Old Town Chambers

The subject property is the A-listed former City of Edinburgh Council offices at 329 High Street. It is directly linked to the City Chambers on the South side of the High Street, opposite St Giles’ High Kirk. 329 High Street is a later 20th century addition to the mid 18th century City Chambers building.

Old Town Chambers, Chris Stewart Group’s serviced apartment property spans Advocate’s and Warriston Closes to the rear of the extension, so the new development provides the opportunity for a High Street address with a much higher profile street frontage and reception on the Royal Mile. The conversion of 329 High Street complements CSG’s existing accommodation, with the new reception, lounge, bar and restaurant providing additional amenity for guests of Old Town Chambers. At upper levels 24 new serviced apartments have been created, bringing Old Town Chambers’ total number of apartments to 74.

We were able to thread new lightweight mezzanine floors into the double height top floor creating duplex apartments with dramatic views to the Firth of Forth. The final design layouts were developed to make the best use of the existing historic rooms to create a variety of spaces. The interior of the original building was not listed and had few historic details, but within the duplex apartments the existing metal truss ties are exposed to show off some of the original character, whilst the Interior Design, by CSG, makes very effective use of a simple muted colour scheme with natural oak flooring and furniture bringing warmth and richness.

The conversion posed several challenges, but with careful co-ordination of the new building services and discreetly-located roof mounted plant enclosures, the historic character of the property is preserved with minimal visual impact on the listed features. The end result allows the public the opportunity to enter what was previously a largely private property, pausing to enjoy some great food and drink, and gain a fresh perspective on the surrounding historic buildings in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town.