15, 17, 19, 21A William Street, Edinburgh

15, 17, 19, and 21A William Street in Edinburgh is a substantial three-storey and basement commercial terrace, likely designed by Robert Brown between 1824 and 1825. The building features a plain classical style with early 19th century shop premises on the ground floor. It has two bays that return to William Street NE Lane, and the ground falls to the north.

The exterior is finished in smooth sandstone ashlar, which is painted at the ground floor on the south elevation. The east elevation consists of coursed squared rubble with long and short ashlar quoins. Notable architectural details include a corniced fascia, a banded cill course at the first and second floors, and a corniced eaves course topped with a narrow blocking course.

On the west elevation facing William Street NE Lane, the building appears roughly four storeys high with two bays, and the ground level falls to the north. The ground and lower ground floors are finished in painted rubble, with tooled rybats around the openings and a relieving arch above the first-floor window.

The north (rear) elevation is three storeys high and features 24 bays of roughly squared and coursed rubble, accented with tooled long and short quoin stones. The fenestration is irregular, with tooled rybats for the lintels and cills.

The shop fronts vary, with some featuring plate glass and others having fixed 12-pane timber shop windows. The first and second floors have 12-pane timber sash and case windows. The building is topped with corniced gable end stacks that have modern clay cans, corniced ashlar ridge stacks, and ashlar skews. Additionally, there are cast iron railings at the street edge of the basement recess where applicable, along with cast-iron rainwater goods.