109 Princes Street, Edinburgh

110 Princes Street in Edinburgh is a four-storey attic and garret building, originally designed as a hotel in 1869 by John Lessels. The structure features eight bays in a French Renaissance style and has modern shopfronts at ground level. It is constructed from polished cream sandstone ashlar.

The building has an arched doorway located at the center right, which is framed by polished pink granite Corinthian columns and topped with a modillioned cornice. Two urns are positioned on the parapet above. The cornice is preserved on the west shop, which has a modern plate glass front, while the east shop is slightly built out. A cast-iron balustrade runs across the front of the building.

On the upper floors, the two-bay centerpiece is slightly advanced and framed by barley twist nook-shafts that extend to the third floor. The outer bays feature canted windows that rise through the first and second floors, with the left window being timber. The central bays have arched windows on the first floor, which are architraved on the second floor. The two center bays on the second floor are adorned with mask keystones and a consoled balcony that has a cast-iron balustrade. The third floor includes a corbelled cill course and squat panelled pilastrade, with segmental-headed windows. A modillioned cornice crowns the building.

The two center bays have a tall pavilion roof and feature a pilastered and pedimented tripartite wallhead dormer. The flanking bays also have wallhead dormers with segmental pediments, all connected by a cast-iron balustrade. There are six arched garret dormers set back above. The windows throughout are timber sash and case with plate glass. The building has ashlar coped skews, corniced ashlar stacks, and is covered with grey slates.

Inside, the shops have been modernized, but a very fine three-storey top-lit cast-iron galleried saloon remains intact at the rear of No 110. Decorative cornices can be found on the first floor, with openings leading to the adjoining store at 112 (Debenhams). The Gladstone Memorial Library, which includes a bust of William Gladstone (1809-1898), is located on the first floor.