62 Great King Street, Edinburgh

62 Great King Street, Edinburgh

A classical palace block terrace designed by Robert Reid and William Sibbald between 1814 and 1823. The building is a substantial three-storey structure with basement, arranged as a 59-bay composition: a nine-bay central pavilion with flanking eighteen-bay blocks, themselves flanked by seven-bay terminal pavilions. The central and terminal pavilions rise to an additional attic storey.

The principal southern elevation is executed in sandstone ashlar with V-jointed rustication to the principal floor, broached ashlar to the upper floors, and rock-faced rustication to the basement. A continuous cornice runs across the facade, returned and terminated at the corners. The central and terminal pavilions carry a blocking course with wallhead panels at the centre, while cill courses mark the first and second floors. Ashlar steps and entrance platforms overhang the basement.

The central pavilion's nine bays comprise an advanced three-bay centrepiece with Ionic pilasters between bays at first and second floors. The bays to the outer left and right are also advanced and flanked by Ionic pilasters at these levels. Blind balustraded aprons extend across the centrepiece and outer bays at the first floor. Windows at ground level sit within round-arched panels. Flush panelled doors with semicircular fanlights occupy the flanking positions and outer bays—the centre and left doors have plate glass, while the right door has radial fanlights. At the first floor, the central and outer windows are pedimented with consoles; the windows flanking the centre are corniced with consoles. A balcony spanning three bays sits at the first floor to the outer right. The attic level features a semicircular window at its centre, with window guards evident in some flanking windows. A flagged basement area contains rubble walls and predominantly vertically boarded timber doors serving cellars.

The two six-bay blocks flanking the central pavilion are mirrored on either side. Each contains three-bay houses with flush panelled doors furnished with a variety of rectangular fanlights. To the east of the central pavilion, a door sits in the left bay at ground; to the west, in the right bay at ground. One door at No. 58 is a multi-pane glazed timber type. The floors above maintain regular fenestration, with some window guards at the second floor. Decorative cast-iron balconies occupy each bay at the first floor of Nos. 56 and 60; a balcony spanning three bays serves No. 58. Small glazed modern dormers appear at No. 58. Flagged basement areas with predominantly vertically boarded timber cellar doors match the treatment of the central pavilion.

The two terminal pavilions form a near-mirrored pair, each comprising a three-bay centrepiece with Ionic pilasters dividing the bays at first and second floors. Blind balustraded aprons appear at the first floor. Windows in the centre bay of the first floor are pedimented with consoles; those in flanking bays are corniced with consoles. Flush panelled doors with plate glass and radial semicircular fanlights face the street. Ionic pilasters frame the central three bays at first and second floors. The left terminal pavilion contains a common stair door centred at the principal floor, flanked by doors in the bays to left and right. The right terminal pavilion similarly has a common stair door centred at the principal floor, with flanking doors. Regular fenestration extends across both, though painted blind windows appear in the penultimate bays to the left of the left pavilion and in the bay to the left of the semicircular attic window. The right pavilion contains painted blind windows in the penultimate bay to the left and the outer left bay, and in the third bay from the right at the third floor and attic.

The west terminal pavilion returns along St Vincent Street as a six-bay block, now numbered 2 and 2A St Vincent Street. The east terminal pavilion returns along Dundas Street as a six-bay block, now numbered 52 and 54 Dundas Street (formerly 2 and 2A Pitt Street). This eastern return block features regular fenestration with blind windows in the penultimate bays to the left and outer left bays, and in the third bay from the right at the third floor and attic. A shop front with modern glazed door and gun stock door occupies the basement in the third bay from the right. A wallhead stack stands to the left of centre.

Throughout the main block and returns, windows are predominantly twelve-pane timber sash and case design, though some feature plate glass or four-pane variants. Grey slate M-shaped roofs cover the structure. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. The stacks are predominantly broached ashlar, with several restored examples and some rendered versions; they are coped with circular cans. Ashlar skew copes finish the edges.

Interiors were not inspected at the time of survey, but working panel shutters are evident from exterior observation.

Railings and lamps surmount the ashlar copes: cast-iron railings with spear-headed balusters and urn finials are mounted with cast-iron lamps topped by glass globes.

The mews to the rear, located in South West Cumberland Street Lane, date to the earlier nineteenth century. These are predominantly two-storey, three-bay buildings constructed in coursed rubble with stone lintels and long and short quoins.

No. 1 features a pair of modern garage doors and a door to the right at ground level, with plate glass casement windows at the first floor. An adjoining mews building to the right is much altered and rendered.

No. 12 contains two-leaf vertically-boarded timber garage doors in the former cart opening to the right at ground level, a modern glazed door to the left, and a single window to the left of centre at the first floor.

No. 14 has a vertically-boarded timber door with plate glass fanlight to the left of centre at ground level. To the left sits a window; to the right, a converted window in the former carriage opening still shows a relieving arch. A single window occupies the left of centre position at the first floor.

The surrounding walls are coped random rubble with boarded doors in pedestrian gates. A carriage gate runs between Nos. 12 and 14.

The mews buildings employ predominantly twelve-pane timber sash and case windows, grey slate roofs, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Ashlar and rendered gablehead stacks are coped with circular cans. Coped skews finish the edges.