Whitefoord House
Fabric Repairs, Conservation
Private
Old Town, Edinburgh
Heritage
Service
Client
Location
Project Background
Whitefoord House lies within the boundaries of the designated Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This designation was made in recognition of the outstanding architectural, cultural and historic importance of the area. The site contains a collection of buildings in varying states of repair all used as accommodation for Scottish Veterans since 1910.
Client’s Brief and Our Approach
The buildings are managed by a charity committed to providing residents with accessible accommodation that meets modern living standards and supports veterans in their transition to independent living. A key part of this vision has been improving the condition of the building fabric to reduce maintenance costs and enhance performance and comfort.
This project represents the initial phase of work, part-funded by Edinburgh World Heritage, and forms the foundation for the charity’s long-term strategic aims for the site. These include climate emergency adaptations to the historic fabric, carbon reduction studies, and a wider development plan. To inform this work, we carried out detailed fabric condition surveys using high-level access platforms, web-based site navigation tools, and photogrammetry, addressing the complex accessibility challenges of the constrained site.
The Result
The documents that we prepared consolidated all our research into a comprehensive documented history of the site. This resource provides the client with a robust foundation for developing an informed conservation strategy and for managing their approach to works on the historic asset.
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18th Century illustration of the site
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Site with The Crags in the background
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Illustration of wood panelled interior
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Historic photo
