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Tenements in Beaverbank Place Powderhall, Edinburgh |
© Peter Stubbs Please contact peter.stubbs@edinphoto.org.uk Photo taken June 8, 2010
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Beaverbank Place |
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Tenements The tenements in this photo are stone-fronted, like almost all of Edinburgh's tenements that were built in the late C19 and early C20. However, the backs of the tenements are built from brick, as can be seen in the photo at the top of this page. See Question below. |
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Another view of the Tenements Here is another view of the tenements on the corner of Beaverbank Place and Broughton Road, this one taken from Broughton Road: |
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Stone and Brick Tenements |
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Question John Dickson of the Broughton History Society has asked: 1. Why was brick used for the back of these premises? 2. Are there any other examples of this practice in Edinburgh? John Dickson, Broughton, Edinburgh: June 15, 2010 |
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Reply John tells me that Alex Dow has commented 1. This was almost certainly due to cost. At any time, to extract worthwhile stone, split/cut it to a regular shape, finish it and transport it to the building site, has been an extremely costly business. There are many sources of clay for brick making. With the advent of the railways, coal became readily available as well. So bricks were a relatively cheap commodity. 2. One other location of such mixed construction that I am directly aware of, is at Hawthornvale, in Leith Brick was generally used in the hidden areas and the areas not seen by the public, so I would suggest that a reasonable survey of tenements would reveal a much greater use of brick (and rubble) than we are generally conscious of. Alex Dow, Fife, Scotland. Message passed on by John Dickie, June 15, 2010 |