces and Leith’s oldest walled garden.
Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, Hawthornvale
A modern space providing the best working environment for artists. Link. The final stage of the new-build project, the Creative Laboratories, opened in 2015, and there are earlier pictures of the building in progress.
The Scottish Mineral & Lapidary Club, Maritime Lane
Established in 1958 the club has occupied premises in a 19thC workshop and warehouse development since 2007 Link. It provides facilities for cutting and polishing stones and silversmithing, and has a large mineral collection.