Revamped courtyard wins conservation design award
The revamped Stables Courtyard at historic Newhailes House has won the Musselburgh Conservation Society Design Award for 2021, which was delayed due to the pandemic.
Four projects were in the running for the annual award for good design or sensitive renovation, with a plaque presented to the winner.
They were: refurbishment of the Stables Courtyard at Newhailes, run by the National Trust for Scotland, which has a coffee shop and ice cream parlour in what would once have been the dairy; revamp of The Ship Inn on North High Street; local sculptor Gardner Molloy’s monument of the Battle of Pinkie soldiers at the new Pinkie housing estate; and the conversion of the former Quay restaurant and leisure complex at Fisherrow into Harbour House care home.
Camelia Symes, conservation society chairperson, said: “The design awards are a great way to raise the profile of local designs while also preserving the past in a way that can meet modern demands.”
She added: “We want to reward mindful developments that contribute and enhance the local environment, be that modern sculpture or a refurbishment project.”
The courtyard at Newhailes House was commissioned by Christian Dalrymple in 1826, when the original stable block was extended into a neo-classical complex.
Previous winners of the design award include the archer sculpture on the banks of the River Esk near the Roman Bridge, and the 12-foot stainless steel mussel shell at Murdoch Green.
Musselburgh Conservation Society was formed more than 30 years ago as a non-profit-making organisation run by volunteers. New members are always welcome.