36 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

Number 36 Royal Terrace is a townhouse designed by William Playfair between 1820 and 1824, built between 1823 and the early 1830s. It forms part of an extremely long 121-bay palace front terrace with a distinctive composition: the centre features a 3-storey section with attic punctuated by three 3-storey and attic Corinthian colonnaded pavilions; to left and right are flanking 3-storey balustraded sections leading to 3-storey sections with 3-storey and attic Ionic colonnaded pavilions; 2-storey balustraded sections occupy the outer left and right ends. All houses sit over basements.

The principal elevation displays droved ashlar to the basement, V-chamfered rustication to the ground floor, and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation is predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. The principal elevation features a base course, dividing band between basement and ground floor, impost course to the ground floor, dividing band between ground and first floors, narrow band course to the first floor broken by a window to each bay, band courses above the second floor, eaves cornice, and balustraded parapet. Fenestration is regular throughout; the ground floor is distinguished by round-headed openings in round-headed overarches.

The north principal elevation is 3 bays wide with 3-storey basement and attic. To the basement, there is a window to the left bay; the centre bay contains a timber and glazed door with 3-light fanlight in a segmentally-headed opening; the right bay has an area under the platt blocked by a wall with window and louvred door. At ground floor level, the right bay features steps and platt overarching the basement recess, leading to a timber-panelled door with flanking 4-light margin lights (currently blocked) and segmental fanlight. To the roof are 2 canted pilastered timber dormers. The south rear elevation is 2 bays wide, with band course dividing ground and first floors, cornice and band course dividing second and attic floors, and eaves cornice.

Glazing is predominantly plate glass to the principal elevation and 4-pane to the rear elevation, with 12-pane glazing to the basement front elevation. Windows are predominantly timber sash and case. The roof is M-shaped with central valleys, finished in graded grey slate with stone skews and skewputts. Ridge stacks to the west are mutual corniced ashlar with some octagonal flues; to the east is a mutual corniced ridge stack; cans are predominantly circular.

To the front, railings edge the basement recess and platt; these are cast-iron with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border, set upon stone coping. To the rear, a random rubble boundary wall with flat coping forms the garden edge.

The interior is distinguished by fine plasterwork throughout. The ground floor lobby has a compartmented ceiling, with a glazed door and screen separating it from the inner hall, featuring a segmental fanlight and foliate architrave. The former dining room retains a corniced and pilastered doorpiece and excellent plasterwork including to the ceiling. The rear room to the east has corniced and pilastered doorpieces, a painted classical stone chimneypiece, and good plasterwork. The first floor former drawing room and rear room to the east feature classical grey marble chimneypieces, corniced and pilastered doorpieces, and excellent plasterwork to the ceilings. The stone cantilevered stairs with cast-iron balusters are notable, with an oval cupola above a panelled oval dome in the stairwell above, and simple plasterwork to stairs and landings.