9 Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh

9 Learmonth Terrace, Edinburgh

A 3-storey townhouse with basement, designed by John Chesser in 1874, executed in Free Renaissance style. The building is part of a terrace with advanced 4-bay terminal blocks and prominent 2-storey, 3-light bays that are bowed at ground floor and canted at 1st floor with a bowed 1st floor balustrade.

The front elevation displays sandstone ashlar throughout, with a droved basement. The ground floor features an entrance platt that oversails the basement, flanked by large doorpieces with paired foliate console brackets and narrow architraved sidelights. The timber 6-panel doors have rectangular fanlights and are topped by a cornice and balustrade. Windows to the bowed bay at ground and 1st floors are moulded and architraved. A banded base course and moulded cill courses at 1st and 2nd floors run across the façade. The 1st floor window is moulded, architraved and bracketed with a round arched pediment. At 2nd floor level, tripartite windows sit above the canted bay, with moulded architraved surrounds and bracketed cills. The roofline features a corniced consoled eaves course with a balustrade above, punctuated by sandstone ashlar dormers with alternating round arched and triangular pediments.

The rear elevation rises to 5 storeys and is constructed of coursed squared sandstone rubble with ashlar quoins, cills and rybats. Fenestration is roughly regular, with some 3-storey 3-light canted bays to the east. A later attic storey was added to Nos. 10, 11, 12. Tall rectangular dormers are set into a steep mansard roof to the west, and some boundary walls of sandstone ashlar with moulded copes survive.

The south-facing elevation onto Learmonth Avenue comprises roughly 4 bays on ground that falls away to the left, with a slightly advanced angled terminal bay to the left and an advanced single storey porch to the right. The porch features channelled ashlar pilasters and a broad bowed bay above, integrated with a boundary wall and steps. Pedimented dormers crown the attic storey, with a bipartite example to the far left integrated with the balustrade and a shouldered wallhead stack. Tripartite windows light the far left terminal bay. Ground floor windows are moulded and architraved; a bipartite window lights the advanced porch and a doorway sits in a re-entrant angle with rectangular fanlight. 1st floor windows are pedimented, with a triangular pediment to the far left and semicircular to the centre; a bowed bay features to the right. Moulded architraved surrounds with bracketed cills mark the 2nd floor windows.

The west end elevation comprises 3 bays over 3 storeys and basement, set on ground that falls away to the north. An advanced balustraded bay occupies the centre at ground floor, canting at 1st floor. Moulded cill courses run at 1st and 2nd floors; a corniced consoled eaves course and prominent wallhead stacks mark the roofline. Blind windows occupy the flanking bays. Windows are moulded and architraved, bracketed at 1st floor with round arched pediments. A tripartite window at 2nd floor occupies the centre, flanked by two blind windows, all with bracketed cills.

The roof is pitched with grey slates. Ridge and gable end stacks are corniced ashlar; some are octagonal whilst others are modern clay cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods and cast-iron railings edge the basement area to the street. Windows throughout are plate glass in timber sash and case frames.

The interior is characterised by a highly decorative late Victorian classical scheme with intricate cornices by MacGibbon and Ross. Large entrance vestibules have deep cornices and tiled floors, with predominantly timber dog-leg stairs rising beneath large cupolas with decorative plasterwork. Ground and 1st floor drawing rooms feature highly decorative plasterwork and some large marble fire surrounds. Ceilings are compartmented with elaborate cornicing to the east and ribbed Jacobean designs to the west. Arched Corinthian pilasters feature in No. 24. The entire terrace has been later converted to flats.