Liberton Bank House

Liberton Bank House was constructed as a modest domestic residence probably in the late-18th century. It was used continuously as such until 1993 when the house was abandoned. It became subsumed within the curtilage of the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre and fell into disrepair.

Its subsequent location with direct access from the Centre car park, did not lend itself for re-use as a house or office and the demolition of a listed building was regarded as an undesirable last resort.

After extensive feasibility studies and SWOT analysis, carried out by Groves-Raines Architects Ltd., it was determined that the most appropriate use for this building would be an educational establishment run by the Dunedin School.
This school caters for young people between the ages of 10 and 18, for whom mainstream schooling is inappropriate and provides exceptional teaching and pastoral care to a small number of eastern-Scotland’s educationally fragile and socially vulnerable young people.

Pupils are referred to Dunedin in the main by educational psychologists and staff of both state and independent schools in Edinburgh and the Lothians. Children arrive with experience of failure often as a result of learning difficulties, medical concerns or social, emotional or behavioural problems. Dunedin addresses these problems by providing a small school that is built around the needs of the pupil rather than the demands of a standard curriculum. Its aims are to care for the individual pupil and to educate in a supportive environment by providing structured yet flexible learning opportunities tailored to the individual, enabling each to realise his or her own potential. The education department pays fees for pupils from the public sector. The school is unique in Edinburgh and possibly in Scotland.

The key issues relative to the conversion of Liberton Bank House for use by Dunedin School are as follows:
o Historic and local significance with the well known connection with Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and Mary Burton.
o The building was adjacent to the existing School and therefore pupils would stay in familiar surroundings.
o Many of Dunedin’s pupils are school phobic and/or school refusers so the is domestic rather than institutional appearance of Liberton Bank House is most appropriate and the size and scale of the rooms within Liberton Bank House are well suited to the School’s normal class sizes of up to five.
o The building is set two miles south of the city centre with easy access to main roads and public transport.
o The building is self-contained providing a safe and secure environment and would not disturb the amenity of others.
o The potential to re-instate the garden ground for passive enjoyment and educational use enables Dunedin to broaden the curriculum offered and would provide opportunities for practical experience which may be suited to later work placements of the pupils.
o Re-use as a school is sustainable in the long term.

The building was acquired from the owners of the Shopping Centre and despite undergoing many alterations; Liberton Bank House survives as one of only a few properties in the area to remain from the period prior to Edinburgh’s rapid urban expansion in the late-19th century. It also survives as a relic of the ancient “town” of Nether Liberton.

The conservation and restoration work was carried out under the auspices of the Cockburn Conservation Trust with Groves-Raines Architects and was based on a thorough investigation of the history and construction of Liberton Bank House. All necessary design interventions fully respected the fabric and scale of the original building which was restored and repaired with grant aid from the HLF amongst others. The interior of the building was substantially upgraded with the highest levels of insulation and finishes appropriate to the budget and future use.

Summary
Liberton Bank House is one of the few remaining 18th-century cottages located within the southern suburbs of Edinburgh. It is Listed Category “C” and set in garden ground close to Cameron Toll Shopping Centre.

The house is locally associated with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Burton, a pioneering educationalist and a leading advocate of women’s suffrage.

Before restoration the building was in poor condition and becoming derelict with a constant risk from vandalism.

The building has become the new home for the Dunedin School which provides exceptional teaching and pastoral care to a small number of educationally fragile and socially vulnerable local young people.

Architect: Groves Raines

Working in conjunction with Cockburn Conservation Trust (CCT), Dunedin School, has successfully breathed new life into the neglected Liberton Bank House. Although only a “C” Listed 18th Century House, this building was for a time the childhood home of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer and creator of Sherlock Holmes, when he was lodged with Mary Burton (pioneer of women’s higher education and the first woman governor of Heriot Watt). Therefore, it is both the object of local historical interest and pride and a building of significance to Edinburgh as the first City of Literature

Liberton Bank House was gifted to the CCT by Kilmartin Properties in October 2006 and restoration of the building was completed by June 2007. The property was thereafter sold to Dunedin School, with whom they co-procured the £750K project funding from, a variety of sources (e.g. National Heritage Memorial Fund, North British Hotels, The Wooden Spoon, City of Edinburgh Council, Children in Need, Woolfson Foundation, Lloyds TSB Foundation to mention a few) to all of whom we are extremely grateful. Dunedin is a charity specialising in teaching educationally fragile and socially vulnerable pupils, aged 10 to 18 years of age, for whom mainstream schooling is inappropriate. Following occupation of the building the school has continued to develop the garden grounds, to improve the curtilage and install artwork to enhance the sense of ‘place’ as perceived by the many visitors to the neighbouring Cameron Toll District Centre.

