7 East Brighton Crescent, Portobello, Edinburgh

These are a mirrored pair of two-storey with basement, three-bay classical terraced houses with single-storey pavilions, built around 1827 by John Baxter of Portobello. They are located on East Brighton Crescent in Portobello, Edinburgh.

The houses are constructed from polished ashlar stone at ground level, with channelled detailing. The basement and flanking pavilions are of droved ashlar. The side elevation and rear of No 8 are harled, while the side and rear of No 7 have squared and snecked stonework. A band course runs between the basement and ground floors, and again between the ground and first floors. A cill course is present at the first floor level, topped by a cornice and blocking course. The pavilions feature a band course and coping.

The principal (north) elevation has steps leading to deep-set, panelled two-leaf doors (five steps to No 7, four to No 8), each with a plate glass rectangular fanlight above. There is a window above each door at the first floor. Windows are present in each floor of the intermediate bays, with a basement window to the right bay of No 7 and a central basement window in No 8. Each pavilion has a window, and the outer bay has a boarded door.

The rear (south) elevation has a central bay of No 7 that is blank. Glazed doors with plate glass rectangular fanlights are present in the ground floor bays of No 8, with an extension containing a glazed room at ground level on the left bay. A modern timber staircase leads from the left bay at ground level to ground level. Basement windows are present in the outer bays.

The windows on the principal elevation are timber sash and case windows with plate glass. The rear windows are 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The roofs are grey slate, piended, with shallow half-piended roofs to the pavilions. Chimneys are constructed of ashlar with some render, coped mutual stacks to the front, a rendered and coped mutual stack to the rear, rendered and coped wallhead stacks to the east and rear of No 7, and ashlar and coped wallhead stacks to the west and rear of No 8.

The interior of No 7 was not inspected in 1994. No 8 features a bordered and engraved glazed vestibule door, encaustic tiles in the hall, an original cast-iron balustrade, plaster cornices to the hall and main rooms (including a notable ceiling rose in the hall), a white marble chimney piece in the front first-floor room, working shutters, and wood panelling in the principal ground floor room.

The front boundary wall is of droved ashlar with a coping, formerly with railings which are now broken to the right of No 8.