Royal Museum of Scotland

Heritage listing

Category A Date Added 14/12/1970 Local Authority Edinburgh Planning Authority Edinburgh Burgh Edinburgh NGR NT 25820 73290 Coordinates 325820, 673290 — Captain Francis Fowke (Royal Engineers), 1861-71 and W Wing completed 1885-9 by W W Robertson. Later alterations and additions, including neo-classical SE extension by WT Oldrieve, 1910-14, further S extension of 1934-7 (Office of Works), W block by Gordon Benson and Alan Forsyth, 1998 and internal remodelling Gareth Hoskins, 2011 (see Notes). Symmetrical Venetian Renaissance museum building: 2-storey and basement arcaded main block (screen to double-height glazed hall) to centre, flanked by broad-eaved advanced 3-storey and basement pavilions to outer right and left; 1st floor bridge (link to Edinburgh University museum) to West College Street. Polished ashlar (local grey sandstone); shafts of window columns in red Melrose sandstone. Channelled basement; bays with paired stilted-arched windows separated by colonnettes on balustrades at ground and 1st floors, flanked by pilasters (Doric at ground floor, Corinthian at 1st); dentilled cornice and balustraded parapet. NW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-bay advanced entrance section to centre: 2 tiers of broad steps with decorative cast-iron hand-rails to 3 2-leaf timber panelled doors (revolving door to centre) with plate glass fanlights in key-consoled moulded round-arched surrounds flanked by Doric pilasters on pedestals; carved heads (see Notes) in spandrels; paired stilted-arched windows to 1st floor; solid parapet above surmounted by 3 groups of figurative sculpture (see Notes). 6-bay recessed flanking wings: paired stilted-arched windows to ground and 1st floors; balustraded parapet surmounted by urns above. 2 flanking 3-storey wings: bipartite windows to basement and ground

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.