Basic Site Details

Name: Café Royal
City or county: Edinburgh
Country: Scotland
Parish:  
Status: A Listed
Grid ref:
Notes: Original building by Robert Paterson. As first designed, the ground floor was to have been a gas showroom for the owner R Hume & Co and Contractors W & D McGregor. Converted to Café Royal Hotel and Oyster Bar before opening.

Alternative Names

The following alternative names are associated with this building/design:
 NameCurrent name?Notes
Item 1 of 1Café Royal Hotel and Oyster BarYes 

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:
 ClassificationOriginal classification?Notes
Item 1 of 1Hotel  

Street Addresses

The following street addresses are associated with this building:
 AddressMain entrance?Notes
Item 1 of 117, West Register StreetYes 

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:
 FromToEvent typeNotes
Item 1 of 51863  Opened as hotel
Item 2 of 518931895 Alterations, forming present Circle Bar from Lunch Room and Smoking Room. Further alterations for Alexander MacPherson
Item 3 of 51898  Interiors for Charles Clark (HS gives date as 1900-1901)
Item 4 of 51923  American bar at NW corner
Item 5 of 51970s AdditionStaff accommodation added

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.
 NameRolePartnership GroupFromToNotes
Item 1 of 10Robert Paterson  1863  
Item 2 of 10Alexander Wood MacNaughtan (or McNaughton)  18931895Alterations, forming present Circle Bar from Lunch Room and Smoking Room. Further alterations for Alexander MacPherson
Item 3 of 10James Macintyre Henry A1898 Interiors for Charles Clark
Item 4 of 10Henry & Maclennan B1923 American bar at NW corner
Item 5 of 10James Macintyre Henry B1923 American bar at NW corner
Item 6 of 10Thomas Forbes Maclennan B1923 American bar at NW corner
Item 7 of 10Alastair Shepherd Mathison F1970s Staff accommodation
Item 8 of 10Francis ('Frank') Sibbald White F1970s Staff accommodation
Item 9 of 10Henry Wylie (or Harry Wylie) F1970s Staff accommodation
Item 10 of 10Henry Wylie Frank White & Partners F1970s Staff accommodation

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:
 NameNotes
Item 1 of 4Clark, Charles 
Item 2 of 4Grand Metropolitan HotelsFor 1970s work
Item 3 of 4MacPherson, AlexanderClient for new rooms on first floor
Item 4 of 4McLaren, JohnClient for 1893 work

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:
 Author(s)DateTitlePartPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 6Gifford, John, McWilliam, Colin and Walker, David M1984Edinburgh (The Buildings of Scotland) Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltdpp330-1
Item 2 of 6Kenna and Mooney1983People's Palaces  pp119-120
Item 3 of 6McWilliam, Colin The Café Royal, Edinburgh3Scottish Georgeian Society Journal, pp15-19 
Item 4 of 6Nicol1908Domestic Architecture in Scotland   
Item 5 of 6RIBA1975RIBA Directory of practices   
Item 6 of 6RSA1863   733

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:
 Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Item 1 of 3Building News27 June 1862   
Item 2 of 3Country Life27 November 1969   
Item 3 of 3National Guardian10 May 1895   

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:
 SourceArchive nameSource catalogue no.Notes
Item 1 of 2Edinburgh City ArchivesEdinburgh Dean of Guild  
Item 2 of 2Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register29619