12 Windsor Street, Edinburgh

12 Windsor Street, Edinburgh

A Grade-A listed building, this classical terraced range was designed by William H Playfair in 1822. The street comprises a continuous range of terraced houses with a 33-bay principal elevation, providing 3 bays per house. The buildings are two storeys over basement.

The principal elevation faces southeast and is constructed in polished ashlar, though the stonework at Nos 16, 18, and 26 and the doorpieces have been painted. The basement is finished in droved ashlar, also painted to Nos 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18. The rear elevations employ squared coursed rubble with droved dressings. The architecture features a base course, cill bands to both ground and first floors, and a continuous wrought iron balcony to the first floor with a trellis pattern and Greek key border, supported by scrolled brackets. An eaves cornice and blocking course complete the classical composition.

The principal architectural feature of the ground floor is the Greek Doric doorpiece, which comprises fluted engaged columns supporting an entablature. Access to the basements is via steps leading down to sunken areas from the left of each plot. The basement doors are timber-panelled with fanlights; most feature four-light fanlights, though variations exist (three-light to Nos 18 and 20, plate glass to No 22, and blocked openings to Nos 10 and 14). The ground floor doors are also timber-panelled, again with fanlights typically displaying a letterbox opening. Some variations in door treatment are evident, including out-of-character modern timber and glazed replacements to certain properties. At Nos 14, 18, and 20, what were originally doorways to the ground floor have been built up to form windows.

The fenestration is regular throughout. Windows predominantly retain 12-pane glazing in timber sash and case frames, though certain properties have been altered to plate glass (to Nos 6, 10, 14, 16, and partially to No 18). No 8 features fixed timber top sash with two side-hung timber casements below. Window surrounds feature painted architraves to ground and first floors, except at Nos 20, 22, 24, and 26. The ground floor windows have sunk panelled aprons.

Basement fenestration includes windows to left and right bays; however, some basement areas have been significantly altered. The area under the platt has been blocked in by walls at Nos 10, 12, and 14. Nos 10 and 12 feature out-of-character glazing to their right basement bay, and No 16 has undergone substantial out-of-character alteration to all basement openings.

The roofline features a double-pitch roof clad in graded grey slate. The chimneys comprise six corniced ashlar mutual ridge stacks preceded by linked individual octagonal flues, alongside four corniced rendered mutual ridge stacks with a mixture of octagonal and circular cans. Decorative cast-iron rain water hoppers are present at Nos 8 and 18.

The cast-iron railings edging the basement recesses and platts feature spear-head and pine cone finials, spear-headed dog bars, and a circle-patterned top border. However, modern railings blocking access to the platt have been installed at Nos 14, 18, and 20.

Interior spaces vary in their state of preservation and alteration. At 10 Windsor Street, the ground floor lobby retains compartmented ceiling and good plasterwork including a frieze. The staircase features stone steps with cast-iron balusters, though the cupola has been blocked off. At 12 Windsor Street, the subdivided lobby contains a round-headed niche to the right and compartmented ceiling with good plasterwork. The former dining room features a columned black slate chimneypiece. The stairs have been removed from this property.

At 16 Windsor Street, the ground floor lobby features a round-headed niche to the right, a pilastered opening to the stair hall, compartmented ceiling, and good plasterwork. The stair hall retains stone stairs with cast-iron balusters, a blocked-off cupola, and good plasterwork including a classical plaque at ground floor level.

At 18 Windsor Street, the staircase comprises stone steps with cast-iron balusters.

At 26 Windsor Street, the ground floor lobby features a geometric and encaustic tiled floor, a round-headed niche to the right, and a pilastered timber screen with leaded and coloured glazing. The compartmented ceiling displays good plasterwork. The former dining room contains a timber chimneypiece with good plasterwork and a ceiling rose. The south-facing rear room features a classical black slate chimneypiece with good plasterwork. The stairs and stair hall retain stone stairs with cast-iron balusters and an oval cupola set within a sail-vaulted ceiling; the plasterwork is of good quality throughout.