6 Carlton Terrace, Edinburgh

6 Carlton Terrace is a significant example of early 19th-century Edinburgh town housing, designed by William Playfair and constructed between 1821 and 1825, with building continuing into the mid-1830s. It forms part of a long, hairpin-shaped terrace of 19 classical townhouses. Numbers 1-4 and 14-19 have rectangular, three-bay frontages, while numbers 5-13, including number 6, are wedge-shaped with curved four-bay fronts. The building is predominantly two storeys high with a basement and a balustraded parapet; panelled parapets are present on numbers 1, 14, and 17.

The exterior is constructed of droved ashlar to the basement, polished ashlar to the upper floors, and coursed squared rubble with droved margins to the side and rear elevations. Architectural detailing includes a base course to the basement, dividing bands between the basement and ground floors, and between the ground and first floors. A modillioned eaves cornice runs along the front elevations, while the rear elevations have a simpler eaves band. Raised door surrounds are embellished with consoled cornices, and the fenestration is regular, with architraved and corniced windows, incorporating panelled aprons to the ground floor and cast-iron balconnettes to the first floor.

The principal, south-east, elevation features a timber-panelled door with a four-light fanlight beneath a platt, and basement windows to the remaining bays. A platt also overhangs a basement recess leading to a two-leaf timber-panelled door with a rectangular fanlight in the second bay from the left on the ground floor. The northwest, rear, elevation is a two-bay design.

The glazing is predominantly plate glass, with 12-pane glazing to the basement of the principal elevation. Windows are timber sash and case. The roof is double-pitched with a central valley and is covered in graded grey slate, with stone skews and skewputts. A mutual ashlar stack between numbers 6 and 7 has a canted front, cornicing, and octagonal and circular cans.

The front of the building is edged by stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border, with a wrought iron lamp standard to the left of the platt. A random rubble boundary wall with flat coping defines the rear garden.

The interior features include, on the ground floor, a corniced and pilastered doorpiece, compartmented ceiling, and good plasterwork in the entrance lobby. The former dining room has a classical black stone chimneypiece, corniced and pilastered doorpieces, and a good plasterwork cornice and ceiling rose. A good plasterwork cornice is also found in the southwest-facing rear room. The first floor’s former drawing room is notable for its classical white marble chimneypiece, corniced and pilastered doorpiece, and good plasterwork cornice and ceiling rose. The northeast-facing rear room boasts an apsidal end wall. The stair hall features an oval cupola above the stairwell, with a compartmented ceiling and good plasterwork. Stone stairs incorporate cast-iron balusters, supported by wrought iron lamp brackets and a cast-iron tray rest on the first-floor landing. Good plasterwork is also present on the landings and stair hall.