South Lodge, Scottish National Gallery Of Modern Art, 74 Belford Road, Edinburgh

South Lodge is a substantial building of 1825-8, designed by William Burn, and later extended. Originally a school, it is now part of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art and stands within landscaped parkland.

The main façade is a formal composition, centered around a six-column Greek Doric portico with a pediment, set within an antis. This is flanked by five recessed bays, with advanced and pilastered three-bay end pavilions. The building is constructed from sandstone ashlar, with a banded base course, a banded cill course at the first floor, and a corniced eaves course featuring a triglyph entablature across the entire façade. The main entrance is framed by a moulded architrave, topped with a latticework fanlight above a two-leaf door. The ground and first floor windows are similarly moulded, with the ground floor windows heavily corniced.

The north elevation is three storeys high with seven bays, featuring an advanced five-bay centre and pilastered corner details to the recessed bays. It has paired, shouldered arched tripartite windows at the first floor, within recessed surrounds, and with ashlar transoms and narrow sidelights. The south elevation is similar in design to the north.

The west (rear) elevation is three storeys high with 22 bays, including an advanced four-bay centre and advanced and pilastered two-bay end pavilions. It is constructed from coursed squared rubble with ashlar quoins, with some ashlar facing to the end pavilions. It has band courses at ground and first floor levels, banded cill courses and a corniced eaves course with a triglyph entablature to the end pavilions. Regular fenestration is present with large rectangular windows at the first floor level; blind windows are located on the end pavilions. A single-storey, double-gabled outbuilding extends to the far right (south) with a timber louvered ventilator to the roof, connected to the main block by a single-storey corridor. Later outbuildings are positioned to the far left (north).

The majority of the windows are large, 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The advanced block at the rear has a piended roof covered in grey slates. Corniced ashlar ridge stacks are topped with modern clay cans, and the building features cast-iron rainwater goods. The interior is predominantly plain, now adapted for use as an art gallery with later additions and alterations.

A South Gate Lodge, constructed from sandstone ashlar with a Doric portico and moulded architraved windows, is located nearby, with some later additions to the rear. Corniced sandstone ashlar piers support cast-iron vehicle and pedestrian gates adjacent to the lodge. A smaller, T-plan North Gate Lodge, built from coursed squared rubble with ashlar quoins and raised sandstone architraved window surrounds, is also present, with piers and gates similar to those at the south lodge.