9 Gayfield Square, Edinburgh

The building at * and 8B Gayfield Square, Edinburgh, is a pair of double houses built as a terrace between 1790 and 1800, with later alterations. It is two storeys high, with a basement and an attic, facing Gayfield Square. The front is constructed of coursed rubble ashlar, with droved margins to the basement (which is partially painted) and the rear. A dividing band sits between the basement and ground floor, and there is an eaves cornice. The windows are generally regular in their arrangement.

The main, or north-east, elevation has steps and a platt extending over the basement recess in the central two bays. To the left, a later doorway is framed with an architrave and cornice, and has a shouldered design with a central trumeau. This separates a timber-panelled door to the left from a flush timber door to the right; both doors have asymmetrical fanlights above. To the right, a timber-panelled door is set within a similar architraved and corniced doorpiece. Tripartite windows flank the doorways in the outer left and right bays. Three dormer windows are visible in the roof, with two panes to the left.

The south-west, or rear, elevation is four bays wide. The left bays are largely obscured by an adjoining warehouse (which is not listed), and a later additional storey has been added to the right bays. A glazed door with a letterbox fanlight is located in the inner right bay at basement level. Single tripartite windows are positioned on the first floor in the outer left and outer right bays. An eaves course runs along the left side, becoming a dividing band between the first and second floors on the right.

The windows are predominantly timber sash and case windows. The basement windows contain 12 panes; the centre lights of the rear tripartite windows and the left tripartite window on the front elevation have 12 panes. The inner right bay at the rear has eight panes. Dormer windows have four panes, while the rest of the fenestration is mostly plate glass in timber sash and case windows, although the tripartite window to the right of the front elevation has fixed panes only. The roof is pitched and covered in graded grey slate, with a corniced, rendered ridge stack to the northwest. Cast iron downpipes with trefoil fixing brackets are present on the front elevation, along with two rooflights on the right side.

Spear-head and urn finialled cast iron railings, set into ashlar coping, edge the basement recess, steps, and platt at the front. Plain replacement railings and a stone coping are at the rear.