4, 5, 6 Queen Street, Edinburgh

The building at 4, 5, 6 Queen Street, Edinburgh, dates from 1784, the work of John Brough, and has undergone subsequent alterations and additions. It comprises four distinct, former classical, three-storey-and-attic houses with basement levels, connected by set-back links and unified by a mutuled cornice. The buildings were later refurbished by Hurd Rolland and Partners between 1985 and 1990 and are now used as BBC studios and offices.

The houses are constructed of droved cream sandstone ashlar, which is notably scarred on numbers 4 and 6. Number 4 originally comprised two houses (formerly numbers 3 and 4) and number 6 is a pair to number 7, which is separately listed.

The eastern house (formerly number 3) has three bays. Steps lead to a former doorway on the right, which has a moulded architrave and consoled cornice, now blocked as a window. Oversailing basement steps remain, but access is restricted by railings. A large tripartite timber box dormer, featuring pilasters, a cornice, and a central pediment, is positioned above. A small gabled hall to the rear was added by David Bryce between 1859 and 1860.

The western house (number 4) also has three bays and moulded architraves. A platt oversails the basement area to the left, leading to a deeply set cavetto moulded doorpiece with a consoled cornice, a two-leaf panelled door, and a plate glass fanlight. To the right at ground level is a tripartite window with a panelled frieze and cornice. As with the eastern house, a similar dormer is present. A three-bay gabled hall with arched windows to the rear was added by David Bryce between 1849 and 1851. Further alterations were carried out by G Washington Browne at a later date.

Number 5 has five bays, which were recast by J Dick Peddie in 1847-8, with further alterations by Archibald Scott in 1857 and Kinnear & Peddie in 1880. Moulded architraves are present, corniced at ground and first floor levels, with a band course above the first floor. A pedimented neo-Greek porch, with two-leaf panelled doors, is centrally located. Three piend-roofed timber dormers are visible.

Number 6 has three bays. A doorpiece with cavetto reveals, a consoled cornice, a replacement panelled door, and a plate glass letterbox fanlight are located on the right. A segmental-headed bipartite timber dormer is on the left. A six-bay hall was added to the rear of numbers 5 and 6 by Dick Peddie.

The windows are timber sash and case, with 12 panes, with casements to the large dormers. The roof is covered with grey slates, featuring ashlar-coped mutual skews and coped ashlar stacks.

The interiors of all four properties underwent extensive refurbishment and adaptation for BBC use. The front rooms have largely been preserved, retaining some panelled dados and chimneypieces. Notable rooms include the boardroom in number 5, featuring a fine carved chimneypiece, and the former drawing room in number 6, with an original plain moulded marble chimneypiece. The former reading room in the rear of number 3 has been significantly altered and divided, while the rear hall of number 4 retains elements of its original character, including an open timber roof and some balustrading. A significant feature is Dick Peddie's Synod Hall, a cube within a Greek cross, with stairs in each corner, a proscenium arch, an anthemion frieze, a panelled coved ceiling supporting a two-tier lantern (now covered over but intact), and galleries to the sides and rear.

The property is surrounded by cast-iron spearhead railings, with plain wrought-iron railings to number 5.