Grange Loan
As the lease on Bartholomew's Park Road premises drew to an end, John George Bartholomew began planning for the future of the firm. He was determined to break away from Park Road and so began looking for suitable sites on which to build new premises.
Records reveal that John George entered into negotiations over a site in the Grange area of Edinburgh in February 1908. However, by December 1908, permission to build was refused. With time running out, John George was forced to search for a new site. Fortunately, the Duncan Street plot became available, and by March 1909 Bartholomew's had bought it.
Sketch of proposed Grange Loan building
A sketch by John George Bartholomew. It shows an early design for Bartholomew's new business premises, following their departure from Park Road.
Sketch of Duncan Street building
This is another example of a sketch by John George Bartholomew. The long, thin building in black is Bartholomew's Park Road premises. John George has drawn an impression of a new building over the top, in red ink. When compared to Duncan Street, there are many striking similarities.
Although this building appears to be much smaller than Park Road, Duncan Street offered the firm significantly more space. Park Road was approximately 22,000sq ft in size, whereas the original Duncan Street building was around 76,400sq ft.
