40, 41, 42 Queen Street, Edinburgh

Circa 1785. 3-storey basement and attic, 7-bay classical tenement with 2 main door houses flanking central common stair. Droved Craigleith sandstone ashlar (coursed stone to basement). Separate steps to doors at centre; Nos 40 and 41 architraved and corniced, with flush-panelled doors (altered at former); No 42 tripartite and pilastered with panelled door; 6-pane fanlight to No 40, 3-pane to No 41, plate glass to No 42. 2 different bipartite dormers; multitude of rooflights. Basement at No 40 (40a) with flush-panelled door, 5-pane flanlight, and single window to left; access to common basement door; at No 42, porch created to 42a under stair, 2 windows to right.

Coursed rubble 4-storey irregular 4-bay rear elevation; cut back at corner (No 40); to far left, projecting closet tower to 1st floor, tripartite window at 2nd floor.

12-pane timber sash and case windows (plate glass to upper E flat). Very substantial dressed stone mutual stacks; grey slates.

INTERIOR: No 41 with turnpike tenement stair at front of building.

No 40 with archway in Hall filled by modern glazed screen; straight flighted stair on axis, with round-headed window (continues to basement). 2 ground floor rooms slapped together, chimneypieces removed. At 1st floor, Drawing Room with panelled dado, ceiling enriched with geometric display of husks, modern coved cornice, and plain 19th century chimneypiece with cast-iron register grate. No 42 with pilastered basket arch in Hall and central curved cantilevered stair, with plain square banisters (positioned behind tenement stair). Dining Room with pilastered sideboard recess, dado and timber chimneypiece (not entered 1995).

RAILINGS: cast-iron spearhead railings (enriched at steps of No 40).