Shore, Edinburgh

In the ground floor of a 4-storey tenement built 1802, and in use as a counting house/office in the past, it was altered in 1884 and appears to have a virtually intact interior of a public bar on the left and the former counting house/office on the right now in use as a restaurant. The entrance on the left has a curious vestibule-style entrance closely resembling that of a revolving door one with its curved timber partition, and has two exits indicating there may have been some division of the room in the past but there is nothing else to suggest this.

The public bar has a bare wood floor, old panelling on the walls to almost 2/3rds height, a panelled bar counter that could date from 1884 and a gantry of similar age with barley twist columns holding up a canopy which is filled with bottles of wine; there is no loss of lower shelves for fridges here. On the left is some old fixed seating that could well date back to 1884 comprising of three bays big enough for two people to sit, but there are markings on the wall of the front section of the room which could indicate removal of some other fixed seating? In the rear left is a fireplace that looks to date from at least the early 20th century with its glazed red brick interior and there are cupboards in the panelling to the left of it. On the rear wall is a floor to ceiling plain mirror that makes the room much bigger than it is and two more plain mirrors above the seating. This small room has a fine boarded ceiling with lattice pattern.

A door with a lovely colourful stained and leaded panel above (of fruit?) leads to the room on the right now set up as a restaurant. It has a recently laid laminate floor, panelling to 2/3rds height with bell pushes all around the room, another at least early 20th century fireplace with a glazed green brick interior, wood surround with a modest bevelled mirror in wood surround above but the fixed seating here is more recent than other fittings – possible pre-war or even just post-war? There is a screened-off office in the rear left corner formed by a timber and glass partition that is of a different era to the panelling on the walls and a door at the rear has frosted panel with “Private Parlour” etched on it. This small room also has a high boarded ceiling with lattice pattern, a curious old cabinet high up in the rear right corner, and another large plain mirror on the rear wall above the seating.