27 Douglas Crescent, Edinburgh

The buildings at 23 and 24 Douglas Crescent were constructed between 1875 and 1879 by John Chesser and comprise a three-storey and basement row of terraced houses. The facades are characterised by three-storey and basement canted bays. The exterior is polished channelled sandstone ashlar with polished dressings, while the basement is finished in droved sandstone. Features include a base course, band courses between the ground and first, and first and second floors, each corniced at the canted bays. A cill course runs along the second floor and canted bay, and an eaves course is topped with a dentilled cornice. The doorpieces incorporate a consoled cornice to a pilastered, keystoned, depressed-arch opening containing a panelled timber door, flanked by narrow lights with a segmental-arched fanlight (astragals are present at numbers 31 and 25). Windows above the doorpieces have margins, and a bracketed block cill is found at the second floor level.

The front (north) elevation has advanced four-bay blocks at each end (numbers 28-31 and 23). Numbers 28-31 feature a modern bipartite window at the outer left basement bay, a window to the left, a part-glazed door to the left of the platt, a bipartite window beneath the platt, a part-glazed door with fanlight to the right of the platt, a light to the centre of the canted bay, a recessed panelled timber door in the penultimate bay to the right at ground level (without a doorpiece), a semicircular aperture with a fanlight above, a small modern window, and a bipartite window slightly to the right on the upper floors. Single windows are present in the two bays to the left of this, and three-light canted windows occupy the bay to the right. The canted bay’s second floor has a plain iron balustrade. Number 23 presents a window to the centre of the outer left basement canted bay, followed by a door and fanlight, a window beneath the platt, and two windows to the right. A doorpiece is found in the penultimate bay to the left at ground level, followed by single windows on the floors above, and single windows to all bays at the right. Lights are positioned on each face of the left-hand canted bay, and another plain iron balustrade is present on the second-floor windows.

The main central block of four houses features a basement window beneath a platt to the left, a central door and fanlight, a window in the centre of the right-hand canted bay, and a doorpiece in the bay to the left at ground level. Single windows are spaced above, and the right-hand bays have three-light canted windows. Predominantly, the windows are two-pane timber sash and case with grey slate roofing. The coped mutual ridge stacks are topped with tall moulded cans, and the rainwater goods are painted cast iron. Spike-finialled iron railings are set in coping to the street and to the ashlar steps and oversailing entrance platts. Plain iron railings are also present to the basement steps from the street.