8 Grosvenor Crescent, Edinburgh

A Grade B listed building comprising a three-storey terrace with attic and basement, designed by John Chesser and built between 1869 and 1871. The block consists of bowed houses with two-storey canted bays and end pavilions, constructed in polished sandstone ashlar with polished dressings.

The principal elevation features a base course and corniced sill course to the first floor with dentilled detailing (except at the left pavilion), a further sill course to the second floor, and a stone balustrade running across the tops of the canted bays to form a balcony serving the central windows at second floor level. Above this sits a cornice and stone balustrade, with segmental-arched dormers breaking the roofline. Windows are set within wide moulded margins throughout, and the building features various doorpieces marking entrances.

Specific houses illustrate the architectural composition. No 21, a three-bay symmetrical unit, includes a window to a basement bay at the left, a part-glazed timber door with flanking light to an infilled entrance platform at the right, and planked doors to the return on the left side. The central canted bay contains a consoled triangular pediment over the doorpiece, with a two-leaf panelled timber door, rectangular fanlight, and flanking lights. A three-light canted window rises above at first floor. No 1, equally symmetrical, follows similar proportions and fenestration patterns, with a two-leaf timber entrance door featuring a square fanlight and two flanking lights to the central bay at ground level.

Throughout the principal bowed block, the basement of each house contains a door with fanlight to centre, flanked by windows (the left window set within the middle section of the canted bay in some instances). Ground-floor doorpieces to the bay at right feature Ionic pilasters supporting a frieze, with two-pane narrow lights flanking a panelled timber door and rectangular fanlight, surmounted by an advanced cornice. Nos 12, 11 and 10 have advanced doorpieces with engaged Ionic columns flanking margin-framed doors and fanlights, with narrow lights to the returns and plain iron railings above forming a balcony to the first-floor window. No 4's door has been converted to a window. Three-light bay windows appear at ground and first-floor levels at the left, with tripartite windows at second floor.

The west elevation of No 21 Grosvenor Crescent displays three bays in stugged, squared and snecked sandstone, regularly fenestrated except at basement (where windows are positioned only at the left). The elevation features a base course and banded sill courses at first and second floors, with the cornice forming the sill course to the attic storey. A two-storey canted bay stands at the left with cornice, blocking course, and lights to each face, with a single window above at second floor. Further windows occupy bays at centre and right to each floor, with the central second-floor window being noticeably smaller. Three closely spaced windows light the left side of the attic storey, balanced by a gablehead stack at the right.

Windows are predominantly two-pane timber sash and case throughout, with astragal glazing pattern evident on the first floor of No 13. The roof is covered in grey slate and punctuated by coped mutual sandstone ashlar stacks (some rendered), wallhead stacks to the pavilions, and both tall and squat cylindrical stacks. Most houses feature a pair of segmental-arched dormers; No 21 has flat-roofed dormers; the pavilions each have three dormers. A modern slate-hung addition has been added to the attic of No 12. Cast-iron rainwater goods complete the external details.

Balustered iron railings set in ashlar coping line the street and run to oversailing entrance platforms and ashlar steps serving the entrances.