45 Manor Place, Edinburgh

47 Manor Place is a substantial classical terrace built between 1827 and 1867 by Robert Brown and John Lessels. It comprises a unified facade of two- and three-storey townhouses with attics and basements, arranged behind both main-door entrances and common staircases. Later attic additions include an extra storey to numbers 37-45. The five-bay corner blocks are slightly projecting to the north and south.

The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar, with droved ashlar to the basement and channelled ashlar at ground floor level. The entrance platts overhang the basement, which includes vaulted cellars and retaining walls. A banded base course runs along the bottom, and a similarly banded cill course is present at the first and second floors. A string course runs between the windows at the first floor of the corner blocks. A corniced eaves course sits above the main facade, while the corner blocks feature a stepped and balustraded parapet and the central section has a balustraded parapet related to the later attic additions.

The main entrance doors are timber, six-panelled, with plain doorpieces and rectangular fanlights above. The corner blocks have round-arched doorways with narrow sidelights and plain fanlights. Ground-floor windows in the corner blocks are round-arched and recessed. The first-floor windows are surrounded by moulded architraves; those in the corner blocks have cornices, and the centre of the corner blocks feature a pedimented and bracketed surround above the first-floor windows. Moulded architraved surrounds are used for the windows of the additional attic storey. Cast-iron balconies, supported on scrolled brackets, are located at the first-floor windows. Later rectangular, lead-roofed dormers are present on numbers 33 and 35.

The rear elevation is two and three storeys high, with some bays projecting. It is constructed of coursed squared rubble with ashlar lintels, sills and rybats. Fenestration is broadly regular, featuring some tripartite windows.

Predominantly timber sash and case windows with 6 over 9-pane and 12-pane glazing are present, although some plate glass in timber sash and case windows is also incorporated. The roof is double-pitched, with grey slates; the wallhead is corniced and incorporates ashlar ridge stacks topped with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings sit on a sandstone coping stone edging the basement recess to the street, and cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted.

The interiors are characterised by plain classical detailing, including cornicing, largely with floreate designs. Fire surrounds feature broken pediments. Some oval internal rooms are present, with detailed plasterwork door surrounds and cornicing.