15, 17 Castle Street, Edinburgh

1792-4; subsequent additions and alterations. Once symmetrical 3-storey and attic, 7-bay former pair of classical houses with flats above, now with shops at ground.

CASTLE STREET ELEVATION: droved cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings. Corinthian giant order pilasters flanking central bay and outer bays, now partially obscured by later alterations. Shops project at ground, with further additions at 1st floor. Steps to common stair door at centre; rectangular fanlight with radiating glazing. No 15 with modern polished granite faced shopfront, also giving access to basement; late 19th century shallow canted window at 1st floor; panelled band course with rosettes survives above. No 19 with later 19th century pilastered shopfront incorporating lugged and corniced door leading to 1st floor, cornice and brattishing; 1st floor rendered with architraves and cornice; added timber architraves at 2nd floor. Plain frieze and eaves cornice. Single piend-roofed dormer to right; similar dormer and further shallow canted dormer to left.

ROSE STREET ELEVATION: rubble gable with 3 bays displaced to left of stack; rendered at ground and 1st floors with plate glass shop windows and cornice at ground.

Timber sash and case windows; mostly plate glass, 12-pane to stair; multi-pane upper casements to canted window at No 15. Ashlar coped skews; rendered stacks to centre and left, rebuilt stone mutual stack to right; grey slates.

INTERIOR: former houses thoroughly adapted; curving cantilevered central stair survives at No 19 with decorative alternate cast-iron banisters.