City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh

John Adam and John Fergus, 1754-61, with later alterations and additions including Robert Morham, 1898-1904 and Ebenezer J MacRae, 1930-4. Four storey (ten storeys to rear) U-plan council building with open arcaded screen to High Street flanked by 13-bay wings. Craigleith stone ashlar, channelled to ground to principal elevations (except right wing to High street). Dividing band between ground and first floors; cill band to first and second floors; eaves cornice and blocking course. Gibbs surrounds to first floor windows; corniced architraves to second.

South elevation to courtyard: seven-bay arcaded loggia to ground floor with balustraded parapet. Three bays to centre slightly advanced; urn finials to pedimented tetrastyle centrepiece with fluted Corinthian columns; foliate sculpture and City arms to tympanum.

East and west elevations to courtyard: Nine bays. Tripartite openings with fanlights to ground floor (see Notes).

North (rear) elevation: advanced two-bay sections to left and centre; regularly fenestrated. Projecting wing to right (Robert Morham, 1901-4) with Edwardian Baroque detailing including oeuil-de-boeuf windows, pedimented aedicule, sculpture group and balustraded parapet to upper storeys.

Arcaded screen to High Street: flat-roofed groin-vaulted seven-arched ashlar screen, channelled to High Street elevation, with urn-topped balustraded parapet. Armorial pediment with sculpture group and date (1903). War memorial beneath centre arch.

South elevation to High Street: 13-bay elevations to right and left (outer ten bays by EJ MacRae, 1930-4). Advanced piend-roofed three-bay outer pavilions, those to left with fanlights over tripartite openings to centre at ground floor; those to left with consoled segmental pediments to doors, consoled triangular pediment to door to centre.

Interior: timber-panelled lobby and stair hall (largely re-fitted 1936-8); scale and platt stair with turned balusters and moulded handrail. Old Council Room (formerly Board Room of Customs House): Corinthian-columned screen (former ante-chamber); timber- panelled walls with dentilled cornice and coved ceiling; doorways with carved friezes and broken pediments; three niches, that to centre with bronze statue in Roman armour (see Notes); black marble chimneypiece with consoled, carved timber surround and pedimented overmantle with clock and painting (Edinburgh Castle, 1886). first floor committee-room New Council Room (Robert Morham, 1901-4): timber-panelled rectangular-plan room with Ionic pilasters and ends screened by Ionic columns; coffered dome with rosettes and stained glass cupola; timber balustraded public gallery and armorial chimneypiece. Dining Room: paired fluted Ionic pilasters and wall paintings of historical scenes by William Hole (1903-9).

Predominantly plate glass in timber sash and case windows. Corniced ashlar stacks with circular cans. Cast iron down pipes with decorative hoppers. Grey slates.