Town Hall, 147 High Street, Portobello, Edinburgh

The building is a 1912-1914 town hall designed by James A Williamson, City Architect, located at 147 High Street, Portobello, Edinburgh. It is a three-storey, five-bay classical building. The principal (northeast) elevation is sandstone ashlar, with channelled outer bays and harled surfaces with ashlar dressings to the other elevations. A base course, cornice, and blocking course are present.

The northeast elevation is symmetrical, featuring two-storey bays that project slightly. The central bays are recessed and punctuated by four giant Roman Ionic engaged columns. A wide architraved doorpiece is accessed by five steps with plain wrought-iron handrails. Cast-iron gates lead to an open hall with pilasters at the re-entrant angles before the entrance doors. There are block corbels supporting a narrow balcony at the first floor, with carved oak leaf detail between the corbels, and a wrought-iron balcony guard to the first-floor windows. A thermal window is positioned within a stylised pediment at the centre of the second floor. Each floor has windows in each bay; oak leaf hoodmoulds flank the ground-floor bays and are incorporated into a panelled border that extends from the eaves to the ground of each bay. The recessed windows of the outer bays have decorative aprons to the first floor. A central pediment has a stepped blocking course and features laurel wreaths carved on the outer bays, with "E P" carved in the centre of each, signifying the combining of Edinburgh and Portobello.

The southwest (rear) elevation, partially viewed in 1994, displays three bays with two-storey outer bays and a central gabled bay. This gabled bay contains a round hoodmoulded louvered opening. A tripartite window is at ground level in the bay to the left.

The northwest and southeast (side) elevations, also partially viewed in 1994, feature a three-storey bay to the northeast with a corniced doorpiece and a door at ground level, with windows to each floor. To the southwest, there are windows at ground level in three bays, and thermal windows at the first floor. The bays at the extreme southwest are not fully visible.

The northeast elevation presents six-pane timber, mullioned, and transomed tripartite windows, while the thermal windows have small-pane mullioned windows.

The interior includes a four-door glazed entrance to a crush hall, with original timber doors containing glazed upper panels and small-pane fanlights. The crush hall has a panelled ceiling and pilasters, and a concrete turning staircase with an iron balustrade and timber handrail. Original doors and brass handles are found in the auditorium and aisle corridors. The auditorium has a timber floor and a panelled proscenium arch with the Edinburgh District heraldic device within a central cartouche. A panelled, barrel-vaulted ceiling with decorative plasterwork (using the oak leaf motif from the front elevation) is present, alongside circular ventilator grilles, round-framed chandeliers, gas mantles, and original brass exit signs with gas fittings behind. A small hall is located above the crush hall and the open hall, featuring a panelled and egg and dart corniced ceiling, and a timber floor.

Two decorative wrought-iron lamp standards flank the entrance.