Simpson & Brown Architects

THIRTY FIVE YEARS IN PRACTICE 1977 - 2012

Simpson & Brown Architects

Cover image: The Chapel of St. Albert the Great.

George Square, Edinburgh Š Chris Humphreys

Simpson & Brown is proud to celebrate 35 years in practice. This book is a collection of some of our projects completed over the last four decades.

GEORGE SQUARE CHAPEL, EDINBURGH IMAGES: 1 & 2 Simpson & Brown were commissioned to design a new chapel for the Dominican community and congregation of St Albert the Great in George Square, Edinburgh. The project involved a highly detailed consultation process with the congregation to meet their needs and to provide a contemporary building which expresses their aspirations. The building is set within an existing garden in the grounds of a George Square town house and is orientated towards the mature trees at the end of the garden. This is the focal point for worshippers.

The oak-lined vaulted roof rises over the nave, altar and sanctuary, supported on branched columns made from pre-weathered corten steel. Other materials used include Hazeldean sandstone, oak and sedum (roof). The building is designed to be ventilated naturally.

ALDERSTONE HOUSE, LIVINGSTON IMAGE: 3 Simpson & Brown were appointed to alter and extend the existing B-listed C17th Alderstone House to provide serviced office accommodation to become a company headquarters building. The new extension provides open-plan modern office accommodation linked to the existing building by a central circulation core. The new extension sits to the rear of the site and offers floor to ceiling glazing giving views out to parkland. Solar shading is provided by timber louvers. Materials comprise of galvanised steel sections, and timber and natural stone wall cladding.

STORNOWAY TOWN HALL, LEWIS IMAGE: 5 Simpson & Brown have completed work at Stornoway Town Hall for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. Work included external repairs, restoration of interior spaces and alterations to form a new accessible gallery space. The improvements and alterations enable a variety of community uses and public events to be held.

PAISLEY ABBEY, PAISLEY IMAGES: 4 & 6 Having completed a Conservation Plan for Paisley Abbey, Simpson & Brown were appointed to design a new building that completes the missing west side of the cloister. The Abbey, in partnership with Renfrewshire Council, wish to strengthen the role of the Abbey and Place in Paisley’s cultural life. The project will not only fulfill the requirements of the Abbey, but also create an inspirational new public space which the local community as a whole can use.

The old and new buildings will be linked together in a spacious landscaped setting, and together form an important landmark in the centre of the town.

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2012 GEORGE SQUARE CHAPEL, EDINBURGH ALDERSTONE HOUSE, LIVINGSTON - THE PLACE OF PAISLEY, PAISLEY STORNOWAY TOWN HALL, LEWIS

LANGLEY CASTLE DINING PAVILION, NORTHUMBERLAND IMAGES: 1, 3 & 4 Simpson & Brown have recently completed a contemporary dining room extension to the Grade 1 Langley Castle Hotel. The castle was built circa 1350

by Sir Thomas de Lucy. The extension to the dining pavilion touches the castle walls lightly with a glass link, pulling the pavilion back from the strong stone walls to minimise the impact of the new against the powerful composition of the original structure.

LANARK ROAD WEST, EDINBURGH IMAGE: 2 A purpose-built house for a retired client has been designed as an ‘eco-house’ and achieves this on many levels. It sits lightly on the site thus reducing excavation and is orientated to maximise solar gain. It is constructed of natural building materials with low embodied energy, all sourced as local to the site as possible. The minimum heat input required is provided via a Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) system.

GJESVAER, NORWAY IMAGE: 5 Based on the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, the National Marine Life Centre is a proposed new visitor centre located in Gjesvær on the Nordkapp peninsula of Norway. It will provide an exhibition, café and shop for tourists visiting the area who wish to experience the unique seabird and marine wildlife found there. The centre will also provide community amenities together with research facilities and accommodation throughout the year.

DRYMEN PARISH CHURCH, DUNBARTONSHIRE IMAGE: 6 Drymen Parish Church congregation raised funds to develop the facilities at the church. Simpson & Brown designed a sympathetic extension to the church, accommodating a new parish room with additional toilet and catering facilities.

OLD COLLEGE QUAD, EDINBURGH IMAGE: 7 The Old College at Edinburgh University was designed by Robert Adam in 1789 to replace the earlier buildings. After Adam’s death W. H. Playfair was appointed in 1816 to complete the buildings, and reorganised Adam’s scheme, completed around 1820. As funds ran out, the courtyard was never completed and paved. Simpson & Brown was approached in 2005 by the University to complete the scheme. Our historical research established that there were no original drawings, so the paving was designed closely following the precedents of Playfair’s other Edinburgh buildings.

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2011 LANGLEY CASTLE DINING PAVILION, NORTHUMBERLAND ECO HOUSE, EDINBURGH - MARINE LIFE CENTRE CENTRE, NORWAY PARISH CHUCH, STIRLINGSHIRE - OLD COLLEGE QUAD, EDINBURGH

ROBERT BURNS BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM, ALLOWAY 2010 IMAGES: 1 & 5 In 2006 the National Trust for Scotland appointed Simpson & Brown to deisgn the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum following a successful competion bid.

The £11 million museum features a green oak frame, sweeping sedum roofs, dry stone walling and locally sourced larch cladding. In addition to designing the new museum, Simpson & Brown developed a master plan to link together and enhance the experience of the different sites in Alloway (Burns Cottage, Burns Monument, Brig O’Doon and the Auld Kirk amongst others) relating to the poet’s life and legacy.

PRIVATE HOUSE, EDINBURGH IMAGE: 2 Simpson & Brown remodelled the basement floor of a Victorian Villa in South Edinburgh to provide new modern living space opening onto the gardens. The works included a new cantilevered oak stair accessing the basement from the entrance floor.

BLYTH BATTERY, NORTHUMBERLAND IMAGES: 3,4 & 5 Blyth Battery, Northumberland is a collection of Grade II listed concrete structures which gained Scheduled Monument status in 2006. The majority of the Battery buildings were built in 1916, with the exception of the Second World War Battery Observation Post. The restoration project was grant aided

by English Heritage and Heritage Lottery Fund. All the main buildings were made accessible with historical information given via waymarker posts. The Magazine Building has been carefully repaired and is now the visitor centre for the site including an exhibition and audio visual display. The Shelter Building has been transformed into an educational facility. The work was shortlisted and has been recognised as achieving excellence in the Heritage category of the 2010 Constructing Excellence in the North East awards.

PRIVATE HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE IMAGES: 7 & 8 Ristol appointed Simpson & Brown to design two large family homes on the site of a former sawmill in Stirlingshire. The large, contemporary homes featured curved zinc roofs, timber cladding and whinstone walling.

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2010 ROBERT BURNS BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM, ALLOWAY PRIVATE HOUSE - EDINBURGH TICKET HUT, LINDISFARNE - PRIVATE HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE

LINDISFARNE TICKET HUT IMAGES: 1, 2 & 3 A new timber-built ticket hut has been completed for the National Trust’s property at Lindisfarne Castle which sits romantically on the highest point of Holy Island off the coast of Northumberland. Although mediaeval in origin, the Castle was substantially remodelled by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the early 20th century and now attracts a multitude of visitors every year. The design responds to its unique setting between the tall, harsh, angular stone revetments of the Castle and the low, softly curved profiles of the sheds.

The result is a wedge-shaped building with a sculptural black ‘crinkly tin’ roof which dips towards the rear as the plan form widens. The large outer door swivels on a central pivot. When closed it provides security and shelter to the exposed lobby area; when open it engages with the distinctive riven oak fencing, inviting visitors into the hut on one side as they approach, and directing them towards the Castle. The building was the Best Small Project in the 2008 Wood Awards.

THOMSON’S TOWER, EDINBURGH IMAGE: 4 Thomson’s Tower on Duddingston Loch is an octagonal curling house by W H Playfair, built for the Duddingston Curling Society in 1825. The tower was listed Category B in 1970 when it was noted to be derelict. Work was carried out around 1978 to replace the roof and make the building wind and watertight. The new felted flat roof subsequently failed and water again penetrated the building. Funded by Historic Scotland, the Heritage Lottery Fund, The National Trust for Scotland and the Dr Neil’s Garden Trust, construction work started in May 2008. A new lead roof and intermediate floor was installed and internal finishes were re-instated. The building was re-opened to the public in June 2009.

KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW IMAGES: 6 Simpson & Brown were commissioned in 2008 by Glasgow Theatres Ltd. to carry out the repair and restoration of the Category A listed King’s Theatre.

The ongoing programme of work includes: repairs to the external fabric and restoration of the canopy; repair and redecoration of the fine auditorium and front of house areas, including the main foyer; restoration of the original grand circle bar; new auditorium seating; new services including ventilation, theatre lighting, power and data; de-raking the stage and upgrading the flying systems and grid. Phase 1, which was completed in summer 2009, included re-building the stalls floor, preparatory work for new services and new auditorium seating and floor finishes in the stalls and grand circle. The auditorium seating was manufactured to closely match the originals which had been removed in the 1920s or 30s.

