Simpson & Brown

We are delighted that the restoration of Fairburn Tower for the has won the Heritage Project category in the Scotland Awards 2024. The project saw the Category A listed tower transformed from a roofless ruin into high quality holiday accommodation. Appropriate traditional materials and craftsmanship were balanced with carefully integrated necessary modern services.

JOIN OUR TEAM!
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Practice Manager to join our award-winning architecture, archaeology and heritage consultancy practice based in central Edinburgh.

For more details please head to our website - Link in bio.

Simpson & Brown are looking forward to attending this week’s Museums Association Conference. Come and visit our exhibition stand to discuss how we can help harness the power of your museum building.

We are used to visiting some spooky sites, but Mother Redcap’s Cottage at Abbotsford House was our first opportunity to design one! It forms part of Witch Corner, a woodland trail inspired by Sir Walter Scott’s nickname for the magic and folklore section of his library.

This week marked the 5 year anniversary of the opening of Mackintosh at the Willow. The famous Glasgow building faced an uncertain future until funding was secured by the Willow Tea Rooms Trust to faithfully restore the tea rooms to Mackintosh's orginal design - this included over 400 pieces of specifically commissioned furniture which match the Mackintosh design exactly.

The B-listed building next door to was also transformed and extended to accommodate the shop, education and conference space and interpretation centre. A new circulation core provided links at each level in a way which allows full communication for visitors and staff, but keeps the appearance of the tea rooms as a discrete historic entity. The contemporary glazed brick extension to the rear is crowned by a roof terrace, providing a unique outlook onto the Mackintosh chimney rising over the gallery tea room.

We are delighted to be shortlisted for ‘Refurbishment Architect of the Year’!

On Thursday 13th July the EAA will be holding their final ‘Spotlight On’ event at Johnnie Walker Princes Street - winner of the EAA Regeneration / Conservation Award 2022.

Simpson & Brown partner, Scott Lindsay, will be talking about how the former Category B listed Princes Street department store was transformed into the new experiential brand home for the iconic whisky brand. This last event in the series presents a unique opportunity to tour the building with the project architect, look at work-in-progress drawings and experience the award-winning project.

Tickets available through Eventbrite.

This week we made a team site visit to the former Royal High School in Edinburgh. The project is mid-way through the enabling works phase of the project that will see Thomas Hamilton’s masterpiece transformed into Scotland’s National Centre for Music and the new home for St Mary’s Music School.

This important phase of the project has seen many of the later additions within the building carefully removed, revealing the original details and preparing the building for the next phase of work. Simpson & Brown is acting as Conservation Architect, Heritage Consultant and Archaeologist for the project – supporting

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born on this day in 1868. We have had the privilege of working on a number of his buildings, including the award winning restoration of the which was completed to celebrate his 150th birthday in 2018.

Other projects include the Mackintosh Queen’s Cross which is currently hosting ‘Gaia’ by Luke Jerram as part of a series of events to celebrate the 50th year of the . We are currently developing proposals for Mackintosh’s Ruchill Church Hall in Glasgow and designing a contemporary extension to one of his private houses in the west of Scotland.

Our visitor centre for has received three awards, including Building of the Year!

Described by the jury as ‘refined and elegant’, the project saw a previously inaccessible site within the cathedral quarter unlocked to create a welcoming and accessible environment. The project has provided a sustainable future for one of the country’s most significant buildings.

We have just returned from Dundee where Simpson & Brown hosted the 2023 Acanthus Conference.

The conference, held annually since 2005, sees the eight Acanthus practices meet for a series of talks, tours and conversation. The theme of this year’s conference, titled ‘Jute, Jam, Journalism ….. Joysticks and JavaScript’, drew upon Dundee’s rich history of design and innovation.

Many thanks to all the speakers and delegates who helped make the conference such a success!

Today is World Heritage Day! As Architects, Archaeologists and Heritage Consultants we have had the privilege of helping heritage sites throughout the UK and beyond secure a sustainable future.

We first became familiar with this incredible model of William Burn’s unrealised scheme for Dalkeith Palace when working on the Conservation Plan on behalf of the Buccleuch Living Heritage Trust. We are excited to see that the model will now be on display , a Simpson & Brown project completed in 2015, until 3rd September.

We are looking for an experienced Part 2 or newly-qualified architect with an interest in conservation and sustainable architecture to join our Edinburgh team.

The successful candidate will work on a range of projects throughout the UK - both conservation-based and new build.

Candidates must have expertise in AutoCAD, SketchUp, Revit, Photoshop and Indesign, and will require good time-management skills and the ability to work to deadlines.

Salary dependent on experience.

Applicants should send their CV with a covering letter and examples of work to [email protected]

Closing date: 17th April 2023

The recently restored Fairburn Tower has now welcomed its first guests! We worked with the to transform this C16th tower house into a unique holiday let.

Described by as….

“The restoration work that has been done at Fairbairn is simply stunning. … We were blown away by the exquisite beauty of the sitting room and its lavishly decorated ceiling. … Venturing outside we could see the restored tower and its magnificent pink hues for the first time. It seemed to be blushing with self-effacing pride after being freshly limewashed and harled.”

Photography by Roddy Ritchie for the Landmark Trust.

We are delighted to see three of our projects shortlisted in the 2022 EAA Awards.

First up is Johnnie Walker Princes Street in the Regeneration/Conservation category. The project saw the transformative reuse of a Category B listed well-loved former department store. The result is an immersive visitor experience and brand home for the world’s bestselling whisky. Following extensive historic research on the property it was an opportunity to reinstate and repair historic architectural features such as the entrance canopy and clock. A carefully designed rooftop addition has replaced the unsightly plant on the roof and houses two new bars offering fantastic views across the city.

