10 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh

10 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh

A substantial classical town house designed by William Playfair between 1821 and 1825, constructed from the late 1820s to the mid-1830s. The building forms part of a long, hairpin-curved terrace of 19 classical houses. Number 10 is among the wedge-plan houses (Nos 5-13) with a curved four-bay front elevation, whereas the rectangular-plan houses at either end of the terrace (Nos 1-4 and 14-19) have straight three-bay fronts. The house is predominantly two storeys tall with a basement, topped by a balustraded parapet.

The elevations employ droved ashlar to the basements and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The side and rear elevations are predominantly coursed squared rubble with droved margins. A base course runs beneath the basement, with dividing bands between basement and ground floors, and between ground and first floors. Modillioned eaves cornices adorn the front elevation, with eaves bands to the rear. Door surrounds are raised and feature consoled cornices. The fenestration is regular throughout, with architraved and corniced windows topped by panelled aprons at ground floor level, and architraved windows with cast-iron balconnettes at first-floor level.

The principal north-east elevation features a basement (painted) beneath the platt, with a timber-panelled door of four-light fanlight in a segmental opening and a window to its left. The ground floor is accessed via steps and a platt that overhang the basement recess, leading to a two-leaf timber-panelled door with a rectangular fanlight positioned at the second bay from the left. Above, behind the balustrade, sits a mansard roof with four dormer windows. The rear south-west elevation is two bays wide.

The glazing is predominantly plate glass, with twelve-pane glazing to the rear and to the basement of the front elevation, and eight-pane glazing to the window left of the basement door. The windows are mostly timber sash and case. The roof structure comprises a flat roof with mansard profile to the front and a pitched roof to the rear, both covered in graded grey slate with stone skews and skewputts. The front elevation features a mutual rendered stack to the left and a mutual ashlar stack preceded by two octagonal flues to the right; the rear has rendered mutual stacks to both left and right. All stacks are corniced with predominantly circular cans. Some cast-iron rainwater goods remain.

The front boundary is defined by stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars and spear-head finials, featuring a distinctive circled border. A wrought iron lamp standard stands to the right of the platt. To the rear, the garden boundary is formed by random rubble walls with predominantly flat coping.

The interior of the ground floor comprises a lobby with good plasterwork and a compartmented ceiling, featuring a round-headed niche to the left and two-leaf timber-panelled and glazed doors in a corniced and pilastered doorpiece at the far end. The former dining room retains a painted classical columned chimneypiece, good plasterwork with a ceiling rose, shallow-relief wall borders, and corniced and pilastered doorpieces. The rear room to the north-west also displays good plasterwork.

The first floor front room to the south-east features corniced doorpieces and good plasterwork, with a modern ceiling rose. The former drawing room contains a white marble classical chimneypiece, a pilastered doorpiece, and good plasterwork including a ceiling rose. The rear room to the south-east has pilastered doorpieces and good plasterwork. The second floor features simpler plasterwork and door architraves to most rooms.

The staircase and stair hall are notable for an oval cupola within a compartmented ceiling, stone stairs with cast-iron balusters, good plasterwork to the ceiling and landings, wrought iron lamp brackets to the first and second floors, and a cast-iron tray rest at first-floor level.