13 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

William Playfair, designed 1825, built 1826-1833. Part of long terrace of 34 classical 3-bay townhouses; originally 2-storey, attic and basement elevations (many have additional later 3rd storeys) punctuated by 2 18-bay, 3-storey pavilions with 3-bay advanced sections to each end (Nos 11-16 and 23-28) and with 12-bay, 3-storey section to the western end (Nos 1-4); terrace stepped down at intervals to follow slope of road. Droved ashlar to basement; polished ashlar to upper floors; predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins to rear elevation; rendered to 3rd floor. To principal elevation: base course; dividing band between basement and ground floor; dividing band and cornice between ground and 1st floors; to 1st floor, continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with Greek key border; 2nd floor cill course; eaves cornice; blocking course. Painted doorpiece of fluted attached Greek Doric columns. Regular fenestration to principal elevation; architraved windows to ground and 1st floors; panelled aprons to ground floor windows; predominantly regular fenestration to rear elevation.

SE (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 3-storey and basement elevation. To basement, to centre, timber panelled and glazed door with fanlight in segmentally-headed opening; windows to left and right bays. To ground floor, to right bay, steps and platt (out of character surfacing to platt) overarching basement recess leading to 2-leaf timber-panelled and glazed door with letterbox fanlight.

NW (REAR) ELEVATION: 4-storey, 3-bay elevation. 3-storey, flat roofed rendered extension to centre bay, with additional single storey extension to left. Eaves course.

GLAZING etc: predominantly plate glass to front elevation; to rear elevation and basement to front elevation, predominantly 12-pane glazing; 20-lying-pane glazing to right bay to ground and 1st floors to rear; glazing predominantly in timber sash and case windows. M-roof with central valley; graded grey slate; stone skews and skewputts. To E and W, corniced mutual ridge stacks, preceded to front by individual octagonal flues; predominantly circular cans. To front elevation, to right, cast-iron down pipe with ornamental hopper

RAILINGS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: to front, edging basement recess and platt, stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials and distinctive circled border; wrought-iron lamp standard to left of platt. To rear, forming boundary of garden, random rubble walls with predominantly flat coping.

INTERIOR: subdivided unsympathetically into flats. To ground floor: to lobby, geometric and encaustic tiled floor, pilastered walls; round-headed niche to right, compartmented shallow barrel vaulted ceiling, good plasterwork, screen of pilasters and fluted Ionic columns. Some good plasterwork to 2nd floor rooms. Stone cantilevered stairs with ornate cast-iron balusters, good plasterwork to cupola and landings, oval cupola surmounting deep cavetto surround in sail-vaulted ceiling.