The 2022 EAA Ambassador Award shortlist features two of our recently completed projects outside the EAA chapter area. Rye Harbour Discovery Centre is a new visitor hub in a coastal nature reserve in Sussex. The centre includes exhibition spaces, classroom, wildlife garden, and a popular café with panoramic views of the surrounding saltmarshes. The form of the building responds to the topography of the nature reserve and captures the best available views. The timber used in the building includes shaped glulam roof timbers and sweet chestnut cladding, all from sustainable sources. Solar technology included on the roof makes a significant contribution to the power supply. With ramp access and accessible viewing areas and toilets, the building is fully inclusive and accessible for all visitors.

Our Lincoln Cathedral Visitor Centre project is shortlisted alongside Rye Harbour Discovery Centre in the Ambassador category of the 2022 EAA Awards. This project saw the former William Burn deanery building transformed to accommodate a new café, education centre, community rooms and offices. The new-build design provides a link building, arranged around a new garth or courtyard space to complement the existing cloister. This L-shaped link was carefully designed to address the awkward geometrical and architectural relationship between the Victorian deanery and the ancient cloister (surmounted by Sir Christopher Wren’s library), whilst creating vibrant modern spaces required for exhibition and retail use. The west-facing elevation features angled limestone piers with glazed openings orientated towards new landscaped gardens. This new elevation connects back to the cloister with a gently curved ashlar wall terminating with a large picture window directed towards the Dean’s Eye rose window of the north transept of Lincoln Cathedral.

Earlier this year we were invited by the to enter a design competition for a new visitor gateway facility at Torridon.

We proposed a contemporary treehouse structure nestled into the existing woodland site. A viewing terrace and exhibition space was proposed for the upper deck, with a play area and meeting point within the sheltered under croft.

We were in excellent company and have enjoyed seeing the variety of fantastic schemes proposed for this unique site. Many congratulations to the winning team .

The City of Edinburgh Council have launched the consultation for the regeneration of Inch Park. We worked alongside Atkins developing the architectural proposals for the masterplan.

The consultation is open until the 28th September.

We were delighted to be involved in the careful restoration of the Royal High School's Regent Road gates to allow them to be used as the entrance to the fantastic Hidden Door Festival next month. Blacksmith Colin Thomasson led the project which was supported by Edinburgh World Heritage.

Historic school gates restored and revived at Edinburgh landmark ahead of rebirth For nearly 140 years they were used by generations of schoolchildren as they arrived for lessons at their grand building overlooking Scotland’s capital.

Simpson & Brown founding partner, James Simpson, is interviewed by BBC’s James Crawford about Mavisbank House during the current episode of Scotland from the Sky.

Follow the link below from 32:48 for some amazing drone footage and to hear James’s view on Sir John Clerk’s vision for the house. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0011qfb/scotland-from-the-sky-series-3-episode-3

We have been working with Derbyshire County Council to develop plans for the regeneration of Elvaston Castle Country Park. The plans will be exhibited at the castle on Friday 12th November 11am-4pm and can be viewed on line here: https://elvaston.consultation.ai

Elvaston Castle Masterplan Exhibition Derbyshire County Council welcomes you to our Elvaston Castle Masterplan Exhibition.

We’re delighted that our Thackray Medical Museum project received a commendation at the EAA Awards last night.

The museum had a fantastic collection but needed its potential to be realised. Rather than extend the building to meet their needs we carefully reconfigured the circulation with a new stair atrium to connect the unused rear wing and unlock the potential for future development.

***BREAKING NEWS*** - City of Edinburgh Council's Finance & Resources Committee have agreed the iconic former Royal High School is to be leased to the Royal High School Preservation Trust to become a music school.

After leading a broad coalition of significant local objectors to the proposed hotel use at the Public Inquiry, the Cockburn welcomes this new chapter in the extraordinary story of this iconic Edinburgh building.

Read more on our website here 👇
https://www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/news/old-royal-high-school-update/

The City of Edinburgh Council has approved plans for Thomas Hamilton’s Royal High School building to be transformed into a world-class centre for music, education and public performance.

The proposal brings together a network of partner organisations, alongside St Mary’s Music School, including the Benedetti Foundation and IMPACT (International Music and Performing Arts Charitable Trust) Scotland with a shared vision of creating a National Centre for Music as a new platform for musical collaborations, both within the building, online and out in the wider community.

Simpson & Brown supported the application with a Conservation Plan prepared by our Heritage Consultancy team.

Our St Albans Cathedral Education Centre has been awarded in the St Albans Civic Trust Awards, receiving the Trevelyan Prize for conservation and the annual Plaque for the overall winning building.

Extract from St Albans Civic Society Judges’ Citation October 2021:

'The architectural challenge has been to create a new entrance between the Norman and Gothic architecture of the Cathedral and the 1970s architecture of the Chapter House. The result uses the heritage materials of matching brickwork, stone and flint to create a harmonised and sensitive marriage. Outside, the landscaping treatment enhances the exterior and its setting. The design is distinctive and fully realised by the quality of construction and workmanship.'

It was wonderful to see the Duke of Rothesay visit two Simpson & Brown projects during his time in Edinburgh last week. He officially opened Johnnie Walker Princes Street and also visited the Botanic Cottage as part of the delayed 350 year anniversary celebrations at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the completion of our Auchinleck House project. Once the family seat of James Boswell, the house fell into disrepair prior to complete restoration and reuse as lettable holiday accommodation by the Landmark Trust.

https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/auchinleck-house-4834/