29 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

29 Regent Terrace is a substantial townhouse built between 1826 and 1833, designed by William Playfair as part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses. It forms part of a visually cohesive block, notable for two larger pavilions with advanced sections at either end (numbered 11-16 and 23-28), and a shorter western section (numbered 1-4). The terrace steps down to follow the slope of the road.

The building is constructed of painted droved ashlar at basement level, polished ashlar to the upper floors, and coursed squared rubble with dressed margins to the rear. The principal (south-east) elevation features a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor and the ground and first floors, a continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border to the first floor, a cill course, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course. A doorpiece is formed of fluted attached Greek Doric columns. Windows are regularly placed, with architraved surrounds to the ground and first floors, panelled aprons below the ground-floor windows, and predominantly regular fenestration to the rear.

On the principal elevation, the basement level has windows and a timber-panelled door with a four-light fanlight in the centre bay. The ground floor right-hand bay has steps and a platform leading to a two-leaf timber-panelled door with a letterbox fanlight. A box dormer is situated on the roof. The rear (north-west) elevation, which is two bays wide, has dormer windows including one bipartite one recessed into the roof.

The windows are predominantly plate glass on the front elevation, with twelve-pane glazing to the basement. In the rear elevation, the windows are a mix of two-pane bottom sashes and eight-pane top sashes, set in timber sash and case windows. The roof is covered in graded grey slate with stone skewbacks and skewputts. Corniced chimney stacks rise to the east and west, each preceded by an octagonal flue and topped with circular cans.

To the front, stone coping topped with cast-iron railings featuring dog bars, spearhead finials, and a distinctive circled border edges the basement recess and platform. A random rubble boundary wall with flat coping defines the rear garden.

The interior has been subdivided into flats. The ground floor contains a lobby with a timber-panelled and glazed door, a geometric tiled floor, a round-headed niche, a screen of pilasters and fluted Ionic columns, exceptional plasterwork, and a former dining room with a black marble fireplace, corniced and pilastered doorpieces and good plasterwork. A rear room on the west side has a classical black marble fireplace, good plasterwork, and curved corners to the window end of the room. A stone cantilevered staircase, altered to ground floor level, has timber balusters and a rectangular cupola. Good plasterwork adorns the stairwell ceiling and landings.