Sale rescues historic house from collapse

A SIXTEENTH Century house in Leith which once sheltered Mary Queen of Scots has been sold by the National Trust of Scotland (NTS).

Lamb's House in Leith has been bought by conservation architect Nicholas Groves-Raines.

He plans to restore it and live in it with his family, and to create an office for his architectural practice.

The A-listed building is derelict, and several attempts to bring it back into use have failed. The most recent was in 2008, when NTS and council-backed developer, EDI Group were granted planning permission to convert it into flats, but the project was never realised.