Derek Nash

The rebirth of The Elephant House in Edinburgh has been a tale of tenacity and ingenuity. The efforts which led to its opening were nothing short of heroic. They could possibly even easily inspire another book from the very place JK Rowling wrote so much of her Harry Potter works.

It’s a hugely impressive place and, six months on from its return and with its official reopening, it has been heartening to hear that the cafe continues to attract visitors from across the world to the Old Town as it goes from strength to strength.

But this is a destination, an attraction which has an important catalytic effect on the local economy, which could so easily have been lost.

In August 2021, The Elephant House was badly damaged by fire. A blaze, which started in a neighbouring property at George IV Bridge, spread to the cafe, one of two regularly frequented by Rowling when writing the stories of the wizard in the mid-1990s.

Its front room was gutted. A back room, which included a wooden table which was used by the author and later reclaimed from the rubble left by the fire, was damaged by smoke and water.

It was initially thought that The Elephant House would be closed for a year while repairs took place.

That turned into more than four years after the company which owned the property went into liquidation shortly after the fire, holding up work which had to take place to make the structure safe.

But, throughout it all, The Elephant House’s proprietor, David Taylor remained resolute that it should reopen. Despite setback upon setback, he refused to stand still. Indeed, he and business partner Andrew McRae have grown the Elephant House brand.

The team at Lindsays were pleased to work with David and Andrew as they found ways to overcome the challenges that they encountered as book fans worldwide asked about - and eagerly anticipated news of - its progress.

We saw first-hand their laser-sharp focus on ensuring The Elephant House was brought “back from the ashes”, as Andrew described it.

David admitted that doing so was “an emotional rollercoaster”. It required a complicated construction process, as well as a genuine collaboration between the operator and their new landlord.

By working together, they were not only able to address the physical challenges of an historic site which had become an iconic one thanks to its most famous customer, but they were able to agree on a tenancy which benefits everyone.

The combination of the two was a powerful force. It’s an example that other landlords, tenants and developers could easily take inspiration from when facing challenges - even if they are not the magnitude of those encountered by David and Andrew.

The story of The Elephant house is a heartwarming one in so many ways. It’s a place that could quite easily have been erased were it not for vision, determination and a collective will to succeed. Its continued success really is phenomenal.

Derek Nash is a partner at Lindsays