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Summary
Author: (Edinburgh City Chambers)
Title: Contract of agreement, for building an exchange, in the city of Edinburgh, between the magistrates and town-council, and the tradesmen.
Publication: Edinburgh, printed by Hamilton, Balfour and Neill 1754.
Price: £495
Reference: 09020
Full Description
8vo. 60 + (28)pp, folding engraved frontispiece illustrating design for building's front elevation. Late nineteenth century marbled boards, calf spine. Ownership inscription of (Sir) William Fettes Douglas (1822-1891), painter, collector and President of the Royal Scottish Academy.
A scarce volume printing the contract between the Edinburgh municipal authorities and the consortium of five building tradesmen who made themselves responsible for the construction of what was intended as the Edinburgh Royal Exchange building but is today the Edinburgh City Chambers, the meeting place of Edinburgh City Council. The design for the Palladian style building, of which the front elevation is shown in the volume's frontispiece, had initially been made by John Adam (1721-1792), Robert Adam's older brother, although the executive architect named in the contract was the lesser-known Edinburgh architect and land surveyor John Fergus. It was most uncommon for building contracts of this nature to be recorded in printed form, and it is no surprise that the very precise costings and specifications laid down in the contract, recorded in fascinating detail, made the contract unprofitable to the tradesmen concerned. Harris/Savage 218 ; not in BAL Cat.