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2009 BLYTH BATTERY, NORTHUMBERLAND - KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW THOMSON’S TOWER, EDINBURGH

BLACKBURN HOUSE, WEST LOTHIAN 2008 IMAGE: 1 This Palladian style villa was built by George Moncrieff in 1772 on the proceeds of sugar plantations in Antigua. The house and pavilions have been restored for the Cockburn Conservation Trust, as a centre for the creative industries and will provide a range of offices, studios and recording facilities. In 2008 the project recieved an Architectural Award for the Restoration of a Georgian Country House by The Georgian Group. In addition, the project has subsequently collected two further awards: Edinburgh Architectural Association - Design Awards 2009 (Conservation/Regeneration Award Winner) and from RICS Scotland Awards 2009 Blackburn has been Commended in the Category of Building Conservation.

BLAIRTUMMOCK, GLASGOW IMAGE: 2 Blairtummock House is an 18th century Category B Listed Building located in the Easterhouse area of Glasgow. Simpson & Brown were the architects for its conversion to an Enterprise Centre providing office accommodation, with the principal rooms being available for hire by businesses and local community groups. At the inception of this project it was in an exceptionally poor condition. Work to restore and convert Blairtummock House involved the restoration of the three principal rooms together with the entrance hall using historic photographs and the small amount of original fabric that had survived.

An entrance atrium was formed to provide access via the lift to all parts of the building and leading out to a sheltered courtyard formed by the original stables, also converted to provide self-contained office accommodation.

DAWYCK VISITOR CENTRE, PEEBLES 2007 -2008 IMAGES: 3 & 4 Simpson & Brown, in association with Borders Construction, were commissioned to carry out the design and build for the new visitor centre and workshops at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Dawyck near Peebles. The new building features a sedum roof, green oak structure and un patinated copper cladding reflecting the natural colour palette of the surrounding arboretum. The project went on to be shortlisted in the Doolan Award for the best building in Scotland 2009, the Scottish Design Awards 2009 and the Edinburgh Architecture Awards 2009. It received a Roses Design Award in 2008 and the Scottish Borders Council Design Award in 2009.

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2008 BLACKBURN HOUSE, MID LOTHIAN BLAIRTUMMOCK HOUSE, GLASGOW - DAWYCK VISITOR CENTRE, PEEBLES

GARDYNE’S LAND, DUNDEE 1985 - 2007 IMAGES: 1, 3 & 4 Gardyne’s Land is a complex of five historic buildings in the High Street of Dundee. At the heart of the site is a tower house, the only surviving example of a 16th century Merchant’s House in the city. It also includes tenements of c1640 and c1790, and a Billiards Hall of c1820. Gardyne’s Land is unique in having survived the clearances which followed the 1871 Improvements Act and mid 20th century redevelopment. Gardyne’s Land was to have been repaired and restored by the Tayside Building Preservation Trust for use as a Youth Hostel.

The project faced many difficulties and ten years were spent in negotiation before work was able to begin. In 2005 ownership passed to Dundee City Council and work began with HOPPO Backpackers as the end user. Fascinating layers of history have been revealed. Preserving evidence of the past has been as important to the project as the restoration of individual rooms. To this end, rough areas of plaster, worn stone steps and crumbling timbers have been left exposed wherever practical.

MOUNT STUART, ISLE OF BUTE 2007 IMAGES: 2, 7 & 8 Mount Stuart was built by Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in 1877. It incorporates the wings of the earlier house by Alexander McGill and is Scotland’s most ambitious Victorian house. A Conservation Plan, which also covers the extensive designed landscape and associated structures, has been commissioned by the Mount Stuart Trust and will inform the use and ongoing management of the site.

DANIEL STEWART’S & MELVILLE COLLEGE, EDINBURGH 2006 - 2007 IMAGES: 7 & 8 This project involved the conversion of the assembly hall, originally the courtyard, of David Rhind’s 1849 Daniel Stewart’s College into a performing arts centre. The new facility serves the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools and is used for school assemblies, drama productions, chamber concerts, conferences and public events. Excavation was carried out below the original ground floor level to provide a multi-purpose, sunken performance space, flanked by new steel galleries on three sides, to add volume and drama to the space and improve acoustics and sightlines.

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2007 GARDYNE’S LAND, DUNDEE - MOUNT STUART, ISLE OF BUTE DANIEL STEWART’S & MELVILLE COLLEGE, EDINBURGH

LANCASTER TOWN HALL, LANCASTER 2006 IMAGE: 1 Lancaster Town Hall is one of the best and most characteristic Edwardian public buildings in Britain, catering for the full range of Edwardian society, from the Lord Mayor’s Parlour, to the special cell for drunks in the basement police station. A new museum within the building is being considered.

GRIBLOCH HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE 2006 - present IMAGE: 2 & 4 An important milestone in the early career of its architect Basil Spence. Gribloch was designed in 1937. The project involves window replacements using very careful matches to the original windows and upgrading the service wing to more practical accommodation.

BARONY HOUSE & NEW BARONY, MIDLOTHIAN 1996 IMAGES: 3 & 5 Simpson & Brown has had a long standing involvement with Barony House in Lasswade, the first marital home of Sir Walter Scott. Work started in 1996 with the repair and re-instatement of the thatched roof of the wing of 1781. The building was made watertight to allow the structure and remaining internal finishes to dry out. In 2006 a further phase of work was carried out to reinstate internal finishes and to upgrade the accommodation. During this period, Simpson & Brown also prepared designs for an innovative and contemporary private house in the grounds, maintaining a polite relationship with its historic neighbour. The house has been designed with sustainable principles from the outset and will take full advantage of solar gain, balanced by the use of thermal mass and natural ventilation. The building is constructed with traditional and natural materials such as timber, stone and lime harl used in a contemporary way and which, when combined with a sedum vegetation roof, will result in an exciting high-quality new home.

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2006 LANCASTER TOWN HALL, LANCASTER - GRIBLOCH HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE BARONY HOUSE & NEW BARONY, MIDLOTHIAN

QUEEN’S CROSS CHURCH, GLASGOW 2005 - 2006 IMAGES: 1 & 5 A scheme of fabric repairs and internal alterations to Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Queen’s Cross Church in Glasgow was completed in December 2006 for the Charles Rennie Mackintosh Society. The aim was to conserve the stone wherever possible by carrying out selective repairs. Where the original carved stone detail was found to be delaminating, it was restored in-situ by specialist stone conservators. The conservation of the leaded glass and the upgrading of the window protection is the greatest single improvement to the fabric. The result is a much brighter church interior and the visitor is able once more to appreciate the design of the windows and the space as Mackintosh intended.

GUNSGREEN HOUSE, EYEMOUTH 2006 - 2009 IMAGE: 3 A major project with Bain Swan Architects at Gunsgreen House, Eyemouth. This elegant mid 18th C smugglers’ house was found to be riddled with concealed voids and hide-holes for tea and other contraband, some built from Chinese tea chests. Other important discoveries include a sequence of twelve mid 18th C wall-papers, previously unknown to the V&A, and a fine pair of Georgian breeks!

LAW’S CLOSE, KIRKCALDY 1989 - 2007 IMAGES: 4 & 6 This remarkable building, once belonging to a ship-owning family called Law, may be the best preserved 16th century house in any Scottish burgh. Law’s Close was acquired by the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust and a first phase of work was completed to ensure that the building was structurally and externally sound.

Two shops with office accommodation on the first and second floors were created during the second phase. As part of this work, 16th century paintings have been conserved and the 17th century panelling restored. Further remarkable decoration, with graining, marbling and simulated marquetry has emerged, comparable with contemporary work at Mylne’s Court in Edinburgh.

BRODICK CASTLE, ISLE OF ARRAN 2005 IMAGE: 2 (Archaeoptic) A comprehensive drawn survey and a photographic record are being made of Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran by Addyman Archaeology.

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2005 QUEEN’S CROSS CHURCH, GLASGOW - GUNSGREEN HOUSE, EYEMOUTH LAW’S CLOSE, KIRKCALDY - BRODICK CASTLE, ISLE OF ARRAN

BLAIRTUMMOCK HOUSE - EASTERHOUSE 2005 - 2008 IMAGES: 2, 6 & 7 Blairtummock House, in Glasgow’s Easterhouse area, appeared initially to have very little evidence of its built history, beyond what could be gleaned from the derelict standing structure that had been stripped of most of its internal finishes, and abandoned to damp and dry rot. However, rigorous research eventually unearthed historic photographs and architectural drawings which illustrated the house in its prime. This valuable evidence has helped to inform the design for the restoration work, including the reinstatement of the internal finishes to the principal rooms. Simpson & Brown are now overseeing the comprehensive repair, restoration and extension of Blairtummock for the Greater Easterhouse Development Company, as part of an ongoing regeneration programme for the surrounding area.

CASTLE FRASER, INVERURIE 2006 - present IMAGES: 1 & 4 A photographic and drawn archaeological building survey and recording.

GATESHEAD VISITOR CENTRE, GATESHEAD 2005 - present IMAGES: 3 & 5 Gateshead Visitor Centre is housed inside the former church of St Mary’s Gateshead. Parts of the building date from the 12th century and worship has taken place on this site since the 7th century. It is an important landmark, despite the significant and imposing recent redevelopment of the surrounding area. The church was rebuilt after being razed in 1080; was bombarded by the Royalists during the Civil War; was devastated by a fire and explosion in 1854; and, finally, badly damaged by a further fire in 1979 which left the church roofless and with much of its interior destroyed. The graveyard was encroached on by the construction of the Tyne Bridge, and in the 1930s over two hundred headstones were removed. A comprehensive ‘asset gazetteer’ of the building and graveyard was compiled as part of the conservation plan, along with a full archaeological analysis of the masonry of the church, and a detailed assessment of its historical and cultural significance. This has informed current proposals for internal alterations and an extension to the building.

