5 Great Stuart Street, Edinburgh

1 Great Stuart Street is a substantial 1822 terrace designed by James Gillespie Graham, with later additions. It is a four-storey and basement building of thirteen bays, forming a classical terrace composed of a five-bay linking section and a pair of advanced four-bay terminal pavilions. The building is constructed from polished ashlar sandstone, with V-jointed rustication at the principal floor level. A base course, band course between the basement and principal floor, and a corniced frieze at the impost level of the terminal pavilions are notable features. A cill course runs along the first and second floors, topped by a cornice and blocking course at the third floor. Ashlar steps and entrance platts project from the basement.

The southeast (principal) elevation’s linking terrace (number 3) features a panelled timber door with a plate glass rectangular fanlight centrally positioned at the principal floor. Regular fenestration is present in the remaining bays at the principal floor, and uniformly above. The first-floor windows are architraved with cornices, while the second and third floors have simpler architraved window surrounds. A flagged basement area is present.

The southeast elevation of the terminal pavilions comprises two four-bay sections. Doric pilasters flank the bays at the first and second floors, with panelled pilasters flanking those at the third floor. A four-panel timber common stair door, featuring a radial semicircular fanlight, is located in the outer-left bay of number 1, while a similar door with a blind semicircular fanlight is found in the penultimate bay from the left at number 5. Windows are set in round-arched recesses on the principal floor, with regular fenestration above. Blind windows are integrated in the outer-right bay at the principal floor and the floors above, and also in the penultimate bay from the left at number 1, at the principal floor, first floor, and third floor. A flagged basement area is also present here.

The return elevation to Ainslie Place, connecting to number 1 Ainslie Place, is four bays wide, gradually narrowing to one bay (listed separately). Similarly, the return elevation to Moray Place, connecting to number 36 Moray Place, is four bays wide (listed separately).

The rear elevation was not inspected in 1998.

A variety of timber sash and case windows are present throughout. Anthemion and palmette window guards are found in the bays at the first floor, with the exception of bays 3rd and 4th from the left and the outer-left bay of number 1. The roofs are covered in grey slate and feature M-shaped patterns. Cast-iron rainwater goods and a variety of broached and rendered ridge stacks, topped with cornices and circular cans, are also present.

Interior details were not observed in 1998, though evidence suggests the presence of working panelled shutters.

The front is bordered by ashlar copes surmounted by cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lis finials. Cast-iron railing-mounted lamps with glass globes illuminate the streetscape.