24 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

24 Regent Terrace is a townhouse built between 1826 and 1833, designed by William Playfair as part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses. The terrace is situated in Edinburgh and is characterised by its stepped design, following the slope of the road, and punctuated by two three-storey pavilions with projecting three-bay sections at each end, along with a twelve-bay section at the western end. Many of the original two-storey houses with attic and basement levels have since had a third storey added.

The front elevation is built with painted droved ashlar at basement level, graduating to polished ashlar on the upper floors, while the rear is predominantly constructed from coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. Architectural details on the principal elevation include a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors, a continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border to the first floor, a second-floor cill course, eaves cornice, and a blocking course. A painted doorpiece features fluted attached Greek Doric columns. The fenestration is regular, with architraved windows to the ground and first floors, panelled aprons to ground-floor windows, and predominantly regular fenestration to the rear.

The south-east (principal) elevation is three storeys with a basement. The basement level has a timber panelled and glazed door with a three-light fanlight, flanked by two windows to the left and a single window to the right. The ground floor features steps and a platt overarching a basement recess, leading to a two-leaf timber and glazed door with a four-light letterbox fanlight. The north-west (rear) elevation has a three-bay design with an advanced central bay and a continuous eaves course.

Original twelve-pane glazing is prevalent, with four-pane glazing to the ground floor front elevation; the glazing is primarily within timber sash and case windows. A pitched roof features a central valley, graded grey slate, stone skews and skewputts. Corniced mutual ridge stacks extend to the east and west, with octagonal flues and predominantly circular cans.

To the front, stone coping with cast-iron railings featuring dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border define the basement recess and platt, along with a wrought-iron lamp standard. A random rubble boundary wall, with predominantly flat coping, forms the rear garden boundary.

The ground floor interior features a compartmented ceiling with excellent plasterwork and a pilastered and corniced doorpiece to the lobby. The remainder of the ground floor has been altered, but some good plasterwork remains, along with some replica elements.