Edinburgh 17, 18 Leopold Place

A near-symmetrical classical range designed by William Henry Playfair between 1820 and 1822, with the 1-3A Windsor Street section designed in 1825. The Leopold Place elevation extends 28 bays with 3-storey and basement accommodation. A 3-bay quadrant corner features a 2-storey distyle in antis Ionic colonnade to the west. The Windsor Street elevation has 6 bays with an additional attic storey. The corner elevation and advanced pavilions also contain attic storeys, and a sub-basement level extends beneath the right half of the Leopold Place elevation.

The external walls are finished in polished ashlar with smooth V-chamfered rustication applied to the ground floor of the Leopold Place elevation. The basement is of droved ashlar, painted in some sections, while rear elevations are of coursed rubble with dressed margins. The building features a base course, dividing band between basement and ground floor, first floor cill band, second floor cill band (omitted to the corner elevation), a main modillioned cornice with dentilled detail to the corner elevation, cill band, eaves course, and blocking course (the last applied only to the central section of Leopold Place).

The fenestration is predominantly regular throughout. Basement openings are segmental-headed. Ground and upper floor windows are architraved, except to the corner elevation and ground floor of Leopold Place. Windows throughout are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case, though several sections feature plate glass: to the Leopold Place elevation, plate glass appears at bays 7, 8, 10, 13, 14, 19, 21, and 22 at ground floor level; bays 7-22 inclusive at first floor; and bays 7-14 inclusive at second floor. The corner elevation ground floor has 17-pane glazing, the right pavilion first floor has 15-pane glazing, and the attic floors feature 12-lying pane glazing to the Windsor Street elevation, corner elevation, and left pavilion of Leopold Place, with 8-lying pane glazing to the right pavilion attic floor.

The Leopold Place elevation is distinguished by 6-bay advanced pavilions to the outer left and right. Timber-panelled basement doors with segmental-headed openings and 3-light fanlights occur at bays 4, 9, 12, 17, 20, and 25 from the left. Ground floor doors at bays 4, 9, 11, 12, 17, 18, 20, 25, and 28 are accessed by steps and platts overarching basement recesses. Bays 11 and 12, and bays 17 and 18, share mutual steps and platts. Some platts have out of character surfacing. These doors are timber-panelled, with 2-leaf variants at bays 20 and 25. Fanlight glazing consists of 5-oval-light letterbox patterns, except to bay 16 which has plain plate glass. The advanced pavilions feature corniced windows to the first floor.

The west (corner) elevation has a distinctive centrepiece with a 2-leaf timber-panelled door and fanlight featuring half-wheel glazing, set within a recessed round-arched opening at ground floor level, accessed by steps and platt overarching a basement recess. Windows with aprons in the centre and left bays occupy similar recessed round-arched openings. The first floor displays two giant engaged Ionic columns dividing the bays. The attic floor has pilaster-strips as bay divisions.

The north-west (Windsor Street) elevation contains basement doors with 3-light letterbox fanlights in segmental-headed openings at bays 2 and 5 from the left. Ground floor doors at bays 3 and 6 are accessed by steps and platts overarching basement recesses, leading to timber-panelled doors with 5-oval-light letterbox fanlights in architraved openings. Ground floor windows feature sunk panelled aprons.

Cast-iron railings with spear-head and pine cone finials, spear-headed dog bars, and circle-patterned top border edge the basement recesses and platts.

The roof is double-pitched with graded grey slate and stone skews. Piended ends occur to the north end of the Windsor Street section and to the right of the left pavilion. Multiple chimney stacks rise throughout: the Windsor Street elevation has an ashlar wallhead stack flanked by linked individual octagonal flues (three to front, three to rear); the left corner elevation has an ashlar mutual ridge stack preceded by three linked individual octagonal flues; the left pavilion to Leopold Place has ashlar mutual ridge stacks preceded by three linked individual octagonal flues to the left and an ashlar wallhead stack preceded by three linked individual ashlar octagonal flues to the right; the central Leopold Place section has rendered stacks to the front and rear pitches with rendered ridge stack at centre; the right pavilion has a rendered wallhead stack preceded by three linked individual ashlar octagonal flues to the left and an ashlar mutual ridge stack preceded by three linked individual octagonal flues to the right. All stacks are corniced with circular cans. The central section features six rooflights to the left and centre, with two internal dormers to the right.

The interior at 19 Leopold Place preserves good plasterwork to the ground floor. The lobby contains a corniced doorpiece and pilastered timber inner porch. A pilastered timber and glazed screen with segmental fanlight divides the entry. The former dining room, now subdivided, retains good plasterwork. At 20 Leopold Place, the ground floor lobby displays good plasterwork including to the ceiling and a pilastered timber and glazed screen with 6-oval light glazing. A T-shaped inner hall with good plasterwork connects the principal spaces.