18 Torphichen Street, Edinburgh

This is a classical palace block of terraced houses built in the earlier to mid-19th century, likely by James Haldane. The block comprises five bays at the western end, forming a corner with Torphichen Place, and six bays at the eastern end, with a pair of two-storey, basemented three-bay houses flanking the central section. The facade is constructed of droved sandstone ashlar to the basement and polished sandstone ashlar, with V-jointed rustication at ground floor level, in the upper floors. Polished stone dressings are also present. Architectural details include a base course, a band course between the ground and first floors, a string course, a cornice, and a blocking course, with raised terminal pavilions and a coped blocking course to the central pavilion. Giant anta pilasters are present on the first and second floors of the terminal pavilions. The Torphichen Place elevation features panelled aprons to the first-floor windows, architraves to both first and second-floor windows, and a cill course to the second-floor windows. Ashlar steps and oversailing entrance platts accentuate the basement level.

The western (terminal) pavilion (number 14) has a recessed, timber-panelled door with a fanlight above; windows flank the door, and are present in all upper floors of the pavilion. The central pavilions (numbers 16-18) feature a recessed, panelled timber door with a rectangular fanlight in the two central bays at ground floor level, flanked by windows to each side; all bays on the upper floors also contain windows. Decorative ironwork balconies with an anthemion and palmette pattern adorn the first-floor windows of number 18. The eastern (terminal) pavilion (numbers 20-22) incorporates a two-leaf, two-panel timber door with a fanlight to two central bays on the ground floor, flanked by windows; all bays on the upper floors also have windows, with anthemion and palmette pattern ironwork balconies to the first-floor windows.

The western (Torphichen Place) elevation includes a recessed four-panelled timber door with a timber panel within the fanlight in the bay to the outer right at ground floor level, accompanied by windows to the left and two bays to the outer left which are infilled; all bays on the upper floors have windows, and a coped blocking course is present. The eastern elevation is rendered and largely obscured by an adjacent building. The southern elevation was not visible in 2000.

The building predominantly features 12-pane timber sash and case windows, with two-pane windows on the upper floors of number 14. The roof is not visible. The chimneys are a mix of ashlar and rendered construction, coped and with moulded cylindrical cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are also present. Fleur-de-lys and acorn-head pattern railings are visible along the street and to the entrance platts.