4 Oswald Road And Gatepiers, Edinburgh

This is an 1870 villa with a service wing, located at 4 Oswald Road, Edinburgh. The villa is two storeys and three bays, with the service wing attached to the right. It is constructed of squared and snecked sandstone, with polished ashlar dressings, and lightly stugged coursed ashlar to the south elevation. Details include a base course, a bracketed cornice, roll-moulded windows with shoulders at ground level and segmental arches at the first, and raised long and short quoins.

The south entrance elevation features a central tripartite doorpiece with panelled pilasters, carved consoles, a corniced canopy, a panelled door, and tripartite fanlights with shouldered lintels (a keystone marks the central light). A single window sits above the door at the first floor. Full-height canted windows are positioned in the outer left and right bays, incorporating dividing cornices. The service wing is recessed to the outer right, with a shouldered bipartite window at ground level and a single window above, featuring a bracketed sill and a segmental-arched formerhead that breaks through the eaves.

The east elevation presents an advanced service wing with a secondary entrance, small single windows, and a large bipartite window at ground level. A segmental-headed dormer is located above. At the first floor, a tripartite stairwindow with margin panes is visible. The western elevation has a small glass lean-to at ground level and a segmental-arched window at first.

The north rear elevation shows single windows in the central and outer left bays. A single window is at ground level to the outer right, and a bipartite window is situated above at the first floor. The service wing extends outwards to the outer left, displaying two single windows at ground level and a segmental-headed dormer above. The windows are plate glass sash and case. The roof is grey slate and piended, with four shouldered and corniced stacks, moulded octagonal cans, and moulded eaves guttering.

The interior was not inspected in 1991.

Low coped boundary walls run along the street, featuring replacement railings. Coped ashlar gatepiers with chamfered angles stand at the entrance; the original cast iron railings extend along the mutual wall with number 2 Oswald Road (listed separately). High coped rubble mutual walls form the boundaries elsewhere. A grey slate pitched roof garage, dating from the early 20th century, features mock-timber frame gables and timber bargeboards. A brick potting shed is situated to the north, with timber eaves, bargeboards, finials, a fishscale roof, and a small stack with a moulded can.