The restoration of this property had created the perfect place for our “second chance” school to thrive. Prior to this project, the school had shared space in Millar Hall, a 60 year old prefabricated concrete shed, which had become unfit for purpose as there was little natural light, extremely poor decoration, very little scope to display pupil work, no kitchen capable of being used to teach Domestic Science, dismal toilet facilities etc. The restoration project has overcome all of these disadvantages; the small rooms (which comfortably hold our small classes of up to five persons) are ideal for the teaching needs of the school. In particular, the domestic rather than institutional appearance of the property creates the welcoming atmosphere that many of our pupils need to encourage attendance and to foster a sense of belonging. The restoration/conversion of the property has not only resulted in a wonderful new facility, providing teaching rooms, a library, laboratory, home economics kitchen and recreational space, which has transformed the lives of the 20 secondary school pupils and their teachers, but it has also created a charming place, indoors and out, which is enjoyed both actively by the school community and passively by the wider population of Newington who experience its surroundings daily.


It seems entirely apt that a building with such heritage associations with the literary and academic figures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Mary Burton has also resulted in a “Literacy Garden”, with on-going development of outdoor teaching spaces, a reading arbour, informal auditorium and unique sculptural objects. The property has thus also been enabled to offer facilities to the wider local community out with school hours. For example the school hosted a musical recital and garden party to mark the 150th anniversary of Conan Doyle’s birth when the specially commissioned violin, fashioned from wood harvested from a sycamore in the grounds, was played and the noted historian, Owen Dudley Edwards, gave a talk on the importance of keeping such connections alive and fostering an appreciation of our historical roots through tangible means of living places. The re-instatement of the grounds and cottage garden has given the pupils pride in their environment and has boosted their self esteem, and the revival of the property has preserved a little bit of local history giving texture and depth, enriching the amenity of the Newington Community.

Liberton Bank House, which was threatened with demolition around 2003, was rescued by the dedication of amongst others Cockburn Conservation Trust (CCT). Set within the grounds of Cameron Toll Shopping Centre and standing vacant for some ten years, it had been threatened with being replaced by a Fast Food Restaurant. Subsequently CCT, who were gifted the property in 2006, following extensive restoration sold the property to Dunedin School, a charity specialising in fragile pupils.

Dunedin School are the current owners of the property, which with its less formal environment of a small school helps young people regain their self confidence.

The fact that we were able to acquire this property from CCT has changed the lives of so many children. In our previously cramped, rented accommodation, it was necessary for the school to pack away all teaching items every day, so that others may use the space, and in particular the kitchen facilities were totally inadequate.

Looking back at our “Wish List” for our new property (written some nine years ago) – this was:

4 Classrooms (One of four classes to be fitted with sink and fume cupboard vented to outdoors – one to have 4 PC Workstations)
1 Teaching kitchen with breakfast bar or dining area to seat 4-6 – with ceramic hob/gas cooker/freezer/sewing machine/washing machine/tumble dryer/fridge/freezer/PC
Lockable storages spaces
1 Cloakroom (20 pegs in hall!)
Common Room (not essential)
Staff Room (Flexible furniture 8-10 chairs)
5 Toilets (2 male, 2 female, 1 teacher/visitor. Disabled access required)
Office with scanner/colour printer/phone/fax/answer machine

The end result has more than met all our expectations. The reality is we have played a part in saving from demolition an important part of history by finding a new and relevant use for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s childhood home. It is so fitting that a building with such strong literacy and educational connections became the new home of Dunedin School. During the restoration, every effort was made to retain original features.
CCT worked closely with us and have helped us to create a fully functioning school tailored to our needs and requirements for 20 pupils, each with individual needs. We have 5 flexible teaching rooms which incorporate space for home economics, information technology, sciences, a library, art, languages, music, history, geography and many other activities. In addition, we have contemporary toilets, an administration space, secure storage and a wonderful “Literacy Garden” featuring specially commissioned art work and a simple auditorium which is a tremendous teaching and learning resource.