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2004 BLAIRTUMMOCK HOUSE, EASTERHOUSE - CASTLE FRASER, INVERURIE GATESHEAD VISITOR CENTRE, GATESHEAD

THE BBC BUILDINGS, GLASGOW 2003 - 2005 IMAGES: 1 & 4 The BBC Buildings on Queen Margaret Drive in Glasgow are a complex group of buildings dating from 1869 to the late 20th century. The site as a whole has considerable historical significance: as the house of an important Glasgow industrialist and collector; as the home of the Queen Margaret College, one of the earliest university level colleges for women in Scotland; and as the centre of public service broadcasting in Scotland for seventy years. North Park House, the Anatomy Building and extensions by James Miller are all important pieces of architecture, but most significant is the Anatomy Building, one of the earliest examples of the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, designed and built when he was the senior design assistant for Honeyman & Keppie. Simpson & Brown was commissioned to write a Conservation Plan to inform a planning application to convert the listed buildings on the site to form a hotel.

ST MARY’S MONASTERY, KINNOULL 2003 - present IMAGE: 2 Comprehensive external repair to chimneys, roofs and walls of both the church and the monastery. New visitor and reception centre in the crypt.

ST MARGARET’S, BRAEMAR 2003 - 2005 IMAGES: 3 & 5 Feasibility study for a church with very serious damp problems.

ROWALLAN CASTLE, AYRSHIRE 2003 - 2004 IMAGES: 6, 7 & 8 Rowallan Castle is situated to the north-east of Kilmaurs in East Ayrshire.

Simpson & Brown was commissioned to write a Conservation Plan and for the Castle, walled garden, summer house and the immediate surrounding landscape.

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2003 THE BBC BUILDINGS, GLASGOW - ST MARY’S MONASTERY, KINNOULL ST MARGARET’S, BRAEMAR - ROWALLAN CASTLE, AYRSHIRE

SAILEAN, ISLE OF LISMORE IMAGES: 1 & 7 Alterations and extensions to a cottage on the island of Lismore to form a small country house.

SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB, ABERLADY 2002 - 2005 IMAGES: 3 & 6 Waterston House, the new headquarters for the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club at Aberlady, adopts a simple form, designed to have minimal impact on its surroundings, and accommodates the most comprehensive ornithological library in Scotland, as well as a lecture hall/exhibition space, offices and archive storage.

Douglas Fir, Sitka spruce and oak were provided by The Forestry Commission Scotland and the building is seen as an exemplar for the use of Scottish timber in the construction industry. The surrounding landscape was designed to encourage local bird life including a pond which has varying water conditions, from fast moving to still, providing different habitats. The pond also acts as a storage reservoir for rainwater collected from the roof, which is then recycled in the building for flushing toilets.

SHEPHERD’S LAW CHAPEL, NORTHUMBERLAND 2002 - 2004 IMAGES: 4 & 5 New altar, lecterns and stalls for a hermitage chapel.

THE IRVING MEMORIAL CHAPEL, BOUCTOUCHE, CANADA 2002 - 2004 IMAGE: 2 Simpson & Brown designed the Irving Memorial Chapel. It stands in an established arboretum next to an old Protestant burial ground which contains memorials to the many Scots families from southwest Scotland who emigrated to Bouctouche in New Brunswick. The masonry and most of the interior details were drawn from Scottish precedent, although the joinery of the steeple could be interpreted as more ‘New World’ than ‘Old’. The chapel has an open timber roof, articulated by four king post trusses. The commission provided a wonderful opportunity to work on all elements of the building, from its overall form through to the detailed design of furniture, stained glass, panelling, custom-made ironmongery and embroidery. Murray John Architects of London assisted with the design of the joinery elements.

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2002 SAILEAN, ISLE OF LISMORE - SCOTTISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ CLUB, ABERLADY SHEPHERD’S LAW CHAPEL, NORTHUMBERLAND THE IRVING MEMORIAL CHAPEL, BOUCTOUCHE, CANADA

PRIVATE HOUSE, DIRLETON 2001 - 2005 IMAGE: 1 Substantial alterations to a mid 20th Century house to provide a house which is both Arts and Crafts in style but contemporary in function.

28 QUEEN STREET, EDINBURGH 2001 - 2004 IMAGES: 2 & 3 James Nisbet developed Nos. 28 and 29 Queen Street in 1789. He had an enthusiasm for the geometric plans of Robert Adam and introduced as many curved walls and interesting shapes into the standard Edinburgh three-bay plan as possible.

The semi-circular central stair rises to a spectacular decorated cupola. After 160 years of residential use, the houses were bought by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. In 2001 the houses were acquired by a developer and it was decided that No. 28 should become a club for the Scotch Malt Whisky Society. The interior was in poor condition and blighted by alterations. Little original joinery was left and the fireplaces had been stolen; however, here was sufficient evidence remaining in the principal rooms for faithful restoration.

The original trompe l’oeil decorative scheme was conserved and the cupola was restored. Missing external lamps, balustrading, balconies and astragals were also replaced, thus recapturing the integrity of Nisbet’s original design.

THE MORGAN ACADEMY, DUNDEE 2001 - 2005 IMAGES: 4, 5 & 6 The Morgan Academy in Dundee was devastated by fire in 2001. Simpson & Brown was appointed by Dundee City Council to restore the original part of the building, as part of a contract which included the construction of a new hall and classroom facilities, designed by Dundee City Council Architects. Faithful restoration of the exterior, main entrance hall, stairs and chapel required painstaking investigation of the original drawings, archival material and thousands of items of masonry, ironwork, timber and other building elements which were salvaged from the debris after the fire.

BORELICK STEADING, PERTHSHIRE 2002 - 2006 IMAGES: 7 & 8 The original steading and house at Borelick was the focus of a small upland farm.

The land continues to be worked by the original owner whose accommodation requirements were consolidated releasing the substantial 19th century courtyard steading buildings for conversion into modern country homes. The development, completed for Tighmor, took a sustainable approach to create three houses around the courtyard, a modernised and extended farmhouse and a large new dwelling to the south.A new house was built for the landowner further up the hill at Little Tombane, augmenting an existing group of buildings which was central to a substantial agricultural community in the past. Extensive historical research was carried out to establish the provenance of the area and a detailed physical investigation of the site was undertaken by Addyman Archaeology.

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2001 15 MANSE ROAD, DIRLETON - 28 QUEEN STREET, EDINBURGH THE MORGAN ACADEMY, DUNDEE - BORELICK STEADING, PERTHSHIRE

MAINS OF BRANSHOGLE, BALFRON 2000-2003 IMAGES: 1, 2 & 6 At Mains of Branshogle, two farm cottages have been extended and remodelled to provide a sustainable home with a low ecological footprint. Stone from a derelict barn was salvaged to form the plinth of the new extension. The main frame is a locally sourced green oak structure, and the walls are ‘breathable’, with high levels of insulation, externally clad with untreated larch boarding and lined internally with unfired clay bricks. This reverses the conventional timber frame construction and creates more thermal mass on the inside of the structure. Solar panels and a wood burning stove provide heat to the underfloor and radiator heating systems. Waste goes to a worm composting sewage system, also providing compost for the garden. With volunteer help a straw bale donkey house and garage were constructed and finished with lime harling and limewash.

EAGLAIS NA H-AOIDHE, ISLE OF LEWIS 2000 IMAGES: 9 & 11 A project to repair a ruined medieval church near Stornoway, including proposals for a new roof.

DUNDAS HOME FARM, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY 2001 - 2006 IMAGES: 3 & 10 This impressive group of buildings was built for James Russell of nearby Dundas Castle. It boasts the customary grandeur of large agricultural developments of the late nineteenth century, epitomised by the plaque over the entrance to the courtyard which records the date of construction, 1881. The surviving buildings take the form of a large enclosed courtyard with long, flanking blocks on two sides. The group sits on high ground overlooking both Forth bridges. Simpson & Brown were commissioned to convert the redundant buildings into 13 individual dwellings. Extensive use of untreated timber was made and exposed steel lintels have been included to complement the original retained cast iron columns.

ROYAL MILE MANSIONS, EDINBURGH 2000 -2006 IMAGES: 4, 5, 7 & 12 The restoration of North Bridge Arcade was part of a larger project to repair the roofs and masonry of Royal Mile Mansions and North Bridge House. The arcade connects North Bridge with Cockburn Street and has a stained glass dome at its centre. The purpose of the project was to restore the Edwardian character of the arcade whilst meeting the needs of the shops and their customers. The largest new element was a shopfront for the eastern half of the south side. The design was based on the frontage of the opposite side which included curved glass panels together with an Italian black marble plinth and carved capitals. The blue and gold mosaic ceiling was restored, a new lighting system was installed and the white marble pilasters were carefully cleaned. In the absence of any surviving historical records, the design for the new gates was developed from the detail of the existing cast iron overthrows.

