23A And 23B Minto Street, Edinburgh

These are an early 19th century pair of classical houses, with subsequent alterations, located on Minto Street in Edinburgh. The houses are two storeys and four bays in width, exhibiting a near-symmetrical design. They are constructed from cream sandstone ashlar, with rusticated detailing at ground level; coursed rubble is used on the sides and rear. Key features include a base course, a band course, cill courses to the architraved first-floor windows, a cornice, and a blocking course raised at the centre.

The west-facing (entrance) elevation features engaged Doric columns framing recessed doorways in the central bays. These doorways have panelled doors, segmental arched umbrella fanlights, and single windows above them. A single window is set within a segmental arched panel on the ground floor right of number 23A. Number 23 has an advanced, corniced tripartite window with panelled aprons on the ground floor left, with a matching tripartite window above.

The south-facing elevation, overlooking Mayfield Terrace, is three bays wide and features a base course, dividing band course, advanced cills, architraves, a cornice, and single windows to both floors. There is a modern window to the ground floor centre, blind windows to both floors in the bay to the outer left, and single windows to both floors in the bay to the outer right.

Number 23B, on Mayfield Terrace, presents a three-bay facade, augmented by an additional single-storey wing to the east. Originally single-storey, it now has two storeys. The ground floor is dressed with droved cream sandstone, while the first floor, sides, and rear are built with coursed rubble, with polished ashlar dressings. This section includes a base course, quoins, architraves to the first and second floor windows, a cornice at both ground and first floor levels, a central doorway with a modern door, a multi-paned fanlight, a blind window above the doorway, and single windows to both floors in the remaining bays and to the single-storey wing.

The windows are predominantly timber sash and case, with 12 panes to the first floor of number 23B. The roof is covered in grey slate, with a pitched roof on number 23B. The main house features corniced and coped ridge stacks with moulded cans and coped wallhead stacks; number 23B has a rendered and coped wallhead stack.

The interior of the houses was not accessible for inspection in 1996.

Low, coped boundary walls line the street, with original railings at number 23A. Replacement railings are present elsewhere. A high rubble wall bounds the property to the north and Mayfield Terrace. A pedestrian gate adjoins the house to the north.