55 Melville Street, Edinburgh

Robert Brown, 1814; built 1825 (No. 61 built 1860). Classical terrace comprising unified façade of 3-storey and basement, 3-bay townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind; taller 5-bay corner block to W, returning 5 bays to Manor Place. Later attic additions to Nos. 55 and 61. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, droved to basement (vermiculated to corner block), channelled to ground floor. Entrance platts oversailing basements. Banded base course. Banded cill and string courses at 1st floor. Corniced cill course at 2nd floor (banded to corner block). Corniced eaves course. Parapet to corner block, balustraded to centre. Round arched doorway to corner block with narrow sidelights, plain fanlights. Round arched recessed surrounds to outer bays of corner block at ground floor. Architraved and corniced 1st floor windows, pedimented to centre to corner block. Similar elevation to return. Cast-iron balconies at 1st floor windows. Arched cast-iron lamp standards to Melville Street.

Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case. Mansard roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar gable end and ridge stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone edging basement recess.

INTERIOR: interior typified by highly decorative classical scheme with detailed cornicing, converted for later office and residential use (2008).

ARCHED LAMP HOLDERS: decorative cast-iron arches, with lamp holder to centre and original cast-iron serpent lamp extinguisher to railings. Cast-iron one and three bat balconies to 1st floor. Cast-iron rainwater goods.