9 East Brighton Crescent, Portobello, Edinburgh

This is a pair of two-storey with basement, three-bay classical terraced houses with single-storey flanking pavilions, dating to circa 1827 and built by John Baxter of Portobello. The houses are slightly set back from the street. They are mirrored images of each other.

The front (north) elevation is constructed of polished ashlar, deeply-channelled at ground level. The basement of number 9 is rendered, while the basement and wings of number 10 are of droved ashlar. The west elevation is of squared sandstone, the east elevation is harled, and the rear elevations of both houses are primarily of squared and snecked sandstone with a harled wing to the rear of number 9. A band course runs between the basement and ground, and again between the ground and first floors. There is also a cill course, cornice, blocking course, and coping to the wings.

The principal north elevation features five concrete steps with original plain cast-iron handrails, leading to deep-set, panelled front doors in the outer bays. Above each door is a rectangular plate glass fanlight and a first-floor window. Windows are present on each floor within the intermediate bays. The pavilion on the right (number 9) has a ground-floor window and a garage in the basement, with a boarded door to the outer left. The pavilion on the left (number 10) has a ground-floor and basement window, along with a boarded door to the outer right.

The rear (south) elevation of number 9 has a blank central bay with a modern glazed door at basement level, flanked by windows to each floor, including the basement. There is a modern door to the bowed pavilion, and a basement window. Number 10's rear elevation features a blank central bay, flanked by windows to each floor. An opening provides access to the basement, and a modern glazed door is located in the bay to the right. A bowed pavilion extends to the west, with six concrete steps leading up to a modern glazed door with a rectangular plate glass fanlight above.

The windows are timber sash and case, with plate glass in number 9 (variety to the rear), and 12-pane timber sash and case windows in number 10, except to the rear where plate glass sash and case windows are used. The roofs are piended and grey slate, with shallow half-piended roofs to the pavilions. A square rendered and coped mutual stack is present. There are also rendered and coped wallhead stacks to the front and rear of the east elevation (truncated to the rear, partly ashlar, and shouldered to the front), and rendered and coped truncated wallhead stacks to the west elevation. A cast-iron window guard protects the staircase window in number 9.

The interiors of number 9 retain shutters in place and working, plaster cornices, a ceiling rose in the vestibule and front first-floor room, a cast-iron banister, a tripartite vestibule partition with a radial fanlight above, encaustic tiles to the vestibule, and parquet flooring to the hall. The interiors of number 10 have a tripartite vestibule partition with a radial fanlight above, a cast-iron banister, plaster cornices, shutters in place and working, and a multi-paned staircase window with Gothic-style tracery. Number 10 also retains original shutters; number 9 does not have original fireplaces, while neither house retains original chimneypieces.

The site is defined by boundary walls: a weathered, droved ashlar and coped wall fronts the street and was formerly surmounted by railings. To the rear, brick walls with rounded coping, as well as tall rubble garden walls, are present.