2 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

2 Regent Terrace is a townhouse built between 1831 and 1833, designed by William Playfair in 1825, with redesigns in 1831. It forms part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses, originally two storeys with a basement and attic, although many now have an additional third storey. The terrace is punctuated by two three-storey pavilions with advanced sections at each end (number 11-16 and 23-28), and a twelve-bay, three-storey section at the western end (numbers 1-4). The terrace steps down to follow the slope of the road.

The building is constructed with droved ashlar to the basement, polished ashlar to the upper floors, and coursed squared rubble with dressed margins to the rear elevation. The principal elevation features a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors. A continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border runs along the first floor. There is a band above the first-floor windows, excluding the pavilions, a main cornice dividing the first and second floors, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course. The doorpieces are formed from fluted attached Greek Doric columns. The fenestration is regular, with architraved windows on the ground, first, and second floors, and panelled aprons to the ground-floor windows. The rear elevation has predominantly regular fenestration.

The southeast (principal) elevation is three storeys and basement. The basement area is blocked with a wall containing a window and door. A timber panelled door with a four-light fanlight is positioned in the second bay from the left. Steps and a platt lead to a timber-panelled door with a letterbox fanlight and triple circle glazing. Cast-iron balconnettes adorn the second-floor windows.

The northwest (rear) elevation is two bays, with a two-storey, piend-roofed mutual outshoot to the left bay, shared with number 1. An eaves course is present.

The windows predominantly have 12-pane glazing, with 15-pane glazing on the first floor, all within timber sash and case windows. The roof is an M-roof with a central valley, covered in graded grey slate, with stone skews and skewputts. Rendered corniced ridge stacks are present to the east and west, a rendered wallhead stack to the rear, and predominantly circular cans.

To the front, stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border defines the basement recess and platt. A wrought-iron lamp standard is located to the right of the platt. A random rubble boundary wall with flat coping forms the rear garden boundary. A cast-iron downpipe with an ornamental hopper is present on the front elevation.

The interior ground floor includes a lobby with a compartmented ceiling, good plasterwork, and two Ionic granite columns. The former dining room features pilastered and corniced doorpieces, good plasterwork, and a classical black stone chimneypiece. A rear room to the east has good plasterwork. A stone cantilevered staircase with ornate cast-iron balusters ascends from the lobby.