Crown Office, 23-25 Chambers Street, Edinburgh

John Chesser, 1886-88 incorporating 2 earlier, recessed buildings immediately to left and right of central pavilion (see Notes). Substantial, predominantly 2-storey with basement and attic, former educational building with elaborate Free Renaissance 6-4-3-4-6 bay composition, stepped to follow gentle slope of Chamber Street. Sandstone ashlar; channelled at ground floor. Deep-moulded cill courses; dentiled eaves and blocking course. Balustraded cill aprons at 1st floor. Mansard roof with ornate iron cresting.

FURTHER DESCRIPTION: 3-storey central pavilion with pair of coupled Roman Doric columns flanking round arched entrance with rope moulding. Corinthian columns at 1st floor flanking central tripartite bow window; sculptured pilasters and central tripartite with Corinthianesque colonnettes at 2nd floor. Above, scrolled pediment bearing figure of putto at anvil; truncated pyramid roof with wrought-iron crown.

Recessed 3 storey and attic, 4-bay to left (former phrenological museum): ground floor canted bay with stilted segmental arches and portrait keystones; balustraded parapet above. Key-blocked and segmental-arched windows to 1st floor; round-arched to 2nd, all with Corinthianesque columns. Segmental-headed, moulded pediment to dormer above. Recessed 2-storey and attic, 4 bay to right (E): segmental-arched openings; key-blocked and consoled at 1st floor, segmental-arched dormers. W wing repeats this treatment for 3 bays and ends in a 3-bay centre bay pavilion with round-arched ground floor; Roman Doric pilasters at 1st with ornamented necking and frieze; sculptured attic panel. Bipartite round-arched windows to W flank. E wing: 3-bay to left with superimposed pilasters, coupled at ground floor, broad at 1st floor. Corinthianesque columns to windows. Dormer approximately answering the phrenological museum; remaining 3-bays repeat of right side of W wing.

Predominantly 4 and 8-pane timber sash and case windows. Grey slate. Cast-iron rainwater goods. Slated mansard roofs with elaborate iron cresting.

INTERIOR: seen 2007 - comprehensive late 20th century refurbishment for use as Crown Offices serving Sheriff Court to rear.