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2000 MAINS OF BRANSHOGLE, BALFRON - EAGLAIS NA H-AOIDHE, ISLE OF LEWIS DUNDAS HOME FARM, SOUTH QUEENSFERRY ROYAL MILE MANSIONS, EDINBURGH

WORMISTOUNE STABLEBLOCK & PAVILIONS, FIFE 1999 - 2006 IMAGES: 1, 5 & 9 The stable block is dated on a stylistic basis between 1780 – 1820 and is set some distance away from Wormiston House at the south east corner of a walled garden.

To justify the cost of the restoration of the stable block and to enable it to ‘earn its keep’, the buildings are intended for use as catered holiday letting. Two new pavilions have been built in the corners of the garden to form a symmetrical east end to the garden. This follows many precedents in early 18th century Scottish walled and formal garden layouts. The axis and landscape focuses on Balcomie Castle and leads to broader views of the sea. The style of the new pavilions is deliberately historicist.

It was felt that a self-consciously modern intervention would create a jarring note within the subtle character of the walled garden and would also be contrary to the purpose of the new buildings. The proportions, character and detailing of the pavilions were derived from those at Melville House by James Smith circa 1703.

ST JOHN’S HOUSE, EDINBURGH 1999 - 2005 IMAGE: 10 An archaeological assessment was carried out during repair and stabilization works at 21 St John Street in Edinburgh for The Priory of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.

It revealed substantial elements of a 16th or 17th century back tenement property.

There had been five phases of subsequent alteration, most notably around the time of the laying out of St John Street in the later 18th century, when a classically proportioned frontage was formed. This phase also included the addition of an upper storey, the existing roof structure and many of the surviving internal features.

PLAYFAIR ON THE MOUND, EDINBURGH 1999 - 2007 IMAGES: 2, 6 & 8 Simpson & Brown were appointed by the National Galleries of Scotland to work with John Miller & Partners on the prestigious ‘Playfair Project’ on The Mound in Edinburgh. The work began with the major renovation and repair of William Henry Playfair’s landmark building which has been the home of the Royal Scottish Academy since 1826. After undertaking a thorough historical investigation and physical assessment of the building, Simpson & Brown provided specialist conservation advice and supervision throughout the construction period.

AUCHNAGUIE STEADING, PERTHSHIRE 2001 - 2004 IMAGES: 3, 4, 7 & 11 This traditional farmstead, comprising farmhouse and steading range, was formerly one of the Atholl Estates farms and was granted a new lease of life when Simpson & Brown’s clients, Tighmor, undertook to develop the site for rural lifestyle housing.

The buildings were fine examples of the local vernacular and have been converted into modern individual homes that retain many of the original features and materials.

Alongside the old, two new timber framed houses constructed using indigenous materials have been introduced to complement the grouping. The courtyard plan takes advantage of spectacular views over the Perthshire countryside.

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1999 WORMISTON STABLEBLOCK & PAVILIONS, FIFE ST JOHN’S HOUSE, EDINBURGH - PLAYFAIR ON THE MOUND, EDINBURGH AUCHNAGUIE STEADING, PERTHSHIRE

ARBROATH ABBEY VISITOR RECEPTION BUILDING 1998 - 2003

IMAGES: 1 & 8 This award-winning scheme includes visitor facilities, a retail area, an audio-visual exhibition space and viewing gallery, together with landscaping and new interpretation throughout the Abbey. The visitor reception building was created with a minimal impact on the environment using natural materials and has a planted sedum roof. The construction has a layered ‘soft’ horizontal form, contrasting with the high vertical mass of the Abbey. The building steps back in three volumes slowly rising up, each space within gaining height and light until it cantilevers over the rear graveyard wall, giving views of the Abbey behind. This viewpoint is fundamental to the building design which aims to enhance the visitor’s understanding of the layout of the Abbey.

SAUCHIE TOWER, CLACKMANNANSHIRE 1998 - 2003

IMAGE: 2 A 14th century tower house built by William Shaw, the King’s Master of Works, Sauchie Tower had not been occupied since the later building of Old Sauchie House. The roof structure and parapets were lost long ago, but most of the masonry structure survives. The Clackmannanshire Heritage Trust took ownership of the tower and commissioned Simpson & Brown to carry out emergency works. Unstable masonry was propped and a tensioned wire support system was installed around the tower at high level to prevent any masonry collapsing. The orginial roof structure was reinstated and clad with plywood to shed water away from the wallheads and the long process of drying the masonry began. The Trust does not yet have a use for the tower, but repairs were carried out in preparation for a future programme of conservation.

INTERIM ACCOMMODATION FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT 1998 - 2006 IMAGES: 3 & 5 Simpson & Brown were commissioned by the Scottish Office to convert the Church of Scotland Assembly Hall on The Mound to provide interim accommodation for the new Scottish Parliament. The Hall was designed by David Bryce for the Free Church in 1858, and has been the venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland since 1929. It was extensively remodeled to create a new debating chamber which was provided with sophisticated service installations, communication links, electronic voting and IT systems, and broadcasting facilities. Following the completion of the Parliament building in Holyrood, the debating chamber was reverted to its former use.

ROWARDENNAN VISITOR FACILITY, LOCH LOMOND 1998 - 2002

IMAGES: 4 & 7 Set within woodland on a small rise between the loch and the foot of Ben Lomond, the Rowardennan Visitor Facility meets the path from the pier and forms part of The West Highland Way. There is a small exhibition area providing local information and an office and work room for the Park Wardens. The building was designed and carried out in association with Richard Shorter Architects and uses locally sourced materials. The peg-jointed oak frame supports a timber roof structure covered with re-used Aberfoyle slates. Above the stone base the external walls are formed in traditional cob, finished externally with lime harl and lime wash, and internally with clay plaster. Natural oil based paints were used on the joinery work. There is no mains drainage in the vicinity, and since a soak-away system could contaminate nearby Loch Lomond, a composting toilet system was chosen, the first time for a public building in Scotland.

TORABHAIG DISTILLERY, ISLE OF SKYE 1998 - present IMAGE: 6 Simpson & Brown’s design to convert a redundant steading into a distillery.

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ARBROATH ABBEY VISITOR RECEPTION BUILDING, ANGUS SAUCHIE TOWER, CLACKMANNANSHIRE INTERIM ACCOMMODATION FOR THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT, EDINBURGH ROWARDENNAN VISITOR FACILITY, LOCH LOMOND TORABHAIG DISTILLERY, ISLE OF SKYE

A PRIVATE SHOOTING LODGE, MIDLOTHIAN 1997 - 2003 IMAGES: 1 & 3 Substantial alterations to form a new country house together with alterations and repairs to other buildings on the estate.

MANSFIELD TRAQUAIR CENTRE, EDINBURGH 1997 - 2003 IMAGES: 2 & 6 Restoration and conversion work was carried out within Rowand Anderson’s magnificent Catholic Apostolic Church at Mansfield Place to create a new headquarters for the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. The building fabric was repaired and the interior remodelled to create new offices, reached from nave level by a steel and oak spiral stair. Contemporary materials and forms were chosen for the new interventions to distinguish them from the historic fabric. Elsewhere, salvaged materials and elements were re-used whenever possible. New lighting illuminates Phoebe Traquair’s celebrated murals for the first time since the building ceased to be a church fifty years ago.

SCOTTISH SEABIRD CENTRE, NORTH BERWICK 1997 - 2007 IMAGE: 4 The Scottish Seabird Centre is the hub of a communications network linked to discreetly located cameras among the bird colonies on the islands in the Forth, in particular the puffins on Fidra and the gannets on the Bass. Visitors are able to watch the seabirds on large screens, year round and in real time, and in turn the birds are protected from disturbance by visitors to the islands. The building is set upon a rocky promontory beside the old harbour. Exposed to the sea and the weather, it is robustly built with a dry stone weather screen, rough sawn larch boarding and a copper roof supported on solid, larch trusses.

POLTIMORE HOUSE, DEVON 1997 - present IMAGE: 7 Poltimore House was the home of the Bamfylde family for over six centuries until 1921, when it became a school and then a hospital, before being deserted until about 18 years ago. It is now under the care of The Poltimore Trust. Despite ravages of fire, theft and dry rot, the house retains many of its outstanding features: a rare 17th century stair tower and the spectacular 18th century rococo plasterwork of its famed saloon. Its gardens contain mid-19th century plantings of exotic pines by James Veitch. Restoration and re-use have been hindered by funding difficulties. In 2003 The Friends of Poltimore House group was launched and funding was negotiated to erect a protective temporary roof over the entire building which will arrest further decay of its historic fabric until a viable new use is identified.

ST SALVATOR’S, ST ANDREWS 1997 - 2001 IMAGE: 5 New clock faces and masonry repairs to the tower and steeple.

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1997 A PRIVATE SHOOTING LODGE, MIDLOTHIAN - MANSFIELD TRAQUAIR CENTRE, EDINBURGH - SCOTTISH SEABIRD CENTRE, NORTH BERWICK POLTIMORE HOUSE, DEVON - ST SALVATOR’S, ST ANDREWS

FINNART ST PAUL’S, GREENOCK 1996 - 2004 IMAGES: 1, 4 & 5 Comprehensive repairs to the roofs, walls and leaded glass.

