12 Melville Street, Edinburgh

Robert Brown, 1814, built 1822-23. Extensive classical terrace comprising unified façade of 3-storey and basement 3-bay, townhouses with main-door and common stair flats behind; taller 3-storey and attic, rounded corner block returning 3-bay to Queensferry Street (E) and corner block returning to Stafford Street (W) built 1856. Basement area to street including some vaulted cellars and retaining walls. Sandstone ashlar, channelled to ground floor. Band course to ground floor. Banded cill course to 1st floor, rising to further banding between windows. Cast-iron balconies on foliate brackets to 1st floor windows.

E CORNER BLOCK: 5 symmetrical bays to Melville Street, slightly advanced end bays. Central round arched doorway, blind sidelights, radial fanlight. Pedimented central 1st floor window, architraved and corniced to outer bays. 4 unevenly spaced dormers set between flanking parapets. Pilastered round arched doorway to curved bay; corniced 1st floor window in roundarched surround, blind balustrade, architraved square 2nd floor window with narrow sidelights, carved panel to parapet. Similar 5-bay return to Queensferry Street with addition of ashlar attic storey. Later plate glass round arched openings to commercial premises at ground floor.

W CORNER BLOCK: 5 symmetrical bays to Melville Street, slightly advanced end bays. Similar to E corner block but doorway with plain rectangular fanlight and balustraded parapet. Return to Stafford Street similar to that at Melville Street but with blind window above doorway.

Predominantly 6- over 9-pane and 12-pane windows in timber sash and case; plate glass in timber sash and case to Nos. 20 and 22. Double pitch M-section roof; grey slates. Corniced ashlar parapet and gable stacks with modern clay cans. Cast-iron railings on ashlar coping stone edging basement recess.

INTERIOR: interior typified by highly decorative classical scheme with detailed cornicing, converted for later office and residential use (2008).

ARCHED LAMP HOLDERS: decorative cast-iron arches, with lamp holder to centre. Glass lamp bowls to 20 and 22. Original cast-iron serpent lamp extinguisher to railings.