Argyle House, Edinburgh

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Argyle House
Argyle House - geograph.org.uk - 3789924.jpg
Argyle House, Edinburgh
General information
Location3 Lady Lawson St, Edinburgh EH3 9DS, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Year built1968
OwnerPGIM
Design and construction
ArchitectsMichael Laird & Partners

Argyle House is a building in Edinburgh, Scotland. The building is located in the city's Old Town on Lady Lawson Street and Castle Terrace. [1] Competed in 1968, it was originally used as government offices, but has since been bought multiple times. Today, its use is in office space and is used by over a dozen companies and institutions, including the University of Edinburgh. [2] [3] The building has a series of relief panels facing Castle Terrace (opposite Castle Terrace Car Park). [4]

Contents

History

Argyle House sits in West Port in the city's Old Town. Designed by Michael Laird and Ian Rogers, it finished construction in 1968. [5] Initially leased to the government by the local council, it was acquired by PGIM in 2023 for £38 million. [6] It was previously owned by Kennedy Wilson, who had bought it from Fordgate in 2014. [2] The building was subsequently used by the University of Edinburgh and the tech company Codebase. [7]

In November 2025, a proposal of application notice (PAN) was submitted to Edinburgh cancel with plans for the demolition of the existing building and redevelopment of site as a mixed hotel, office, flats and retail space. [8] [7]

In film

The building featured extensively as a fictional police station in the TV show Dept. Q. [8]

References

  1. "About | Argyle House". www.argylehouseedinburgh.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  2. 1 2 D'Souza, Charlotte (2023-12-06). "PGIM sees potential in Argyle House, Edinburgh's 'ugliest building'". PERE. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  3. "55 Companies in EH3 9DR, Argyle House, 3 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh - Endole". open.endole.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  4. "View Of Relief Panels On Castle Terrace". trove.scot. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  5. "Argyle House - Edinburgh in Pictures: The Illustrated Guide to Edinburgh". www.edinburghinpictures.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  6. Walker, Peter A. (2023-10-23). "Edinburgh's Argyle House acquired". businessInsider. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  7. 1 2 Murden, Terry (2025-11-12). "Codebase HQ Argyle House facing demolition – Daily Business". Daily Business. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  8. 1 2 "Edinburgh council considers plans to demolish Dept Q police station". BBC News. 2025-11-12. Retrieved 2025-11-12.

55°56′48″N3°12′04″W / 55.9467°N 3.2010°W / 55.9467; -3.2010