Wake up to luxury with City & Country

CITY & Country’s outstanding transformation of The Playfair at Donaldson’s has created some of the city’s finest new homes.

Situated just moments from

Haymarket station, the former college is set amidst 18 acres of elegant grounds and is dominated by the central Playfair building: a stunning quadrangular building built in the 1840s and designed in the style of an Elizabethan palace.

Since its opening in 1851 by Queen Victoria, the building’s first use was a hospital for orphans, before turning into a specialist school for deaf children.

By 2008, the building had fallen into such disrepair that its tenant at the time was relocated. The site was originally sold to developer CALA Homes but plans to redevelop The Playfair proved too challenging at the time and the building remained without use.

It is not an understatement to suggest that without City & Country’s intervention, The Playfair could have lain empty for many more years; falling into an even worse state of disrepair.

However, through working carefully with Historic Scotland, The City of Edinburgh Council and key stakeholders, City & Country created a bold and imaginative plan to sensitively restore this majestic building, converting it into a range of outstanding apartments and dramatic communal spaces; all within a wonderful landscaped setting.

Converting The Playfair and the two Gate Houses located at the entrance gates to the building into 112 homes has been a huge undertaking, but the painstaking transformation is breathing new life into this Edinburgh icon, whilst securing its future for generations to come.

Before construction work began, City & County’s expert team of architects and historians began extensive investigations into the history of the building to better understand how it was originally constructed. This essential information informed the design details and restoration methods to be used.

Many aspects of the restoration required highly skilled craftspeople, such as the repairs to stained glass windows, restoration of the historic clock face, and re-marbling of the historic slate fireplace in the Governors’ Council Room.

Stone masons extensively restored the historic stonework, including the stone balustrade around the edge of the upper terrace, restoring ornamental features that had been lost or consigned to dark basements.

Carpenters painstakingly restored the use and operation of over 900 traditional timber windows and accompanying shutters, whilst retaining the historic glass.

They also restored the wainscot panelling that adorned the communal areas and adapted and fixed new generously proportioned moulded panel front doors to match the historic designs.

Throughout the development, the size of apartments ranges significantly from approximately 350 sqft to over 4000 sqft, which in turn attracts a range of purchasers – including first time buyers, professionals seeking a city base, downsizers, investors and second home owners.

All allocated parking spaces come included within the purchase price of the property.

“With views to Edinburgh Castle and the West End on one side, and the Pentland Hills to the other, The Playfair’s fantastic location is matched by its stunning form and detailing. It’s another amazing restoration from City & Country and it can now be enjoyed for years to come,” says George Clarke, Channel 4’s Restoration Man and City & Country Ambassador.

Current prices range from £325,000 to £1,150,000. For more information on the properties, visit www.cityandcountry.co.uk or call 0131 341 5102

With a concierge, the privacy of secure gated grounds and a sweeping lawned terrace, The Playfair now offers some of Edinburgh’s finest new properties.