5 Sandford Gardens, Edinburgh

John Baxter of Portobello, circa 1826. 4, 2-storey with basement classical 3-bay houses. Pair of a 6-house terraced polished ashlar, deeply-channelled at ground; harled basement to No 5; vertical droving to ashlar, basement at No 6; droved ashlar basement to Nos 7 and 8; rubble side (SE) elevation and rear. Band course between basement and ground, ground and 1st floor; cornice and blocking course.

SW (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: 4 ashlar steps with original cast-iron handrails to deep-set panelled door in each house, in bay to left (modern flush door to No 5; Edinburgh panelled doors to Nos 6-8); rectangular fanlight above each (radial to No 5; plate glass to Nos 6-8); window at 1st floor above. Window to each floor at centre and bay to right. Window to basement of No 5, bay to right; 19th century vents to basement of No 6; boarded door with upper section glazed, to centre and window at bay to right, Nos 7 and 8. Fine cast-iron window guard/ balcony, lattice with Greek-key pattern borders to 1st floor (see also Nos 4-5). No 6 also has a cast iron balcony/window guard but of a different design; Nos 7 and 8 do not have their balconies in place.

NE (REAR) ELEVATION: blank bay to centre of each house. Window to each floor of outer bays. Later glazed porch in bay to right, ground, No 5; modern glazed door to centre, basement, and windows to each bay flanking. Rear of Nos 6-8 not seen fully, 1994; full-height shallow canted bay to right of No 6 with half-piended roof.

12-pane timber sash and case windows to principal and rear elevations, except to principal elevation of No 5 where 4-pane timber sash and case windows to ground, 6-pane timber sash and case to 1st floor. Grey slate M-roof; coped skew between each house. Rendered and coped mutual stacks between Nos 4-5, 5-6; ashlar coped mutual stacks between Nos 6-7, 7-8; ashlar coped wallhead stacks to front and rear of SE elevation. Mutual stacks to rear of each property are the same in material as on principal elevation.

INTERIORS: shutters in place and working at No 5; stone paving to hall and stairs; cast-iron banister in place; black marble chimneypiece to front room, ground, with slate hearth; original cornice (now heavily painted); oval cupola to stairwell; white marble chimneypiece to front room, 1st floor, with intricate cornice including Greek-key pattern. Interiors of Nos 6-8 not seen, 1994.

BOUNDARY WALLS: droved ashlar (now weathered) with coping; modern coping to No 7. Tall rubble garden walls to rear of No 5, not seen at Nos 6-8.