Leith residents have voiced concerns over the future of a historic local landmark following possible unauthorised alterations to a prominent part of its frontage.
Planners at the City of Edinburgh Council have launched an investigation into whether or not work on a historic frieze on the Category A listed former Corn Exchange building at 29 Constitution Street is considered a listed building breach.
Locals have noticed netting placed on the side of the building, and have expressed concerns over the conservation of the structure.
The building is currently occupied by gaming developer Build A Rocket Boy Ltd - a company owned by former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies.
Built in 1861, the building features a prominent frieze carving designed by John Rhind. One of his first creations, the detailed stonework shows cherubs with instruments and vine leaves.
Leith local Duncan Robertson told Edinburgh Live that the historic structure was surrounded by scaffolding last month, following some damage to the façade.
Posting in the I Love Leith Facebook group, Duncan Robertson stated: “It’s hard to see how it’s okay for a grade A listed sculpture to be handled so insensitively.”
We spoke to Duncan about his concerns. He told us: “I went out to photograph the frieze the other day, since they’re putting the netting up I thought it might be my last chance to get a few photos of it.”
“It looks like he’s hammering at the frieze from the window, hacking at it. They’re just knocking bits of the building and netting it, and they’re saying that's the problem dealt with.
“They’re totally disregarding it, it’s getting no conservation at all.”
A spokesperson for Historic Environment Scotland told us: “We are aware of possible damage to a listed building at 29 Constitution Street. Local authorities are responsible for investigating reports of damage to listed buildings and we understand that City of Edinburgh Council is aware of this case.”
While some of the I Love Leith members argued that protection of the building, and passers by, was acceptable - Alan Graham argued otherwise.
He commented: “A listed piece of architecture should be maintained by whoever is responsible for it, whether it’s the council, Historic Environment Scotland, or the property owner.
“This is another case where the responsible person/s don’t want to spend money on upkeep. No doubt in a few years, it will not be a viable option to repair it and it will, like many other historic artefacts, just be left to the elements.
“It really is a beautiful sculpture and should be preserved.”
John Rhind, the Edinburgh born sculptor behind the frieze, also designed the Greek goddess sculpture atop the Bank of Scotland on Bank Street and the unicorn figure on the head of the Mercat Cross on the Royal Mile - to name a few.
Duncan asserted the importance of the building's façade: “It’s beautiful, it's historically important, it’s one of John Rhind’s first works. It was in really good condition until recently.
“This is just my personal opinion, but what does A listed mean if you can knock parts off the building. Conservation is about protecting it.
“I’m sure they’re doing it for health and safety reasons, maybe it's unstable. But the damage they’ve done since 2018, is more than it suffered in the 200 years its been there."
Leslie Benzies, owner of Build A Rocket Boy Ltd, was in the news last year following his purchase of the former Dalriada Hotel on Portobello Promenade for over £1 million from hoteliers Terry and Alison Magill. Another listed building, Benzies announced plans to spend more than £500,000 to makeover the Victorian beachfront hotel into a single family home.
Build a Rocket Boy Ltd have been approached for comment on the conservation of 29 Constitution Street.
