31 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

This is a townhouse built in Edinburgh between 1826 and 1833, designed by William Playfair. It is part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses, originally designed as three-bay structures. Number 31 retains its original two-storey and attic form, along with a basement. The terrace includes two larger, three-storey pavilions with projecting three-bay sections at each end (numbers 11-16 and 23-28), and a twelve-bay, three-storey section at the western end (numbers 1-4). The terrace steps down to follow the slope of the road.

The exterior is constructed with droved ashlar stone at basement level, polished ashlar above, and coursed squared rubble with dressed margins to the rear. The principal elevation features a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and again between the ground and first floors. A continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border runs along the first floor. Other features include a band course above the first-floor windows, eaves cornices, a blocking course, and a doorpiece with fluted Greek Doric columns. The windows are regularly spaced and architraved on the ground and first floors, with panelled aprons to the ground-floor windows. The rear elevation is simpler, with three stories and an eaves course.

The basement front elevation has a timber-panelled door with a letterbox fanlight, and a window to the left. An area has been incorporated to the right, with two windows. The ground floor has steps leading to a timber-panelled and glazed door with a letterbox fanlight. The rear elevation is two bays wide and three stories high.

The windows predominantly contain plate glass, with 12-pane glazing in the basement facing the front. The roof is an M-roof with a central valley, a mansard profile to the front, and grey slate covering. Stone skews and skewputts are present. Chimneys are located to the east and west, with octagonal flues and predominantly circular cans.

The front garden features stone coping with cast-iron railings and dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border. The rear garden is enclosed by random rubble walls with flat coping.

The interior retains much original detail. The ground floor lobby has good plasterwork, a compartmented ceiling, a timber-panelled screen, and a two-leaf door. The former dining room has a 20th-century cornice and stone chimneypiece. A rear room on the ground floor has simple plasterwork and a timber chimneypiece. The first-floor former drawing room has compartmented ceilings, good plasterwork, a marble chimneypiece with cherub carvings, and a 20th-century bookcase with a pilastered and corniced architrave. The other first-floor rear rooms have painted stone chimneypieces, good plasterwork, and stone cantilevered stairs with cast-iron balusters. An oval cupola with a deep cavetto surround sits above the stairwell, which also features good plasterwork to the ceiling and landings.