40 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

No. 40 Royal Terrace is a townhouse constructed between 1821 and 1822, designed by William Playfair as part of a remarkably long, 121-bay palace front terrace. It forms part of an extremely grand composition of townhouses with a rusticated ground floor punctuated by Corinthian and Ionic colonnaded pavilions. The building is set within a wider arrangement of balustraded sections of varying heights. All properties within the terrace possess basements.

The exterior is constructed from droved ashlar to the basement, V-chamfered rustication to the ground floor, and polished ashlar to the upper floors. Rear and side elevations are predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. A base course, dividing bands, and an impost course demarcate the principal elevation. The fenestration is predominantly regular. The ground floor features round-headed openings within round-headed arches.

The north (principal) elevation is a three-bay, two-storey structure with a basement and attic. The basement level features a timber-panelled door with a segmental fanlight flanked by windows, all within segmentally-headed openings. The ground floor has steps and a platt serving a basement recess, leading to a timber-panelled door with flanking margin lights and a segmental fanlight. A continuous cast and wrought iron balcony with a Greek key border adorns the first-floor windows. The building is capped with an eaves cornice and a balustraded parapet, and features a canted dormer window to the roof.

The eastern side elevation has a band course at ground and first floor levels. Small windows with raised margins are present at ground and first floor. A cornice returns from the front elevation on the right side, with eaves and blocking courses above.

The southern (rear) elevation, a two-bay design, displays band courses between the basement and ground floors, and between the ground and first floors, alongside eaves and blocking courses. A narrow window is centered at ground floor level.

The majority of the glazing is 12-pane, with 17-pane glazing to the ground floor and 15-pane glazing to the first floor of the front elevation. The rear elevation has 16-pane glazing to the second floor. Windows are predominantly timber sash and case. The M-pitch roof is covered in graded grey slate, with stone skews. To the east elevation, two groups of three octagonal flues rise from the wallhead. A mutual ashlar ridge stack with an octagonal flue is positioned on the front elevation to the right, while a similar stack stands on the rear elevation to the left. Circular cans are used for the chimney pots.

To the front, stone-coped cast iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border edge the basement recess and platt. A wrought iron lamp standard stands to the left of the platt. At the rear, a random rubble boundary wall with flat coping defines the garden.

The ground floor lobby is notable for its fluted groin-vaulted ceiling.