Lamb's House is a historic A-listed building in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by ''Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

, a northern district of the City of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland, which has served as both a place of residence and warehouse. The present house is an example of early-17th-century architecture typical of harbour towns around the North Sea. The site was originally owned by Edinburgh merchant and shipowner Andrew Lamb. The Lamb family were reputed to have entertained

Mary, Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legitimate child of James V of S ...

, somewhere nearby on her return from France in 1561. A contemporary record claims the young queen "remainit in Andro Lamb's hous be the space of an hour" while messages were sent to Edinburgh informing nobles of her return. In January 1581 he was the owner of the ''Mary Grace'', which was sailing to Flanders with Montbirneau, a servant of Esmé Stewart. In November 1583 his passengers were an embassy to France led by

Lord Seton Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or a ...

with his son Alexander Seton and the architect William Schaw. Lamb's House is situated at the corner of Burgess Street and Water Street. Lamb's House was a

National Trust for Scotland The National Trust for Scotland for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, commonly known as the National Trust for Scotland ( gd, Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba), is a Scottish conservation organisation. It is the largest membership organi ...

property, used as a day centre for older people until it was sold to conservation architect Nicholas Groves-Raines and Kristin Hannesdottir in 2010. The house has been sensitively restored to a dwelling set over four storeys, with commercial offices in a traditional style extension to the West and a neo-Georgian pavilion in the garden, which operates as a holiday let. The building also houses the Consulate of Iceland in Edinburgh, with Kristin Hannesdottir serving as Honorary Consul.

References

{{coord, 55.97523, -3.16964, format=dms, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Buildings and structures in Leith Historic buildings and structures in the United Kingdom