27, 29, 31 Alva Street, Edinburgh

27, 29, and 31 Alva Street in Edinburgh is a classical terrace of townhouses designed by J Gillespie Graham in 1823 and built by R Hutchinson between 1826 and 1830. The building is three stories high and features a seven-bay façade that is unified, with main doors leading to common stair flats behind. There is a basement area that includes vaulted cellars and retaining walls.

The exterior is constructed of sandstone ashlar, which is droved at the basement and channelled at the ground floor. The entrance platts overhang the basement, and there is a base course at the ground floor, along with banded cill courses at the first and second floors. The corniced eaves course is topped with a blocking course. The doors are set in round arched surrounds and feature fanlights with radial glazing. The windows on the first and second floors are architraved, with the first-floor windows having cornices. There are cast-iron anthemion balconies on the first floor.

The windows predominantly consist of 15-pane and 12-pane designs in timber sash and case. The roof is a double pitch M-section covered with grey slates, and there are corniced ashlar gable stacks with modern clay cans. Additionally, there are cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone that edges the basement recess to the street.