55 Abbeyhill
| 55 Abbeyhill | |
|---|---|
55 Abbeyhill in 2017. | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Address | 55 Abbeyhill |
| Town or city | Edinburgh |
| Country | Scotland |
| Coordinates | 55°57′16″N 3°10′25″W / 55.954427°N 3.173667°W |
| Grid reference | NT2340477211 |
| Opened | 1896 |
| Client | Edinburgh Corporation |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Morham |
Listed Building – Category B | |
| Official name | 55 Abbeyhill |
| Designated | 29 September 2008 |
| Reference no. | LB51170 |
55 Abbeyhill is a former police station, religious hall, and restaurant in the Abbeyhill neighbourhood of Edinburgh in Scotland, United Kingdom.
History
Designed by Robert Morham for the Edinburgh Corporation, the building opened in 1896. It is a single storey red sandstone building designed in an "unusual castellated Romanesque style" with "distinctive advanced finialled, conical-roofed fishscale slated corner turrets and deep corbelled and battlemented parapet" and "animal figure gargoyles".[1] The building was utilised as a police station until at least 1932, with police boxes being rolled out across the city.[2]
After ceasing to operate as a police station, the building was used for a period by the Edinburgh City Mission and by the United Pentecostal Church.[3]
In 1979, the building became the "Armenian Community Culture Centre",[2] also known as the "Aghtamar Lake Van Monastery in Exile".[4][5] The building was operated as an Armenian restaurant, "Gastronom Aghtamar". It gained a degree of fame and notoriety for its unconventional business practices: the restaurant was only advertised by word of mouth, was challenging to book, and was lit only by candles.[4] Described as "a real life Fawlty Towers, but with an Armenian twist", there are anecdotes of diners being compelled to participate in Armenian dancing tutorials, being asked to help wash dishes, and being abruptly ejected from the restaurant for breaches of etiquette.[6][7][8] The Arts Review described it as "One of the most extraordinary eating places in Britain".[9] The restaurant closed in 2010 following a burglary.[4]
In February 2012, the building was added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.[10] In June 2025, it was put on the market for offers over £500,000.[3][11]
References
- ^ "55 Abbeyhill". HistoricEnvironment.scot. Historic Environment Scotland. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b "55 Abbeyhill". Canmore. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b Robinson, Paige (20 June 2025). "Former Armenian restaurant, pumphouse and orchard up for sale in Edinburgh's Abbeyhill". The Larder. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b c Bobyn, Christopher (23 May 2021). "Whatever happened to Peter the Armenian cook?". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Tracking down the elusive owner of "the Armenian restaurant"". BBC.co.uk. 21 May 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "The peculiar Edinburgh story behind this derelict building is stranger than fiction". Edinburgh Live. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Abandoned Edinburgh building was once city's most eccentric restaurant - with odd rules". Edinburgh Live. 5 April 2025. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
- ^ Jardine, Stephen (28 May 2021). "Edinburgh's Aghtamar Lake Van Monastery in Exile was an extraordinary restaurant with a mythical quality". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "A La Carte". Arts Review. 40 (13–25): 591. 1988.
- ^ "Police Station (Former), 55, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh". Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ Reid, Scott (19 June 2025). "Building that once housed Edinburgh's quirkiest restaurant next to royal palace hits market for £500,000". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 June 2025.
External links
- 55 Abbeyhill on the Canmore database