4 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

4 Regent Terrace is a substantial townhouse built between 1826 and 1833 to a design by William Playfair. It forms part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses, originally consisting of three bays each with a basement, two main storeys, and an attic. Many of the townhouses have subsequently been extended to include a third storey. The terrace incorporates two larger pavilions with 18 bays each, featuring three-bay advanced sections at each end (numbers 11-16 and 23-28), and a 12-bay section at the western end (numbers 1-4). The terrace steps down at intervals to align with the road's slope.

The building is constructed of droved ashlar at basement level and polished ashlar above. The rear elevation is of coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. The principal elevation features a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors. A continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border runs along the first floor. A band sits above the first-floor windows, excluding those in the pavilions. Other features include a main cornice dividing the first and second floors, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course. The doorpieces are formed of fluted attached Greek Doric columns. Fenestration is regular on the principal elevation, with architraved windows on the ground, first and second floors, and panelled aprons to the ground-floor windows. The rear elevation has predominantly regular fenestration.

The south-east (principal) elevation is three storeys and has a basement. At basement level, the central bay has a timber panelled door with a three-light fanlight, and a window is located in the left bay, with the area below the platt now blocked by a wall incorporating a window. A ground-floor entrance has steps and a platt overlooking a basement recess, leading to a two-leaf timber panelled door with a letterbox fanlight.

The north-west (rear) elevation is three bays wide, with a later full-height extension incorporating a single-storey ground-floor extension, in the centre. A tripartite window that incorporates a door sits in the right bay at ground-floor level. An eaves course runs along the top.

The windows primarily use plate glass. The basement windows on the front elevation have 12 panes, while the tripartite window on the rear has multi-pane glazing, both within timber sash and case windows. The roof is an M-roof with a central valley, covered in graded grey slate, with stone skews and skewputts. Rendered corniced mutual ridge stacks are positioned at the east and west ends, a small wallhead stack is at the rear, and a wall end stack is on the east elevation of the extension. The stacks primarily have circular cans.

Stone coping with cast-iron railings featuring dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border lines the front, along the basement recess and platt. A wrought-iron lamp standard stands to the left of the platt. Random rubble walls with flat coping form the rear garden boundary.

The interior ground floor contains a lobby with a compartmented ceiling, excellent plasterwork, and a screen of fluted Corinthian columns and pilasters. The former dining room also has good plasterwork. The first floor has good plasterwork, including a classical marble chimneypiece in the former drawing room. A stone cantilevered staircase with ornate cast-iron balusters leads to the upper floors, with a timber screen at the foot of the stairs. The entrance hall on the ground floor has timber panelling.