38 Ann Street, Edinburgh

32 Ann Street is an extensive and symmetrical terrace of townhouses, likely designed by James Milne between 1816 and 1827, with later additions to the attic. The terrace comprises two-storey, three-bay townhouses with basement levels, and a prominent three-storey, six-bay central section. Large gardens front the street.

The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar, with coursed squared rubble and ashlar rybats to the basement. The ground floor of the central section is rusticated ashlar. The entrance platts project, sheltering the basement recess behind. A banded base course and a narrow banded cill course run along the ground floor; a deeper banded cill course incorporates fluted aprons beneath the first-floor windows. A corniced eaves course tops the building. The doorways have moulded architraves, brackets, and cornices, surmounted by rectangular fanlights with a geometric glazing pattern. Later rectangular dormers, tile-hung, have been added to the roof.

Numbers 26 to 32 incorporate a pedimented, three-storey, six-bay central section flanked by slightly recessed, two-storey, three-bay townhouses. The central section features Ionic heptastyle pilasters spanning the first and second floors, interrupting the cill course at the second floor. A banded eaves course supports a triangular pediment, topped with a block finial. Paired porches are set into the central section, supported by paired fluted Greek Doric columns, a cornice, and a blocking course with decorative cast-iron railings. Cast-iron balconies are present at the first-floor windows, with a further balcony at the first-floor window of number 32. The flanking townhouses have moulded architraved windows at first floor level, also incorporating cast-iron balconies.

The rear (northeast) elevation is of coursed rubble with tooled ashlar rybats, cills, and lintels, featuring regular window placement and some cast-iron balconies at the second floor.

Most windows retain a twelve-pane timber sash and case design; first-floor windows in the three-storey block have a six-over-nine-pane configuration. The roof is pitched, with some piended gables covered in grey slates, and has corniced ashlar ridge stacks with clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present.

A low broached ashlar wall, with droved copes and gate rybats, edges the front gardens, topped with cast-iron railings incorporating decorative cast-iron lamp standards with large bowl shades.

The interior, observed in 2010, displays a decorative classical scheme, characterised by intricate plasterwork and large drawing rooms. Stone stairs have a well-detailed cast iron balustrade and timber handrail, with large cupolas featuring decorative plasterwork above. Large ground and first-floor drawing rooms face the street, displaying decorative cornicing, ceiling roses and marble fireplaces. Cornicing is present throughout the building, with less elaborate detailing on the upper floors and in the basement. Working window shutters remain.