Builders uncover rare slice of history

IT'S the ideal des res - a brand new pied-à-terre in Edinburgh's Royal Mile in the heart of the historic Old Town. But this particular new flat will have a unique feature thrown in, one which - until recently - had remained undiscovered for hundreds of years.

• Sylvia Hamilton and her daughter are owners of the property in Advocates Close. Photograph: Ian Rutherford

Residents of the new flat at Advocate's Close will be the first for four centuries to enjoy a rare, 17th-century Scottish Renaissance ceiling commissioned by Nicol Edgar, one of the city's merchant burgesses, to flaunt his wealth in his townhouse.

Historians are "amazed" that the superbly painted ceiling, dating from the early 1600s, had not only remained hidden but also survived a minor fire, damp, and being under a flat roof as the labyrinth of 16th and 17th-century buildings around it were slowly altered by successive owners. The ceiling, discovered earlier this year in the A-listed building - recently used as council offices - is one of several in the city to have survived from the 1600s. They include one at Gladstone's Land in Lawnmarket and another in the older part of the Missoni Hotel also on the Lawnmarket.

At first, workmen removing the suspended ceiling thought they were dealing with a standard job. But after removing hardboard underneath the flat roof they noticed the faint outline of delicately painted fruits and stars, as well as geometric and diamond designs on the beams.

When newly painted, the colours would have included ochre from coal-producing areas such as Fife, yellow orpiment - a form of arsenic which was very much a feature of Scottish painting - and imported hues such as indigo, used as a dye.

Building work is continuing but planning permission for a two-storey conversion has been withdrawn.

Malcolm Fraser, the project's Edinburgh-based architect, said: "It's a little frustrating we can't do the two-storey flat as planned. But it does suddenly zoom you back into the past. There is a lot of grime on the ceiling and you need to use your imagination to think how it would have looked, but it's all there. We all see it as something of value which has real life about it. We're now taking stock of how to move forward and are looking at a one-storey flat instead."

Fiona Allardyce, head of a team from the Scottish Wallpaintings Group, called in to help conserve the ceiling, said: "What was exciting was how the ceiling was so superbly made.The craftsmanship is really first-class. It's amazing to think it's there and no-one knew about it.

"In general it is in excellent condition, especially around the flowers.Our remit was to consolidate it."

Allardyce added that the fashion for such ceilings lasted from around 1580-1630 before they were covered up as trends changed.

Mark Hamilton, the property developer who owns the property and intends renting out the two flats, said: "To be the first to set eyes on something like this is a real experience. Restoring it would be too expensive and I'm now in discussion with different organisations looking at options such as covering the ceiling up to preserve it but perhaps inserting a glass panel to keep a bit of it on view."

Steven Robb, senior inspector of historic buildings with Historic Scotland, said: "This is an amazing find. These things don't turn up often and we always think we'll never see another painted ceiling. A few turned up in the 1950s and 1960s in Scotland during an urban renewal phase when buildings were being ripped apart. This particular building was refurbished in the 1980s. It had been owned by the council before being sold off and we didn't think there would be any more surprises."

Willie Hunter, a director of the Edinburgh Solicitors' Property Centre, said he did not think the historic ceiling would add value to the property should it come up for sale.

"From the selling agent's point of view, a surveyor would be sent out to look at the floor area and the condition of the bricks and mortar. A 400-year-old ceiling which needs restored is not going to add anything to the price, in fact some people might see it as a bit of a burden.

"It depends on the mindset of the purchaser. Those who appreciate the finer things might be very interested and an exceptional buyer, perhaps from overseas, might be prepared to pay a fair bit more because of the history of the property."