18 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh

18 Carlton Terrace is a grand house built between 1821 and 1825, designed by William Playfair, with construction continuing into the mid-1830s. It forms part of a long, hairpin-shaped terrace of 19 classical townhouses. Nos. 1-4 and 14-19 have straight three-bay frontages, while Nos. 5-13 have curved four-bay frontages. The building is predominantly two storeys high with a basement, and topped by a balustraded parapet, with decorative panelled parapets on Nos. 1, 14, and 17.

The basement is finished with droved ashlar stone, while the upper floors are of polished ashlar. The side and rear elevations are largely of coursed squared rubble, with droved margins. Architectural detailing includes a base course to the basement, dividing bands between the basement and ground floors, and between the ground and first floors. The front elevations have a modillioned eaves cornice, while the rear has a simple eaves band. Raised door surrounds are adorned with consoled cornices. The fenestration is regular, with architraved and corniced windows featuring panelled aprons on the ground floor and cast-iron balconnettes on the first floor.

The principal south-east elevation has a timber-panelled door with a three-light fanlight at its centre on the basement level, flanked by windows. The ground floor features a platt overpowering the basement recess, leading to a timber-panelled door with a rectangular fanlight. The north-west rear elevation is a two-bay elevation.

Most windows contain 12 panes of glass, with 15 panes on the first floor of the principal elevation. These are set within timber sash and case windows. The roof is double-pitched, covered with graded grey slate and features stone skews and skewputts. Mutual ashlar ridge stacks with octagonal flues, cornices and circular cans project from the front right and rear left.

The front of the property has stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials and a distinctive circled border, edging the basement recess and a raised platt. A wrought iron lamp standard stands to the left of the platt. A random rubble wall with flat coping forms the rear garden boundary.

The interior ground floor features an original stone floor, a pilastered and corniced doorpiece, a round-headed niche and compartmented ceiling with good plasterwork to the entrance lobby. The former dining room has a classical black stone chimneypiece, corniced and pilastered doorpieces, and good plasterwork cornices and a ceiling rose. A rear eastern room has a columned marble chimneypiece with classical bas-reliefs and good plasterwork, although the register grate is not original. The first floor front room (west) has a classical grey marble chimneypiece and a simple cornice. The former drawing room also has a classical marble chimneypiece, corniced doorpieces and a ceiling rose, with simpler plasterwork elsewhere on the first floor. The stair and stair hall contain an oval cupola above the stair well, with compartmented ceilings and good plasterwork. There are stone stairs with cast-iron balusters, wrought iron lamp brackets, and cast-iron tray rests on the first floor, alongside good plasterwork to landings and the stair hall.