4, 5, 6 Brunton Place, London Road, Edinburgh

This is a substantial, symmetrical, classical tenement range designed by W H Playfair in 1823 and constructed by Thomas Beattie in 1825. It is located on London Road, Edinburgh, and is flanked on both sides by later adjoining tenement blocks, which are listed separately. The building is 14 bays wide, with three storeys and a basement and attic, and features two groupings of common stair doors, with a main entry to each side.

The façade is built of polished ashlar stone, with the rear of the building constructed of predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. Architectural detailing includes a base course, a dividing band between the basement and ground floors, a dividing band and cornice between the ground and first floors, a cill band to the second floor, a modillioned eaves cornice, and a balustraded parapet. The fenestration is generally regular, with windows in recessed surrounds incorporating aprons to the ground floor and architraved windows above.

The principal south elevation features mutual steps and platts that cover the basement recess in bays 3-5 and 10-12. The central bays of each group of common stairs have timber-panelled and glazed doors topped with fanlights designed as a triple-circle pattern, sitting within a pedimented Greek Doric doorpiece flanked by engaged, fluted columns. Alongside the common stair doors are two-leaf timber-panelled doors with letterbox fanlights (a single-leaf door with narrow margin lights and a matching fanlight is in bay 12). Pilasters support an advanced entablature. Cast-iron balconnettes are positioned below the first-floor windows. Eight flat-roofed dormers are set into the roof.

The windows are mostly plate glass, with the second floor windows in the first three bays from the left featuring four-pane glazing. The central six bays on the first floor have a plate glass top sash and a two-pane bottom sash. Twelve-pane glazing is found in bays 4 and 11 and on the ground floor of bays 13 and 14. The upper floors feature fifteen-pane glazing in bays 13, 14, and 15. All windows are fitted with timber sash and case frames.

The roof is an M-shape with a valley gutter and is covered in graded grey slate with predominantly stone skews. Slate haffits are found on the dormers. Three ashlar stacks with chamfered ends are on the left side, and two rendered stacks are on the right; all are corniced and topped with predominantly circular cans.

Cast-iron railings with spear-head and pine cone finials, spear-headed dog bars, and a Greek key patterned top border edge the basement recess and platt.