Douglas Hotel, 35 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh

The Douglas Hotel, located at 35 St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, is an A-listed building originally designed by James Craig in 1769. It was extended to the east by Archibald Elliot in 1819, with the northeast wing added by Peddie & Kinnear in 1865. The building underwent restoration by Ben Tindall Architects in 1989. This symmetrical, three-storey former house features a basement and is situated on a corner site with a forecourt in front of Dundas House. The exterior is made of polished cream sandstone ashlar, which has been cleaned, and includes a channelled basement. The ground and first floors are adorned with a giant Ionic order, and the entablature features a fluted frieze, rosettes, and a dentilled cornice. The full ashlar attic storey is highlighted by piers with ball finials at the corners.

The west elevation facing St Andrew Square has five bays, with the three central bays featuring attached columns, a projecting entablature, and urns atop the attic piers. The central entrance includes a lowered two-leaf panelled door with a plate glass fanlight above. The east elevation consists of six bays, with the three bays on the right set back slightly, and includes a wallhead stack.

The windows are timber sash and case, with variations in pane numbers including 15-pane, 12-pane, 9-pane, 4-pane, and plate glass, all consistent within their respective floors and elevations. The roof is piended with a gable to the north, featuring concrete coped skews and grey slates, along with a flagpole.

Inside, much of the interior dates from 1819 and includes a three-bay double height columnar screen, with Corinthian columns above Ionic ones, leading to an imperial stair. The screen is decorated with trompe l'oeil landscapes of the Forth valley, framed by modern pilasters and lit by an oculus in a ribbed dome on wreathed pendentives. There is a resited doorcase to the landing, and the front room on the first floor features a Doric frieze, possibly from the 18th century, along with an Ionic marble chimneypiece.

Additionally, there are two cast-iron lamp standards on ashlar piers flanking the entrance, and simple diamond pattern cast-iron railings on ashlar footings at the front.