Orchard, Edinburgh

At the base of a tenement built 1809-30 (architect James Gillespie Graham) in 1903 one of Edinburgh’s prolific pub designers R M Cameron created the Northern Bar on the ground floor. It originally had a highly ornate interior consisting of an island bar counter, central gantry of carved walnut, a panelled dado, an enriched ceiling and frieze, much leaded glass and two enclosed snugs.

Part of the original mirrored gantry has remained now on the back wall – five bays on the right and four bays on the left with decorative capitals, but with modern lower shelves; bar counter is mostly modern but there is one small section with pilasters. There is one separate room on the left accessed via an arch from the rest of the pub and has old panelling to two-thirds height now painted a gastro light green colour; more old dado panelling in other parts of the pub. On the right is an area with old dado panelling painted a gastro light green colour; and there is an ornate wood surround fireplace. Colourful exterior top lights and retains the ‘Jug & Bottle Department’ twin doors and both gents’ and ladies’ retain stained and leaded upper panels.