13 Belgrave Crescent, Edinburgh

This is a substantial crescented terrace of three-storey-and-attic townhouses with basement levels, built in 1874 by John Chesser. Later additions were made to the rear. The terrace comprises 2-bay units in a Free Renaissance style, with projecting rectangular and canted bays, and advanced end terraces at numbers 1-3 and 19-21. The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar, with an oversailing entrance platt above the basement area. There is a banded base course, and moulded cill courses at the first and second floors. A consoled corniced eaves course runs along the top of the building, and rectangular dormers are topped with large triangular pediments linked by balustrading. The entrance platts have corniced doorpieces with paired console brackets, moulded architraves, rectangular fanlights, and narrow sidelights from number 4 to 21. Corniced and balustraded two-storey, three-light bays feature, rectangular at ground floor and canted at the first floor. First-floor windows are bracketed and pedimented with moulded architraves, while second-floor windows have bracketed cills (tripartite above the canted bays).

The eastern elevation, facing Belgrave Crescent Lane, is two bays wide and constructed of droved sandstone ashlar with ashlar quoins on the south side. A sandstone ashlar stair leads up to irregular ground-floor doors. Moulded cill courses at the first and second floors are integrated with round-arched windows in the centre of the elevation. Rectangular blind windows are present on the ground and first floors, with a pedimented window on the second floor. Round-arched stairlights with small pane glazing are centrally located. A stepped, coursed sandstone attic storey is integrated with corniced ashlar gable end stacks.

The rear, north elevation is five storeys high and built of coursed squared rubble with some droved ashlar quoins, rybats, cills, and lintels. The fenestration is roughly regular, with some paired windows at the first and second floors. Boundary walls to the rear incorporate later garages fronting onto Belgrave Crescent Lane.

The western elevation, facing Belgrave Place, is three bays wide, with a dormer to the north. A balustrade is integrated with a tall wallhead stack, although some balustrading was missing in 2009. Blind windows are found on the right (south) side at ground, first, and second floor levels. A blind window is also centrally positioned on the second floor.

Plate glass is used in timber sash and case windows, with some small pane glazing remaining at numbers 2 and 8. Some later 20th century glazing is present at the second floor and attic levels. Corniced ashlar ridge and gable end stacks, some of which are later replacements, are topped with octagonal clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are integrated with the stonework. Cast-iron railings are set upon an ashlar coping stone edging the basement area facing the street.

The interior of the building is characterized by a highly decorative classical scheme, featuring intricate cornices. Large entrance vestibules have cornice work and encaustic tiled floors. Predominantly timber staircases have carved newel posts, leading to large cupolas with decorative plasterwork friezes. Highly decorative plasterwork and large marble fire surrounds are found in the ground and first-floor drawing rooms. The building was later converted to flats in 2009.