53A and 55 Abbeyhill, Edinburgh, EH8 8EA

55 Abbeyhill – The Armenian Aghtamar Lake Van Monastery in Exile Restaurant

The subjects comprise a category B-listed, Robert Morham designed former police station dating to 1896.  It is a single storey building of red sandstone construction contained beneath a pitched and slated roof.

This is a richly detailed property featuring 6 bay windows with a round arched doorway and numerous animal gargoyles attached to the parapet.  Its Romanesque design and fish scale slates to the corner turrets bring a uniqueness and characteristic rarely seen in Edinburgh.

A large, studded oak entrance door leads into an entrance hallway and an irregular shaped floor space. There are two halls, the largest of which, Sergeant's Hall, has an original parquet floor leading to a kitchen (no fixtures and fittings remain), WCs, stores and an office.  The stores to the rear are believed to be former police cells.

The orchard to the rear can be accessed directly via a back door or a side gate.

53A Abbeyhill – A pumphouse with a history steeped in brewing

The subject comprises a former pumphouse of brick construction and a harled render with a timber facia contained beneath a pitched and slated roof.  The main entrance doors are timber.

The pumphouse sits on the western flank of the site affronting an orchard containing a number of fruit trees including plum, apple and pear.  The orchard can be accessed from the rear of 55 Abbeyhill but also from Abbeyhill itself via a side gate.

Running to the rear of the orchard is a boundary wall shared with Network Rail with the East Coast Main Line directly above.