Lauriston Fire Station Photos, Edinburgh Building by Robert Morham Architect, Date, History

Fire Station Edinburgh : Architecture

Arts & Crafts building design by Architect Robert Morham, Scotland, UK

post updated 6 December 2023

Design: Robert Morham Architect

Headquarters of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service

Edinburgh Fire Station building

Address: Museum of Fire, Lauriston Place, EH3 9DE

building photo © Adrian Welch, Sep 2006

Lauriston Fire Station

Address: Lauriston Place, south-central Edinburgh
Architect: Robert Morham
Date of completion: 1897/98-1901
Listed: Category A
Current use: HQ & Museum for Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade
Style: Queen Anne

Lauriston Place Fire Station

The fire station predates the College of Art to the north, which follows on from the fire station’s red sandstone and green slates. The building is constructed of Locharbriggs red sandstone (from the Scottish Borders) ashlar.

The base storey is granite-faced. The building remained an operational fire station and main control centre until its replacement at Tollcross was completed in 1988. A major repair and refurbishment was carried out in 1998-99 by the City of Edinburgh Council Architects.

Edinburgh Walking Tours

Robert Morham Architect

Robert Morham Edinburgh City Architect

Robert Morham (1839 – 1912) was the City Architect for Edinburgh for the last decades of the nineteenth century and was responsible for much of the public face of the city at the time.

His work is particularly well represented within Edinburgh City Chambers where each of the high Victoriana main council chambers (Edinburgh Room, Nelson Mandela Room, European Room etc.) is under his hand.

Most of his buildings are utilitarian in function: police stations, fire stations, swimming baths etc. and these are generally atypical of the Edinburgh streetscape in terms of material being generally in red sandstone rather than cream. This allows the public buildings to quickly be identified in the streets concerned.

His work in parks is also noteworthy including one of the world’s best known public spaces, Princes Street Gardens. This included negotiations for the widening of Princes Street and the placing of a great number of statues along the edge of the park facing that road.

Edinburgh New Town

Edinburgh Fire Ideas Competition – Cowgate site

Lauriston Fire Station context – Edinburgh College of Art

6 December 2023
Tollcross Fire Station listed

photo courtesy of HES
Tollcross Fire Station Edinburgh building