ST MICHAEL’S, INVERESK 1996 - 2007 IMAGES: 2, 3 6 & 9 New toilets, foyer and meeting room. Phased repairs to the spire, roofs and exterior masonry.

BROCKLESBY PARK, LINCOLNSHIRE 1996 - 2007 IMAGE: 7 Brocklesby Park is at the centre of an estate belonging to the Earl of Yarborough.

Simpson & Brown worked with Kim Wilkie, Landscape Architect, to resolve severe problems with the Hall - the early 18th century core of which is by William Etty of York - its formal gardens by Reginald Blomfield, and its park

by Capability Brown. The architectural and landscape history of Brocklesby is long and complex. The Hall was extended in the 18th and 19th centuries by a succession of architects including Brown, Charles Tatham and William Burn, making Etty’s earlier Georgian brick box into a vast mansion. It was restored, after a serious fire in 1898, by Reginald Blomfield, who also surrounded it with Edwardian formal gardens of a somewhat municipal character. In the 1950s, much of the later work was demolished, reducing the house to something more like its 18th century size, but leaving its internal planning and the appearance of its elevations in a state of architectural disarray. Works to extend, alter and upgrade the classical mansion house began at the end of January 2006.

BAXTER PARK PAVILION, DUNDEE 1995 - 2006 IMAGE: 8 Conservation plan and conservation advice to assist with large urban parks project including repairs to the central pavilion, the gate urns at the gate piers and reinstatement of all the cast iron railings and gates.

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1996 FINNART ST PAUL’S, GREENOCK - ST MICHAEL’S, INVERESK BROCKLESBY PARK, LINCOLNSHIRE - BAXTER PARK PAVILION, DUNDEE

A PRIVATE STEADING CONVERSION, PERTHSHIRE 1994 - 1999 IMAGES: 1, 2, 4, 6 & 11 When Simpson & Brown was first asked to look at this substantial late 19th century whin and granite farm steading – still in use in the early 1900s – it was a charming but near derelict group of buildings arranged around a manure strewn courtyard under which the original fieldstone cobbles survived. The buildings have now been repaired and adapted to create an impressive country house with 8 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. The challenge of planning the required accommodation within the narrow width of the ranges, without resorting to an enfilade of connected rooms, was resolved by the design of a new timber corridor on the courtyard side of the south range. As few changes as possible were made to the external appearance of the building, although inevitably a number of new openings had to be introduced. These were created sparingly using salvaged granite dressings, the larger windows being protected by external sliding ‘cart shed’ shutters for security. The only exception to this is a large storey high glazed opening which floods light into the stairwell, which houses an oak stair with lattice balustrade. The stair hall also leads onto an oak sun deck to the south which over-sails the original lade and the old water wheel for the threshing mill.

COWDENKNOWES, SELKIRKSHIRE 1995 - 1996 IMAGES: 3, 5 & 7 Cowdenknowes House stands on the site of a Douglas stronghold and has been substantially added to and remodelled in the late 18th century, and again in 1820 and the 1880s. It is now a private residence. Simpson & Brown carried out repairs and restoration work and reinterpreted the layout to suit modern living.

Wonderful 1930s bathroom suites were salvaged and a small butler’s kitchen was created on the ground floor with a connecting stair linking it to the basement kitchen. The remains of original opening lights and winding gear were salvaged from a ruined Victorian glass house and incorporated into a new plant house attached to the kitchen.

NUNTON STEADING, BENBECULA 1995 - 2001 IMAGES: 8, 9, 10 & 12 This 18th and 19th century ‘U’-plan Steading block presented an opportunity to carry out a vernacular building repair and conservation programme. In most cases, work to existing farm buildings involves a considerable amount of intervention to accommodate a new use. In this scheme, the exterior could be repaired and presented as it is, without significant alteration. The building was originally entirely harled in lime mortar, some of which had survived. The harl was patched in lime and the whole building lime washed. The south range interior has been presented simply as a farm steading. Exhibition lighting and fittings were added so that the rooms could be used for an exhibition by the Benbecula Historical Society.

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1995 A PRIVATE STEADING CONVERSION, PERTHSHIRE COWDENKNOWES, SELKIRKSHIRE - NUNTON STEADING, BENBECULA

HOUSE OF FALKLAND, FIFE 1994 - present IMAGES:1, 5, 6 & 10 Conservation plan and ongoing scheme of phased repairs to the roofs, chimneys and exterior masonry.

26 - 31 CHARLOTTE SQUARE, EDINBURGH 1991 - 2001 IMAGES: 4, 8, 11, 12 & 13 Numbers 26-31 Charlotte Square and the mews buildings behind form the major part of the palace front designed by Robert Adam in 1792 and built between 1805-1820. In 1996 Simpson & Brown was commissioned to restore and adapt these buildings to be The National Trust for Scotland’s new headquarters within Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site. The buildings were in poor condition and had been damaged by ill-considered alterations carried out during the previous thirty years. The existing fabric was systematically recorded. The stone pencheck stair was reinstated in Number 26. The architectural detail of the rooms was restored, including bow ends, chimney pieces, grates and appropriate decoration. Lifts were inserted and new services, including wiring for power, voice and data.

The houses are linked by a basement spine passage which also joins to the mews buildings. The public have access to the ground and first floors of the central house where there is a shop, restaurant and gallery.

A PRIVATE HOUSE, EDINBURGH 1994 - 1998 IMAGES: 2 & 3 A wing of stables and outbuildings attached to this fine turn of the 20th century house were converted to create a new family kitchen, a dining room, a sitting room and a conservatory with enough space for ceilidh dancing. The ‘rooms’ in the resulting open plan space are defined by changes in floor level and roof form.

The principal feature of the extension is the curved conservatory roof, designed to preserve the view of the south lawns from the raised north-facing kitchen, which is flooded with sunlight entering through rooflights cut into the south inner pitch. The original roof structure of the dining room was opened up to create space and exposes a pleasingly irregular composition of glazed hayloft and coal hole openings. Timber partitions, which divided the boxes of the original stables, were re-used to line the south wall.

STORNOWAY TOWN HALL, ISLE OF LEWIS 1994 - present IMAGES: 7 & 9 Conservation statement and fesibility study. There have been three phases of repairs to the roofs and masonry.

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1994 HOUSE OF FALKLAND, FIFE - 26 ~ 31 CHARLOTTE SQUARE, EDINBURGH A PRIVATE HOUSE, EDINBURGH - STORNOWAY TOWN HALL, ISLE OF LEWIS

THE ROSELINE BUILDING, SUNDERLAND 1993 - 1998 IMAGE: 1 Conservation advice to assist with the repair and alteration of an important warehouse building on the riverfront of Sunderland.

TAYMOUTH CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE 1993 - present IMAGES: 2 (fabric wallpaper) & 5 (graffiti showing the sinking of the Lusitania) The original castle at Taymouth was the seat of the Campbells of Glenorchy. By the end of the 18th century, after William Adam had regularised the plan and added pavilions, the castle was central to one of the most spectacular designed landscapes in Scotland. The present castle was built by Archibald and James Elliot between 1806 and 1813, followed by further work directed by James Gillespie Graham in 1838. Following the Great War the estate was acquired by the McTaggart family. In the 1930s the castle thrived as a hotel. During World War 2 it was occupied by the Polish army and later became a school for children of American servicemen. Taymouth Castle is one of the most important buildings ‘at risk’ in Scotland. Simpson & Brown worked on a project of repair of the roofs and protection of the interior as a vital contribution to the conservation of this magnificent building. Since then Addyman Archaeology has carried out a detailed recording exercise.

MARKET STREET HADDINGTON, EAST LOTHIAN 1993 - 1999 IMAGES: 3, 4 & 6 This small tenement in the centre of Haddington incorporates material from every period in the history of the Burgh since its foundation by David I in the mid 12th century. Excavation revealed pieces of 12th and 13th century Colstoun ware pottery, and the walls included medieval and post-medieval masonry. The frontage is an example of plastered timber frame construction, common in the 19th century, but now very rare. The west gable contains a large fireplace whose curved chimney-piece now rises through the bedroom of the flat above. The building was gutted in the 1950s when it became part of the Kilspindie knitwear factory. During restoration the internal structure was rebuilt and fitted out to form four small flats and three shops. A geometrical pencheck stair within a new tower was built at the rear, the roof was pantiled and the exterior was limewashed.

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1993 THE ROSELINE BUILDING, SUNDERLAND - TAYMOUTH CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE MARKET STREET HADDINGTON, EAST LOTHIAN

GARGUNNOCK HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE 1990 - 1996 IMAGE: 1

External repairs and interior conservation and alteration for the Landmark Trust.

AYKLEY HEADS HOUSE, COUNTY DURHAM 1992 - 1999 IMAGE: 2

Aykley Heads is a rambling courtyard mansion of medieval origins. It has been altered and extended many times and its unpretentious exterior conceals a fine sequence of mid 18th century interiors. The house was left empty and by 1992 the most important rooms had been vandalised and the chimney pieces stolen. Part of the building had been severely damaged by fire, the roof was missing and the walls were saturated. Restoration work was carried out

by Simpson & Brown in collaboration with Jane Darbyshire & David Kendall Architects. As many of the original features as possible were salvaged from the wreckage for re-use and the roof was replaced. Once sufficiently dry, the plaster ceilings were conserved and the missing chimney-pieces were reinstated according to old photographs. An 18th century stairhall which was lost in the fire was restored, including the re-carving of its Serlian window surround.

