Historic Canonmills Police Box Set for Public Auction with Opening Bid of 22,000 Pounds
An iconic piece of Edinburgh street history is officially going under the hammer as a highly unique commercial property opportunity. Located on the corner of Brandon Terrace and Howard Street in the Canonmills area, this historic structure stands right near a major local beauty spot, the Royal Botanic Gardens. Auction House Scotland has scheduled the unit for an in-room auction at 2:00 PM on September 13, 2023, at the Radisson Red hotel in Glasgow, with an initial opening bid set at 22,000 pounds.
The former police box offers an exceptional operational framework for an independent trader or small business owner. The unit is situated in a high-traffic location that benefits directly from strong levels of local and tourist footfall alongside several nearby bus stops. Most recently, the box operated successfully on the street as a local florist. The structure features a rolling ground rent lease with the City of Edinburgh Council at a rate of 50 pounds per calendar month, which fully covers the physical box site and the small surrounding pavement area.
The interior of the unit is in fair condition and retains a number of its original historical character features. For modern commercial use, it comes equipped with active utility infrastructure, including a functioning electricity supply, a water connection that is currently shut off, and an existing telephone point allowing a new owner to reinstall a traditional landline if required.
Dating back to the 1930s, these distinctive boxes were originally built to serve as an indispensable communication lifeline for police officers on the beat to check in with their home stations and receive operational orders before the invention of mobile phones. As these functions became obsolete, the structures became a beloved part of the city’s visual identity, with multiple units across the capital now being repurposed as independent coffee shops, eateries, and pop-up spaces for hire.
Public sentiment and commercial interest surrounding the sale are highly positive. Industry experts and operators view the box as a rare chance to own a functional piece of Edinburgh’s history while running a business in a truly distinct architectural setting. To accommodate various buyers, the auction event will be live-streamed online to allow for digital, telephone, and proxy bidding, provided that interested participants complete their formal registration before the bidding opens.
