38 Drummond Place, Edinburgh

38 Drummond Place, Edinburgh

A grand Georgian terrace designed by Robert Reid and William Sibbald in 1804, with design alterations by Thomas Bonnar in 1817–18. The building comprises a 22-bay symmetrical terrace with a curved frontage. It is composed of a pair of 4-storey and basement terminal pavilions at each end, each 5 bays wide, linked by a 3-storey and basement central section of 12 bays.

The external walls are faced in polished ashlar sandstone. Rustication with V-jointing is applied at the principal floor level, while the basement is rock-faced. Base courses run at the principal and first floors, with cill courses at the first and second floors. A cornice and blocking course at the second floor of the linking terrace continues as a cornice at the second floor of the terminal pavilions, returning and terminating to the Dublin Street and London Street elevations. The terminal pavilions have a further cornice and blocking course at the third floor. Stone ashlar steps and entrance platforms oversail the basement. Mews buildings are situated to the rear in Dublin Street Lane North.

The principal (northwest) elevation of the linking terrace comprises four 3-bay houses arranged in 3 storeys and basement. Doors are positioned in the bays to the left, with windows in the bays to the centre and right at principal floor level. The doors are predominantly 4-panel timber examples with decorative rectangular fanlights. The basement has a flagged area with predominantly vertically boarded timber cellar doors.

The terminal pavilions are a mirrored pair, each 4 storeys and basement, 5 bays wide. Advanced bays flank the outer left and right, with Ionic pilasters dividing the central bays at the first and second floors, semi-engaged at the outer left and right, and featuring patera above the capitals. Round-arched doorpieces at the centre of the principal floor contain 4-panel timber doors and semicircular fanlights (radial to No 37; plate glass to No 42), flanked by windows in round-arched recesses. Regular fenestration continues to the floors above, with windows corniced with consoles in the centre three bays, flanked by windows pedimented with consoles in the outer bays. Lunette windows are centred at the third floors, with wallhead panels centred at the blocking courses. Blind balustered aprons are fitted to the first floor windows. The basement areas are flagged with vertically boarded timber cellar doors.

The London Street return to the eastern terminal pavilion presents a 4-storey and basement, 5-bay elevation (numbered 1–3A London Street, odd numbers). Advanced bays occupy the outer left and right. Two round-arched doorpieces flank the central bay at principal floor, fitted with 4-panel timber doors and radial semicircular fanlights. Windows in round-arched recesses occupy the remaining bays. Regular fenestration continues above, with windows corniced with consoles in the centre three bays at first floor, flanked by windows pedimented with consoles in the outer bays. A lunette window is centred at the third floor. The basement has a flagged area with vertically boarded timber cellar doors. The eastern elevation is obscured by the adjoining terrace (Nos 5 and 7 London Street, separately listed).

The Dublin Street return to the western terminal pavilion comprises a 4-storey and basement, 3-bay elevation (numbered 77 Dublin Street). A round-arched doorpiece in the bay to the left at principal floor contains a 4-panel common stair door with a radial semicircular fanlight. A window in a round-arched recess occupies the centre bay, with a blind window in a round-arched recess at the left. Windows in the bays to the right are present at all floors, while blind windows occupy the bays at the centre and left at all floors. The basement has a flagged area with vertically boarded timber cellar doors. The eastern elevation is obscured by the adjoining terrace (Nos 73 and 75 Dublin Street, separately listed).

Windows throughout are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case. Basement doors are predominantly 6-panel, flush-beaded examples. The roof is covered in grey slate with an M-profile. Rainwater goods are cast iron. Stacks vary in finish, with broached and rendered ridge, wallhead and gablehead examples; shouldered wallhead stacks are centred at the London Street return of the eastern terminal pavilion and the Dublin Street return of the western terminal pavilion, coped with circular cans.

The interiors were not inspected in 1997, though some evidence suggests the presence of working panelled shutters.

Ashlar copes surmount cast-iron railings with spear-headed balusters and urn finials. Cast-iron railing-mounted lamps with glass globes are fitted.

Associated mews buildings are located at 2 and 3 Dublin Street Lane North to the centre, comprising a paired group of 2-storey former coach houses with the roofline stepping down to the east. No 2 has a modern timber door and plate glass fanlight centred at ground level, flanked by a modern bowed window to the left and 2-leaf vertically boarded timber garage doors to the right. Windows at the first floor are positioned to the left and right, housed in piend-roofed dormers with stone lintels that break the eaves. No 3 has a timber door centred at ground level and 2-leaf vertically boarded timber garage doors at the left, with windows at the first floor positioned to the left and right.