TORSONCE, STOW, BORDERS 1992 - 1996 IMAGES : 3 & 6

Torsonce was devastated by fire in 1992. Built in 1862 to a design by David Bryce Junior, it had been an imposing three-storey mansion set into a steep, wooded hillside. The owners decided to retain the character of the old house and to construct a new but smaller house, using as much salvaged material and as many architectural elements as could be rescued from the ruin. Among these were chimneypots, finials, stone dressings, doors, panelling, chimneypieces, grates and, most importantly, the massive stone window units complete with mullions, transoms and metal casements.

STRATHISLA DISTILLERY, GRAMPIAN 1992 - 1995 IMAGES: 4 & 7

Restoration work was carried out at Strathisla Distillery, one of the oldest commercial distilleries in Scotland, by Simpson & Brown in partnership with Acanthus colleague Douglas Forrest Architects. The offices were relocated and a new visitor area was created. The tour at Strathisla is designed to be self-guided and visitors are encouraged to talk to the distillery workers. The dramming room and shop recreate the Victorian appearance of the Chivas Brothers’ shop in Aberdeen. Linn House, a nearby former mill owner’s dwelling which had become derelict, was restored for re-use as a Board Room and Retiring Room for buyers and agents of the whisky industry.

LIBERTON TOWER, MIDLOTHIAN 1992 - 1999 IMAGES: 5 & 8

Liberton Tower is a near perfect example of a mid-15th century tower house, the characteristic form of lairds’ houses in late medieval Scotland. It was bought in 1857 by the Littles of Liberton. Twenty years later they built Liberton House, and since then the tower was used mainly as a farm building. Following an archaeological investigation the stone walls were repaired and finished inside and out with lime plaster, lime harling and ochre-coloured limewash. The surviving mural stairs, fireplaces, flues and ‘garde-robe’ shaft were restored.

All the furnishings received careful attention, combining scholarship with regard for modern comfort. The two missing timber floors and the outside timber stair were reinstated, but sadly safety considerations did not permit the reinstatement of the drawbridge!

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1992 GARGUNNOCK HOUSE, STIRLINGSHIRE AYKLEY HEADS HOUSE, COUNTY DURHAM - TORSONCE, STOW STRATHISLA DISTILLERY, GRAMPIAN- LIBERTON TOWER, MIDLOTHIAN

MAVISBANK HOUSE, MIDLOTHIAN 1991 - present IMAGES: 1, 3 & 5 Mavisbank was designed in 1722 by William Adam and Sir John Clerk of Penicuik, his patron, and is the ‘little villa’ of Clerk’s poem The Country Seat.

Mavisbank passed out of the Clerk family in 1815, becoming an asylum in 1876.

Dr Harrowes, the last Medical Superintendent, bought the house in 1946. Archie Stevenson broke cars in the forecourt in the 1950s, and in the 1970s Mavisbank was gutted by fire. The 70 acres of designed landscape were acquired by Scottish Ministers in 1986, and although ownership of the house remained uncertain, the shell was secured by Historic Scotland. The Mavisbank Trust was established with the aim of managing Clerk’s policy grounds as a Country Park. The villa will be restored for holiday letting, with interpretation and public access.

YESTER CHAPEL, EAST LOTHIAN 1991 - 1996 IMAGE: 2 Yester Chapel is a 15th century collegiate church which was recast by Robert Adam in the Rococo Gothic manner. It is also the mausoleum of the Hay family.

A thorough programme of repair and conservation was carried out, including large scale renewals and repairs to the stone flagged roof inserting new stones where masonry was severely decayed. The windows were reglazed and the monuments were conserved.

OLD AUCHENTROIG, STIRLINGSHIRE 1990 - 1999 IMAGES: 4, 6 & 7 This little building was built for the bonnet laird John Maclachlan of Auchentroig. It is best described as a small laird’s house, artisan built, urbane but with vernacular characteristics, part lowland and part highland, built at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. It was attacked in August 1710 by Rob Roy MacGregor, who forced Maclachlan’s surrender by setting fire to the base of the door! The house was built on a ‘T’ plan, probably part of a larger group of buildings, perhaps even a ‘fermtoun’. All that remained was a rectangular crowstepped house of four rooms attached to the corner of the walled garden of the much larger Victorian house. There was some refitting in the late 18th century and further work in the late 19th century, when it became a gardener’s shed. It had been disused for many years until its restoration.

SERLBY HALL, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 1991 - present IMAGE: 8 The work involved a full repair of the main part of the hall and the removal of some Edwardian extensions. New interiors were created including a new pencheck stair.

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1991 MAVISBANK HOUSE, MIDLOTHIAN - YESTER CHAPEL, EAST LOTHIAN OLD AUCHENTROIG, STIRLINGSHIRE - SERLBY HALL, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

OXENFOORD CASTLE SCHOOL, MIDLOTHIAN 1990 - 1993 IMAGE: 1 Repairs to the roof. Scheme for new arts block within the service wing and courtyard.

ST MARK’S UNITARIAN CHURCH, EDINBURGH 1990 - 2002 IMAGE: 2 Roof and masonry repairs and reinstatement of decorative urns to the front facing Castle Terrace.

LINDISFARNE CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND 1990 - present IMAGE: 3 Since 1990, Simpson & Brown has been retained as consultant architects by the National Trust as for Lindisfarne Castle on Holy Island. During this period, the practice has prepared two quinquennial reports and been responsible for three major phases of building work including: the complete re-roofing of the castle, substantial repairs to the parapets and chimneys, the consolidation and reharling of the masonry on the exposed and inaccessible north elevation, and repairs to windows and other external features. The latest phase called for an ambitious civil engineering project to stabilise the eroded south rock face and to rebuild the long approach ramp, with a new horonised stone paved surface and riven green oak fencing. A new reception building was built in 2007.

UDRIGLE, ROSSSHIRE 1989 - 1996 IMAGE: 4 Repair, restoration and re-harling of a mid 18th century laird’s house with important surviving panelled rooms.

HOUSE OF GRAY, DUNDEE 1989 - 1995 IMAGES: 5, 6 & 7 The House of Gray in Dundee is an early 18th century country mansion of Palladian character. The name of the architect is unknown but the design was included in William Adam’s book of contemporary house designs Vitruvius Scoticus. When the present owner purchased the building, it had deteriorated to a very poor condition. Simpson & Brown designed the complete restoration of the building to form a hotel. Particular care was needed in the conservation of the soft and friable stone and a small team of masons was specially trained in traditional Scottish masonry practice to conserve it.

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1990 OXENFOORD CASTLE SCHOOL, MIDLOTHIAN - HOUSE OF GRAY, DUNDEE UDRIGLE, ROSSSHIRE - ST MARK’S UNITARIAN CHURCH, EDINBURGH LINDISFARNE CASTLE, NORTHUMBERLAND

KILBIRNIE AULD KIRK, AYRSHIRE 1989 - 1996 IMAGES: 1, 6 & 9 Repairs to the roof and walls. The work included the restoration of the 17th century Crawfurd Gallery.

PENICUIK HOUSE, MIDLOTHIAN 1988 - present IMAGES: 2, 7, 8 & 10 Penicuik House is the finest and most influential example of Palladian architecture in Scotland. It sits at the centre of an important 18th century designed landscape, which together form an exceptional physical record of the artistic patronage of the Clerk family, a family remarkable for its contribution to the cultural, intellectual, and scientific life of the Scottish Enlightenment. The house and immediate surroundings are in the ownership of the Penicuik House Preservation Trust which was established in 1985 with the aim of securing the future of both. A project to consolidate the ruin of the house, providing both training and educational benefits, is underway.

WILLIAM ADAM TERCENTENARY EXHIBITION SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH 1989 IMAGES: 4 & 5

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1989 KILBIRNIE AULD KIRK, AYRSHIRE - PENICUIK HOUSE, MIDLOTHIAN WILLIAM ADAM TERCENTENARY EXHIBITION, SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH

KINLOCHMOIDART HOUSE, INVERNESSSHIRE 1988 - 1998 IMAGES: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5 Designed by William Leiper, Kinlochmoidart was built in 1884 in exuberant baronial style for Robert Stewart, a distiller. Despite being almost entirely uninhabitable by 1988 and racked by damp and decay - to the extent that every one of its fifty rooms was significantly affected by wet or dry rot - Kinlochmoidart still retained its original decoration and furnishings, severely damaged but quite remarkably unaltered. In probably the largest exercise of its kind in Scotland, the dry rot was successfully tackled in an ecological manner without the use of any chemical treatment. The house was painstakingly restored, including the restoration of original hand-printed, hand-embossed and hand-stencilled wallpapers, and the retention of switches and other parts of the original electrical installation. The service wing was carefully subdivided to form four houses for holiday-letting.

BALLACHULISH HOUSE, INVERNESSSHIRE 1988 - 1997 IMAGE: 6 Alterations to form a country house hotel.

