53 John Street, Montrose

53 John Street in Montrose is a mid-19th century terraced pair of classical houses, each two stories high with an attic and basement. The front is finished in sandstone ashlar, while the rear features squared rubble with some render repairs and lined render on the side. Notable architectural details include a band course above the basement and ground floor, a cill course at the first floor, an eaves cornice, a blocking course, and a tablet above the central bays, all with raised margins.

The principal elevation is symmetrical, with entrances located in the center. There are three-step stone flights leading to consoled, corniced, and architraved doorpieces, featuring two-pane rectangular fanlights. The right side (No 55) has deep-set two-leaf, two-panel doors, while the left side (No 53) has a deep-set four-panel door. Above these entrances, windows are centered at the first floor, with two bays flanking them. In the basement, No 53 has two doors and one window to the left, while No 55 has two windows and one door to the right. There are also canted slate-hung dormers on both sides.

The north elevation has a broad gabled section that slightly advances at the center, featuring a door at ground level with additional windows on either side and a glass porch. The first floor has two windows, and there are two small windows in the gablehead. Flanking single bay wings each have a window on the ground and first floors.

The east elevation is attached to 57 John Street, while the west elevation is a blank gable end. The houses have timber sash and case windows, with No 55 featuring 12-pane windows and plate glass at the front of No 53. The roof is pitched with grey slate and stone skews, and there are several chimney stacks: a brick gablehead stack on the west, two ashlar and brick stacks on the east, and a broad brick gablehead stack on the north with polygonal cans.

The boundary walls consist of a low coped ashlar wall at the front, which is complemented by intact cast-iron railings, gates, and balustrades topped with fleur-de-lys finials. A cast-iron lamp standard is located at the foot of the steps between the front entrances.