7 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

7 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

This Grade A listed building is part of William Playfair's celebrated terrace of 34 classical townhouses, designed in 1825 and built between 1826 and 1833. The terrace steps down at intervals to follow the slope of the road, creating a sophisticated response to the topography.

Number 7 retains its original form as a 2-storey house with attic and basement elevations, unlike many neighbouring properties which have received additional 3rd storeys. The building is constructed with droved ashlar to the basement and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation is predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins.

The principal south-east elevation displays refined classical detailing. The base course is followed by dividing bands between basement and ground floor, and between ground and first floors. The first floor features a continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border, with band courses above the first floor windows. An eaves cornice and blocking course crown the elevation. The doorpiece is distinguished by fluted attached Greek Doric columns. Fenestration is regular throughout, with architraved windows to ground and first floors and panelled aprons to ground floor windows.

The basement contains a timber panelled door with 3-light fanlight in a segmentally-headed opening to the centre bay, with windows to the left and right bays. The ground floor to the right bay has steps and a platt overarching the basement recess, leading to a 2-leaf timber-panelled door with a letterbox fanlight. Two windows to the attic floor sit within the mansard, concealed by the cornice and blocking course.

Glazing is predominantly plate glass to the front elevation, with 4-pane glazing to the rear elevation and to the 2nd floor at the front. The basement to the front features 12-pane glazing. All glazing is predominantly set in timber sash and case windows.

The roof has an M-profile with a central valley and mansard to the front, covered in graded grey slate with stone skews and skewputts. To the rear, a small ashlar wallhead stack sits at the centre. The front elevation is fitted with a cast-iron down-pipe with an ornamental hopper.

Railings and boundaries are notable features. At the front, stone coping surmounting the edging to the basement recess and platt is topped by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border. To the rear, forming the boundary of the garden, random rubble walls with predominantly flat coping enclose the property.

The interior retains significant quality. The ground floor lobby contains good plasterwork with a pilastered and corniced timber and glazed screen and doors. The former dining room features good plasterwork with shallow relief patterning to the ceiling and a classical black slate chimneypiece with corniced and pilastered doorpieces. The first floor former drawing room contains a non-original classical white marble chimneypiece, brought from George Square, with double doors to the rear room. The second floor retains cast-iron chimneypieces to both front and rear rooms, along with some good plasterwork.

The staircase is constructed of stone with ornate cast-iron balusters and is surmounted by a rectangular cupola. Good plasterwork survives to the landings.