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1988 KINLOCHMOIDART HOUSE, INVERNESSSHIRE BALLACHULISH HOUSE, INVERNESSSHIRE

8 QUEEN STREET, EDINBURGH 1987 - 1997 IMAGES: 1, 5, 7 & 8 No.8 Queen Street was designed by Robert Adam in 1771 for Robert Orde, Chief Baron of the Court of the Exchequer, and remains one of the most important houses in the city. It belonged to several private owners until it was purchased by the Royal College of Physicians in 1868. The house was leased to various institutions, but in 1957 the Physicians reclaimed it, and linked it to the neighbouring Hall designed by Thomas Hamilton in 1844. A number of inappropriate alterations had been made and in 1990 an ambitious phased restoration began. Two missing decorative plaster ceilings were reinstated to the original Adam design and new furniture and furnishings were designed to suit the principal rooms. The roof was completely overhauled and the stonework repointed.

TINWALD HOUSE, DUMFRIES-SHIRE 1987 - 1992 IMAGES: 2, 3 & 4 Tinwald House was designed by William Adam and built in 1740 for Charles Erskine, later Lord Tinwald. The interior was destroyed by fire in 1946 and reinstated in a cheap and characterless way - which was all that could be achieved at that time. In 1990, the exterior of the house was repaired and the interior altered again and restored to the original plan and in the manner of William Adam.

THE HIRSEL, BERWICKSHIRE 1987 - 1994 IMAGE: 6 Exterior repairs and reharling.

COUSLAND SMIDDY, MIDLOTHIAN 1987 - 2005 IMAGE: 9 Cousland Smiddy is thought to date from the early 18th century and is a typical example of the vernacular architecture of this part of Scotland. Whilst not a unique building, it is a rare surviving example of a once common working smiddy, with an adjoining cottage providing accommodation for the blacksmith and his family. The smiddy building itself is a small, single-space structure with a pantiled roof. Inside, there is a working double hearth with hand bellows, a water trough, an electric blower and work bench. The original anvils are set within the brick floor which is itself embedded with wooden sleepers. Three thousand of the original tools also remain for the visitor to see. The blacksmith’s sitting room has been recreated to look as it might have done when lived in until the 1960s and an interpretation room displays the history of the smiddy and the work of the trust and a film of the previous blacksmith at work. An office for The Smiddy Trust and a kitchen have been also created, making the cottage useful for a number of community activities. The gardens to the rear are let to local residents for use as organic allotments, which along with the working blacksmith’s shop help recreate the original atmosphere of the smiddy.

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1987 8 QUEEN STREET , E D IN B U R G H - TIN WAL D HO U S E, D U M F R I ES - S H I R E THE HIRSEL, B E R WIC KSHIR E - C O U SL AN D S M I D D Y , M I D L O T H I A N

EARL OF HADDINGTON’S HOUSE, TYNINGHAME, EAST LOTHIAN 1986 - 1992 IMAGES: 1 & 4 The original 18th century stable court at Tyninghame was adapted and extended to provide a new house for the Dowager Lady Haddington. A small entrance tower with a roof balustrade of 17th century character and a double-height octagonally-roofed conservatory were introduced.

THE CITY CHURCHES, DUNDEE 1986 - present IMAGE: 2 Comprehensive repairs to the roof, exterior masonry, glazing and roof structure.

In 2006 Simpson & Brown produced a conceptual design for the remodelling of the Mary Slessor Centre at Dundee Steeple Church. The present centre has evolved in a rather haphazard fashion and currently straddles two separate church buildings. The new proposals seek to re-establish the architectural identity of both buildings, restoring one as a place of worship and converting the other into a new centre which will accommodate a cafĂŠ, shop, exhibition space and meeting rooms. The design aims to reveal and restore the quality of the original buildings, by exploiting the existing vaulted areas and creating dramatic new ones for larger events.

BRITISH STANDARD 7913 - 1986 IMAGE: 3 The British Standard Guide to the principles of conservation.

TYNINGHAME HOUSE, EAST LOTHIAN 1986 - 1988 IMAGES: 5 & 6 The RIBA award-winning work undertaken at Tyninghame demonstrates the way in which a great house and its estate buildings can be adapted to a new use in a manner which preserves its gardens and character without intrusive development or damaging subdivisions. Simpson & Brown was commissioned to divide the house vertically to create ten smaller houses, each with its own front door and roof and with accommodation on three to four storeys.

ACANTHUS ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES 1986 IMAGE: 7

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1986 EARL OF HADDINGTON’S HOUSE, TYNINGHAME - BRITISH STANDARD 7913 THE CITY CHURCHES, DUNDEE - TYNINGHAME HOUSE, EAST LOTHIAN THE LAUNCH OF ACANTHUS ASSOCIATED ARCHITECTURAL PRACTICES

LENG MEMORIAL CHAPEL, FIFE 1985 - present IMAGES: 1 & 3 Repairs to roofs, masonry and leaded glass windows. Provision of lighting and heating.

LORETTO SCHOOL, MUSSELBURGH 1985 - 1999 IMAGES: 4, 7 & 8 The library building at Loretto School also accommodates an information technology department and takes its form, character and ochre colour from the surrounding school buildings, some 18th century and some by Robert Lorimer.

The library is placed to divide one of the former gardens of Loretto House into two distinct external spaces, each of a different character. The outer court contains the entrance to the library, in a mainly hard landscape with mature trees, in which the school’s tradition of the ‘sacred circle’ has been restated. The inner court offers a more peaceful setting for the two-storey reading room, with views out to the grassy area known as ‘The Park’.

DUNIMARLE CASTLE, FIFE 1985 - 1998 IMAGE: 2 Repairs to roof and masonry.

PRESTONFIELD HOUSE, EDINBURGH 1986 - 1999 IMAGES: 5, 6 & 9 Built by Sir William Bruce in 1687 for Sir James Dick, Prestonfield House was later a meeting place for many notable figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.

In 1812 Robert Keith Dick commissioned James Gillespie Graham to build two reception rooms on the site of the old kitchen yard. Internally the transition between the 17th century building and the Georgian addition is almost imperceptible. The house became a prestigious hotel in 1959. Following various works to the house and stables block, Simpson & Brown designed the addition of twenty-six bedrooms in 1992. The height of the Georgian buildings allowed the accommodation of the new bedrooms within a three storey extension, the roofline of which could remain lower than that of the 19th century building.

The interior was carefully designed to provide continuity between the old and new buildings.

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1985 LENG MEMORIAL CHAPEL, FIFE - LORETTO PRIMARY SCHOOL, MUSSELBURGH DUNIMARLE CASTLE, FIFE - PRESTONFIELD HOUSE, EDINBURGH

AUCHINLECK HOUSE, AYRSHIRE 1984 - 2001 IMAGES: 1, 6 & 7 Auchinleck House was built between 1755 and 1762 by Alexander Boswell, Lord Auchinleck, and may have been designed by John Adam. The pavilions were added later in around 1773. The house was occupied by branches of the Boswell family until about 1970. By the time it was sold to the Scottish Historic Buildings Trust in 1986 the lead had been stripped from the roof, all the windows had been smashed and dry rot was rampant throughout the structure. Emergency works were carried out in the 1980s to deal with the dry rot, the roof was repaired and the building was allowed to dry out naturally. Unsafe timber was replaced and all sound panelling was dismantled and retained for later refixing during restoration.

FERNIEHIRST CASTLE, ROXBURGHSHIRE 1984 - 1988 IMAGE: 2 Ferniehirst Castle is a ‘Z’ plan house of the late 16th century and is the original seat of the Kerrs of Ferniehirst. It had been long unoccupied when it was recorded by Dr Thomas Ross in the 1880s. It was repaired and partly restored in the 1920s. For many years it was used in its partly finished state as a much-loved Youth Hostel. In the early 1980s, the castle was inherited by the Earl of Ancram (better known as Mr Michael Ancram MP) who resolved to fulfil a long-held ambition to live at Ferniehirst Castle. The main part of the castle was repaired and restored as a single house, originally for holiday letting and opening to the public, and the kitchen wing was substantially rebuilt and extended.

ST NINIAN’S MANSE, EDINBURGH 1984 - 1998 IMAGES: 3, 4, 5 & 8 St Ninian’s Manse stood at the head of the first bridge to North Leith and was its first religious foundation. It contains masonry from the only pre-reformation building to survive in the area and is an unusual example of a 17th century clergy building associated with an urban church. The adaptation of the manse to offices was based upon documentary and physical research. The stone ridges were reinstated, the belfry openings which had been boarded up using the original louvres which were re-set in their proper position and the original gilded copper weathercock (in possession of the National Museum of Scotland since 1900) was carefully reproduced. The interior was conserved and inappropriate modern additions removed. A conference room was formed and a reception area stands within the pend that originally led to the interior of the church.

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1984 AUCHINLECK HOUSE, AYRSHIRE - FERNIEHIRST CASTLE, ROXBURGHSHIRE ST NINIAN’S MANSE, EDINBURGH

BLAIR ADAM, KINROSS-SHIRE 1983 - 1993 IMAGE: 1 Repairs and alterations including a new porch.

