A Sanctuary in the Heart of the City- Scotsman

A Sanctuary in the Heart of the City

The chapel apartments at The Playfair Donaldson’s in Edinburgh offer unique living spaces with historic touches throughout. Three exceptional conversion apartments have been unveiled in Edinburgh by the specialist heritage developer City & Country. Created in the former chapel at the iconic Donaldson’s Hospital building in the West End of the Capital (later Donaldson’s School). The spectacular apartments are the most recent properties available to purchase at The Playfair Donaldson’s development. This historic chapel is one if the site’s most dramatic and striking spaces, with original features including many beautiful stained-glass windows.

The converted apartments are arranged over three floors, and all of them offer stunning views across the grounds and views of Edinburgh’s cityscape beyond. Other period features found in all three apartments include restored original panelling, shutters, and decorative ceiling details. One of the properties also includes the chapel’s two historic turrets, which have been converted into unique living spaces, including a bathroom with a beautifully appointed free-standing bath. A large open-plan kitchen with bespoke island area also provides triple-aspect views.

While the exteriors represent a historic building rich in heritage, the interiors are designed for the very best of modern living. All three apartments are fitted to a luxurious specification with fully fitted contemporary kitchen complete with integrated appliances from Siemens. Meanwhile, the bathrooms feature sanitaryware from Villeroy & Boch, and contemporary porcelain tiles to walls and floors.

Residents benefit from access to The Playfair’s communal areas, which have already been restored. These include the grand entrance hall and impressive original staircase, finished with brass light fittings and tailor-made carpets. The walls are painted in stylish tones of dark grey, creating an elegant and homely sense of place emulating the fell of a boutique hotel. Indeed, The Playfair is ideal for modern living, especially now that many people have been spending more time at home.

Additionally, resident can access The Club Room, a south-facing communal space where refreshments are available. This overlooks The Playfair’s internal courtyard, whose features include a charming restored central lantern surrounded by planting and benches from which residents and their guests can enjoy the space. The Chapel Room is also available located near the entrance to the chapel apartments, where the space is softly lit, and seating creates another quiet space for the resident’s enjoyment.

Commenting on the new homes, Suzanne Aplin, sales, and marketing director at City & Country, says; “The chapel is an incredible space and these new apartments are some of the most distinctive in Edinburgh. The beautiful stained-glass windows offer a real ‘wow’ factor, and through the apartments many other unique features and living space can be found “The completion of The Chapel marks another chapter in the story of this stunning building. We are especially proud of The Chapel due its unique history dating back almost two centuries, so it was crucial for us to do this justice, and through these stunning apartments we believe we have done so”

The Playfair Donaldson’s remains one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive landmarks. Designed by William Henry Playfair in the style of an Elizabethan palace for printer Sir James Donaldson, whose bequest endowed the school, it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1850, the former school for the deaf is situated amid 16 acres of elegant grounds just minutes from Haymarket railway station.

City and Country, one of the UK’s leading developers of heritage building has transformed the historic A-listed building into beautiful period homes which vary in size from studio apartments to three-bedroom penthouses.

In addition, the sweeping ground provide elegant outdoor spaces in which to relax and enjoy the views of the outstanding building. They are home to acres of protected parkland. Chapel Gardens, an arboretum, and parterre terrace. Aplin says, “With much of the restoration work already complete, purchasers can immediately benefit from other aspects of living at The Playfair, including its communal living areas, landscape grounds and concierge service. “Living in such a striking historic building, minuets from city centre, with views to Edinburgh Castle and the West End on one side, and the Pentland Hills to the other. The Playfair’s package of location and property is an incredible rare opportunity”

The Chapel apartments are priced from £950,000 to £1.1million and are available to visit on an appointment-only basis. The Full range of apartments available at The Playfair Donaldson’s range in price from £275,000 to £1,550,000.

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