An ocean of style
But these stunning Art Deco flats were once thought to be too radical for douce Edinburgh – and no one wanted them
FOR the rest of this month, Edinburgh will be the fulcrum of the arts world, playing host to a collection of theatre, design, song and dance. Yet long before the dawn of the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947, a pair of pioneering architects were instrumental in bringing art to Auld Reekie. Art Deco, that is.
Amid generous lawns at Ravelston Garden, two miles west of the city centre, Andrew Neil and Robert Hurd fashioned three iconic buildings in 1936.
The curtains of the capital must have been twitching furiously. This was a city of Georgian and Victorian architecture, yet here were three modern arrivals, with portholes and balconies and sweeping staircases usually encountered only on an ocean-going liner. These attributes, of course, were the key accessories of the Art Deco movement, which celebrated streamlining, simplicity and a veneration of the great outdoors.
Nowhere are these embellishments more evident than at Ravelston Garden, now an A-listed masterpiece.
Charles McKean, doyen of modern Scottish architecture, described the buildings as ‘jaunty blocks of international style’ which he said ‘must have caused quite a stramash amidst the douce, opulent villas of the Dykes’.
Indeed they did. The dramatic design was considered so radical in inter-war Scotland, that buyers avoided the flats in their droves. To fill them, the properties were handed to the owners of department store Jenners, purveyors to the posh, to rent them out. As they became an acquired taste, Ravelston Garden progressively passed into private ownership.
But to prove what a lasting impact this had on the site, current flat owner Dr Peter Copp has an interesting story.
‘They are still known as the Jenner’s Flats’, said the city GP. ‘If I’m ever getting a taxi home, the younger drivers aren’t sure of the address, because “Garden” is singular. But the older drivers reply: “Oh, you mean the Jenner’s Flats”.’
Dr Copp had always lived in Georgian or Victorian properties but got the Art Deco ‘bug’ once he moved in. He said: ‘I started looking at Art Deco books and images. I began to appreciate the little touches, like ornate carpentry and sliding doors.’
These are the doors that open from the drawing room or living room into the dining room, opening up the ideal space for that cocktail party with friends.
The attached garage has generous parking bays, a legacy of the sleek luxury limousines of the 1930s. There’s also a roof garden, another Art Deco touch designed to encourage residents to take the fresh air. Dr Copp’s flat has three bedrooms and two public rooms. The drawing room has a curved wall and narrow oak floorboards. There are three windows, offering fine views towards Corstorphine Hill.
Sliding ‘pocket’ doors, which disappear into the wall, are adorned with brass fittings and lead into the dining room.
Bon voyage is all very well. But when you’re berthed on your own cruise liner, why go anywhere else?