The United Distillers headquarters, located at 33 Ellersly Road in the Murrayfield area of west Edinburgh, was a prominent post-modern office complex known as Balfour Stewart House. Built in 1981, the building served as the headquarters for the Distillers Company Limited (DCL) and later became the Scottish headquarters for Scottish & Newcastle brewers.
Architectural and Site Description
• Design: Designed by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners (RMJM), it was considered a "rough diamond" of post-modern architecture, featuring a, high-quality, 1980s design.
• Structure: It was characterized by a large, stepped, and articulated facade.
• Setting: The building was set within a landscaped area, with mature trees covering approximately 60% of the site, which were under a Tree Preservation Order.
• Entrance Sculpture: A notable feature in the entrance foyer was a 2001 sculpture by Sandy Stoddart, featuring petal-shaped, curving forms suspended above the reception, which symbolized the brewing process.
• Location: Situated near the junction of Ellersly Road and Corstorphine Road.
History and Demolition
• Purpose: The building was intended as the headquarters for Guinness following their 1986 takeover of Distillers, but this did not materialize as planned.
• Usage: It later served as the headquarters for Scottish & Newcastle.
• Demolition: After becoming vacant in 2006, the building was demolished in February 2010 to make way for a residential development known as Wallace Gardens.
Legacy
• A statue of the characters Alan Breck Stewart and David Balfour from Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped, installed in 2003, remains on Corstorphine Road as a memory of the building.
• The site was redeveloped into a mix of 72 to 119 residential units, including townhouses and apartments, with underground parking.