[71565] Edinburgh : Dean Village - Well Court

Well Court, Dean Path, Dean Village, Edinburgh, 1883-86.

By Sydney Mitchell & Wilson.

A listed.

Arthur George Sydney Mitchell (1856-1930).

George Wilson (1845-1912).

 

Well Court is a fine example of a picturesque composition, exploiting its prominent site on the Water of Leith. It forms a significant example of 19th century social housing, designed by a high profile architect, AG Sydney Mitchell. The building was commissioned by John Ritchie Findlay (1824-1898), the proprietor of the Scotsman newspaper, as social housing for artisans and tradesmen from the Dean Village. The flats were leased for affordable rents in return for the tenants respecting rules of temperance and attendance at Church on Sundays. The design had several other social measures, including the provision of a common hall for reading and recreation. A factor's house was also placed in the central courtyard. The building was an act of social benefaction on the part of Findlay, to help the occupants of the Dean Village after the large mills which had sustained the population began to move out of the area in the late 19th century. The building also had a significant function in improving the amenity of the area and took account of earlier traditional buildings in the area. Findlay's house at 3 Rothesay Terrace overlooked the Dean Village and Well Court.

Done