6, 6A Gayfield Square, Edinburgh

6 and 6A Gayfield Square is a symmetrical flatted villa built between 1790 and 1800, likely designed by Alexander Laing. This two-storey building with an attic and basement features a three-bay layout and is situated on a corner site. The exterior is finished in droved ashlar, with coursed rubble and dressed margins on the basement, side, and rear elevations. Notable architectural details include a dividing band between the basement and ground floor, an eaves cornice, and long and short quoins that are raised and lightly broached on the principal elevation, while being flush and droved on the side and rear elevations. The fenestration is regular throughout.

On the northeast (principal) elevation, there are steps leading to a basement recess that houses a timber-panelled door topped with a three-light letterbox fanlight and an architraved doorpiece. To the right, a canted dormer window projects from the roof.

The southeast (Gayfield Street) elevation features blind windows in the left bay on both the ground and first floors, as well as a blind window in the centre bay on the ground floor. A smaller attic storey window is located in the centre.

The southwest (rear) elevation presents a three-bay arrangement with a canted bay in the centre. A modern metal external stairway leads to a door with an elongated fanlight or window above, positioned between the ground and first floors.

The building predominantly has 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows, with a 4-pane glazing in the centre of the dormer and plate glass in the flanking lights, all also in timber sash and case windows. There are three rooflights on the front and four on the rear. The pitched roof is covered with graded grey slates and features stone skews and skewputts. Each gable has a corniced, rendered gablehead stack with circular cans.

Additionally, there are spear-head finialled cast iron railings set in stone coping that edge the basement area to the left of the steps, plain railings along the steps, and ashlar copes topped with plain railings that edge the basement area to the right of the steps.