7 Forres Street, Edinburgh

1 Forres Street is a 22-bay classical terrace designed by James Gillespie Graham in 1822. The terrace is symmetrical and stepped down to the north, consisting of a central section of four three-storey and basement houses, flanked by a pair of advanced terminal pavilions that are four storeys and have basements. The building is constructed from polished ashlar sandstone, with V-jointed rustication to the basement. A base course, a band course between the basement and the principal floor, and a corniced frieze at the impost level of the terminal pavilions are present. There is also a cill course at the first and second floors, a cornice at the second floor of the terminal pavilions, and a cornice and blocking course at the second floor of the linking block and the third floor of the terminal pavilions. Ashlar steps and entrance platts overhang the basement.

The west (principal) elevation of the linking terrace has four three-bay houses. Numbers 3 and 5 have doors in the left bays, while numbers 7 and 9 have doors in the right bays. The doors are four-panel timber, with a two-leaf door to number 7. Plate glass rectangular fanlights are above the doors at numbers 3 and 7, a multi-pane rectangular fanlight at number 5, and a rectilinear-design rectangular fanlight at number 9. Windows are located in the remaining bays at the principal floor, with regular fenestration above. The basement area is flagged.

The west elevation of the terminal pavilions show Doric pilasters flanking the bays at the first and second floors, and panelled pilasters flanking the bays at the third floor. The doors are four-panel timber with radial semicircular fanlights. Windows are set in round-arched recesses in the remaining bays at the principal floor, with regular fenestration above. The basement areas are flagged.

The return elevation to Albyn Place, of the southern terminal pavilion, is five bays, and connects with 11 Albyn Place (listed separately). The return elevation to Moray Place, of the northern terminal pavilion, is four bays, and connects with 44 Moray Place (listed separately).

The building has a variety of timber sash and case windows, and grey slate M-roofs. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present. Anthemion and palmette window guards are visible in the bays at the first floor of the linking block, in the bay to the outer right at the first floor of number 1, and at the first and third floors of the Albyn Place return of the southern terminal pavilion. The wallhead and ridge stacks are of broached ashlar, some with cornices, and are coped with circular cans.

The interiors were not inspected in 1998.

Ashlar copes are surmounted by cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lis and other decorative finials.