ST PAUL’S & ST GEORGE’S CHURCH, EDINBURGH 1983 - 2007 IMAGES: 2, 3, 6 & 7 Designed by Archibald Elliot circa 1816-18, St Paul’s & St George’s Church is an important building in the development of the Gothic Revival in Scotland. A condition report was prepared which recommended five phases of extensive roof and stone repair. Work to the masonry included a significant amount of renewal of carved decoration to the finials and parapets. Internal work included new lighting and heating. The re-decoration of the interior was based upon detailed investigation and analysis of the original scheme.

CULTER PARISH CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE 1983 - 2006 IMAGE: 4 Repairs to the steeple, belfry, roof, chimneys and harling.

COLLAIRNIE TOWER, FIFE 1983 - present IMAGE: 5 Holding repairs to a fragment of a late medieval house within a 19th century steading. Various proposals for repair, restoration, opening to the public and enabling development.

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1983 BLAIR ADAM, KINROSS-SHIRE ST PAUL’S & ST GEORGE’S CHURCH, EDINBURGH CULTER PARISH CHURCH, LANARKSHIRE - COLLAIRNIE TOWER, FIFE

MAGDALEN CHAPEL, EDINBURGH 1982 - present IMAGE: 1 Magdalen Chapel is a 16th century Almshouse Chapel which later became the Convening Hall for the Guild of Hammermen after the Reformation. Simpson & Brown was commissioned by the Scottish Reformation Society to carry out general repairs to the fabric and to re-plan the circulation of the building to provide office space and to allow more public access. The contract involved collaboration with several specialists, including archaeologists and restorers of sculpture, furniture and clocks. Traditional materials were used leaving the existing fabric as unaltered as possible.

HAWTHORNDEN CASTLE, MIDLOTHIAN 1982 - 87 IMAGES: 2, 7 & 8 Hawthornden Castle is dramatically sited on a rocky outcrop above the North Esk river in Midlothian. The remains of a 15th century tower survive. Round-headed windows along the south side may have lit a courtyard of a later date. The buildings to the North are attributed to the poet Sir William Drummond who restored the house “for himself and his successors” in 1638. The internal layout of Sir William’s building has been altered, but one first-floor bedroom retains an original moulded ceiling. 18th century features remain, such as a flat arched panelled fireplace, the elegant main staircase, and the fielded panelling and lugged doorcases of the Library. Hawthornden was acquired by a private client and Simpson & Brown carried out restoration work including repairs to the stonework of the old castle using salvaged stone from the demolished Caledonian Station in Edinburgh.

ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, DUNDEE 1982 - 1991 IMAGE: 3, 4 & 6 Phased programme of repairs to the roofs and masonry including the spire and an adjoining 18th century house.

COLLEGEHILL, MIDLOTHIAN 1982 - 2005 IMAGE: 5 Repair and alteration to an 18th Century former inn next to Rosslyn Chapel for the Landmark Trust.

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1982 MAGDALEN CHAPEL, EDINBURGH - HAWTHORNDEN CASTLE, MIDLOTHIAN ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, DUNDEE - COLLEGEHILL, MIDLOTHIAN

ST SALVADOR’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, DUNDEE 1981 - present IMAGES: 1, 3 & 6 St Salvador’s church is one of the most significant buildings of the 19th century Gothic Revival, since it marks a turning point in the career of its enormously influential architect, G. F. Bodley. It is one of the best examples of a High Church interior of any Scottish church. St Salvador’s has been the subject of a long series of phased repairs. Restoration work included conservation of the organ, re-gilding the reredoes, chancel screen, and re-bedding and renewing the stone floor of the nave.

ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH 1977 - 1989 IMAGE: 2 New central holy table and pews.

HUMBIE DEAN, EAST LOTHIAN 1981 - 1983 IMAGES: 4 & 5 New music room.

TOMINTOUL STEADING, KINCARDINESHIRE 1981 - 1984 IMAGE: 7 Proposals for a steading conversion.

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1981 ST SALVADOR’S CHURCH, DUNDEE ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH HUMBIE DEAN, EAST LOTHIAN - TOMINTOUL STEADING, KINCARDINESHIRE

SYLVAN HOUSE, EDINBURGH 1980 - 1983 IMAGE: 10 Roof repairs and re-harling.

ROSSLYN CASTLE, MIDLOTHIAN 1980 - 2002 IMAGES: 1, 3, 5, 7 & 8 The great 15th century Castle of the Sinclair Earls of Orkney is largely ruinous, but one large range has remained roofed and contains fine interior work of the 17th and 18th centuries. When the present Earl of Rosslyn succeeded in 1977, the ruins were in a dangerous state and the roofed range derelict. The ruins and the roofed range were repaired and restored and equipped for letting by the Landmark Trust.

ALDERMAN FENWICK’S HOUSE, NEWCASTLE 1980 - 1993 IMAGES: 2, 4 & 9 This house is one of the most important mercantile town houses in any city in the North of England. With medieval origins, it occupies two burgage plots on the main route to the North and seems to have been substantially built in the mid-17th century. The oak stair, rising into the lantern tower, and the ceiling of the Great Room are of this period. In Corbridge’s 1723 map of Newcastle, the building is attributed to ‘Alderman Fenwick’. Although not borne out by research, the name has stuck. In the late 18th century it became the Queen’s Head Inn. From 1880 until 1962 it was the Newcastle Liberal Club, but by the late 1970s the building was derelict. Consent for demolition had been applied for and refused. In 1980, the Tyne & Wear Building Preservation Trust appointed Simpson & Brown to carry out structural and internal repairs to the buildings for their use as offices.

The house remains in the ownership of the Trust, whose principal tenant is the Bank of England.

MONZIE CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE 1980 - 1995 IMAGE: 6 Roof repairs, alterations to the top floor, new kitchen and alterations to the stable block. This drawing shows proposals for the Mid Lodge.

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1980 SYLVAN HOUSE, EDINBURGH - ROSSLYN CASTLE, MIDLOTHIAN ALDERMAN FENWICK’S HOUSE, NEWCASTLE - MONZIE CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE

BORTHWICK CHURCH, MIDLOTHIAN 1979 - 1995 IMAGES: 1 & 6 Roof and masonry repairs to a medieval and Victorian church, including conservation works to medieval effigies.

28-30 THE CLOSE, NEWCASTLE 1979 - 1998 IMAGES: 2, 4 & 7 Restoration of a substantial timber framed late medieval town house on the quayside of Newcastle upon Tyne.

MUIRESK HOUSE, ABERDEENSHIRE 1979 - 1982 IMAGES: 3, 5 & 8 A new timber clad house set in a walled garden using a frame salvaged from a barn in Suffolk.

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1979 BO RTHWICK CHU R C H, M ID L O THIAN - 2 8 -3 0 T H E C L O S E, N EW C A S T L E M U IR E SK HO U SE , ABE R D E E N S H I R E

TRAVERSE THEATRE, EDINBURGH 1977 - 80 IMAGE: 3 New theatre bar, wardrobe areas and foyer.

NEW HOUSE AT GARTH, FORTINGALL 1977 - 80 IMAGES: 2, 4, 5 & 9 A new timber house.

YESTER HOUSE, EAST LOTHIAN 1978 - 1985 IMAGES: 6 & 7 Roof repairs.

TROTTERS OPTICIANS, EDINBURGH 1977 - 1979 IMAGES: 1 & 8 New shop front with ‘ophthalmic’ order capitals and new shop interior.

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1978 TRAVERSE THEATRE, EDINBURGH - NEW HOUSE AT GARTH, FORTINGALL YESTER HOUSE, EAST LOTHIAN - TROTTERS OPTICIANS, EDINBURGH

THE TRON KIRK, EDINBURGH 1977 – 1981 IMAGES: 1, 5, 8 & 9 Built in 1647 to house the congregation ejected when St Giles’ became a cathedral, the Tron Kirk was named after the weighing beam or ‘Tron’ that stood outside.

It was drastically truncated in 1785 to allow space for South Bridge and Hunter Square. Its Dutch steeple burnt down in the Great Fire of Edinburgh of 1824.

The current tower and spire date from 1828. Stewart Brown was the architect for a comprehensive scheme of stone, lead, roof and window repairs when he worked for Andrew Renton. The work included rebuilding parts of the original ‘Hammer Beam’ roof that had been damaged in the 1824 fire and were severely rotten. A scheme for re-use of the interior was proposed but not undertaken.

The project became one of the founding projects for Simpson & Brown together with St Giles’ High Church.

ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH 1977 - 1989 IMAGES: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 10 & 11 St Giles’ was the medieval parish church of Edinburgh, founded with the burgh in the 12th century. A programme of repairs was initiated including the releading of the low roofs, restoration of the crown spire and weather-cock, and the repair of the stonework and windows. The Thistle Chapel undercroft and adjacent rooms were converted into what is now the Lower Aisle, linked to the church by a new sandstone stair in the South Choir Aisle. A new Sanctuary arrangement was established with the Holy Table beneath the low vault of the crossing tower. James Simpson was the architect for the project at Feilden and Mawson. James set up an Edinburgh office for the project in Grosvenor Gardens which became the offices of Simpson & Brown.

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1977 THE TRON KIRK, EDINBURGH ST GILES’ CATHEDRAL, EDINBURGH