18, 20, 22 Melville Street, Edinburgh

12 Melville Street is a substantial classical terrace built in Edinburgh, initially designed by Robert Brown and constructed between 1822 and 1823, with a later corner block added in 1856. The terrace comprises a unified façade of three-storey and basement townhouses, with main-door and common stair flats situated behind. A taller, three-storey and attic, rounded corner block extends to Queensferry Street to the east and Stafford Street to the west. The basement area includes vaulted cellars and retaining walls.

The building is constructed in sandstone ashlar, with the ground floor channelled. A band course runs along the ground floor, and a banded cill course rises above the first-floor windows, further emphasized by banding between windows. Cast-iron balconies, supported by foliate brackets, are positioned below the first-floor windows.

The eastern corner block presents five symmetrical bays to Melville Street, with slightly advanced end bays. A central, round-arched doorway features blind sidelights and a radial fanlight. A pedimented window sits above the doorway on the first floor, with architraves and cornices to the outer bays. Four unevenly spaced dormers are set between flanking parapets. The curved bay incorporates a pilastered, round-arched doorway, a corniced first-floor window in a round-arched surround, a blind balustrade, an architraved, square second-floor window with narrow sidelights, and a carved panel to the parapet. A similar five-bay return is visible on Queensferry Street, with the addition of an ashlar attic storey. Later plate glass, round-arched openings have been added to the ground floor for commercial premises.

The western corner block mirrors the eastern corner block, presenting five symmetrical bays to Melville Street, also with slightly advanced end bays. The doorway here features a plain, rectangular fanlight and a balustraded parapet. The return to Stafford Street is similar to that on Melville Street, but with a blind window positioned above the doorway.

The windows are predominantly timber sash and case, with 6-over-9-pane and 12-pane glazing, although plate glass in timber sash and case windows is present at Nos. 20 and 22. The roof is a double-pitch M-section with grey slates, topped by a corniced ashlar parapet and gable stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings sit on an ashlar coping stone edging the basement recess.

The interior reflects a highly decorative classical scheme with detailed cornicing, and has since been converted for later office and residential use in 2008.

Decorative cast-iron arches with lamp holders are positioned centrally, with glass lamp bowls at Nos. 20 and 22. A cast-iron serpent lamp extinguisher is original to the railings.