18 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

18 Regent Terrace is a townhouse built between 1826 and 1833, designed by William Playfair as part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses. It retains its original two-storey and attic form, although many others in the terrace have had a third storey added. The terrace is punctuated by two three-storey pavilions with advanced three-bay sections at either end (numbered 11-16 and 23-28) and a twelve-bay, three-storey section at the western end (numbered 1-4). The terrace is stepped to follow the slope of the road.

The front elevation is constructed with painted droved ashlar at basement level, polished ashlar above, and coursed squared rubble with dressed margins to the rear. Architectural details include a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors; a continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border on the first floor; a band course above the first-floor windows, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course. The doorpiece features fluted attached Greek Doric columns. The fenestration is regular, featuring architraved windows to the ground and first floors, with panelled aprons to the ground-floor windows. The rear elevation has predominantly regular fenestration.

The principal south-east elevation has a flush timber door with a three-light fanlight in a segmentally-headed opening to the centre bay of the basement level, with windows to the left and right bays. Steps and a platt lead to a timber-panelled door with a letterbox fanlight on the right-hand bay of the ground floor. Two canted dormer windows are visible on the attic floor. The north-west rear elevation is a two-bay elevation with an eaves course.

Most windows have 12 panes of glass; the first floor front elevation has 4-pane glazing, while the first floor rear elevation has 16-lying-pane glazing, all in timber sash and case windows. The roof is an M-shaped slate roof with a central valley and a mansard profile to the front, featuring stone skews and skewputts. Chimneys are located at the east and west ends, with ashlar fronts and rendered rears, and individual octagonal flues facing the front. A cast-iron downpipe with an ornamental hopper is also present.

The front has stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border, edging the basement recess and platt. A wrought-iron lamp standard is located to the left of the platt. A random rubble boundary wall with flat coping defines the rear garden.