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The pub’s story
Robertson’s 37 Bar is a compact Rose Street traditional bar whose value lies in surviving pub fabric rather than a grand founding claim. CAMRA describes the four-storey red-sandstone building as nineteenth century, with an interior by P. L. Henderson dating from 1898. The original gantry and what is believed to be the original counter survive, while a 1960s fascia and later changes make the chronology visible rather than frozen. Around 2000 the toilets moved downstairs and fixed seating on the right was removed. CAMRA’s heritage inventory rates it one star for its historic pub interior and notes its Category B-listed setting. Today it remains a small, beer-and-whisky-led stop with cask ale, a high ceiling, jukebox and television. Visit to read the old gantry and counter alongside later interventions, not as an untouched Victorian room.
What to notice
- 01
Look up at the unusually high ceiling and along the gantry: the surviving bar fittings are the reason for the heritage rating.
- 02
The small interior has changed over time. Its 1960s fascia and circa-2000 seating/toilet alterations are part of the story.
- 03
CAMRA’s current listing says the toilets are downstairs; consider this before choosing it for an accessibility-sensitive stop.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
CAMRA describes the four-storey red-sandstone house containing Robertson’s as a nineteenth-century building.
CAMRA records P. L. Henderson’s interior work, including the character of the surviving bar fittings.
The pub’s fascia was renewed, according to CAMRA’s historic-interior record.
CAMRA records the toilets moving downstairs and removal of fixed seating on the right-hand side.
CAMRA’s current venue record identifies a May 2024 survey of Robertson’s 37 Bar.
CAMRA’s current record was last updated on this date, retaining the one-star historic-interior assessment.
Sources & confidence
CAMRA’s current pub record and Scotland heritage guide provide the evidence for the 1898 gantry, heritage status, present operation and the qualified treatment of the counter. The profile preserves CAMRA’s uncertainty rather than implying every feature is intact or original.
Research reviewed
- Robertson’s 37 Bar, EdinburghCampaign for Real Alespecialist
SupportsCurrent address and hours; nineteenth-century building, 1898 P. L. Henderson interior, surviving gantry/counter, 1960s fascia, circa-2000 alterations and one-star heritage grade.
- Scotland’s Real Heritage PubsCampaign for Real Alespecialist
SupportsPublished historic-pub-interior inventory context for Robertson’s and the significance of its fittings.
- National Inventory of Historic Pub InteriorsCampaign for Real Alespecialist
SupportsExplanation of CAMRA’s national inventory and grading framework used for the one-star assessment.
- Robertson’s 37 BarEdinburghGuideeditorial
SupportsIndependent current venue listing for its Rose Street location and traditional-bar character.
- List of licensed premisesCity of Edinburgh Councilgovernment
SupportsCurrent council licensed-premises listing for Robertson’s 37 Bar.
- Robertson’s 37 Bar licensing informationCity of Edinburgh Councilgovernment
SupportsCouncil licensing-document cross-check for the venue and stated capacity information.
