4, 6 Merchiston Crescent, Edinburgh

Circa 1868. Large 2-storey 4-bay asymmetrical villa; cream sandstone, coursed and snecked rubble with polished ashlar dressings (some droved ashlar and bull-faced dressings to rear); band course at ground floor; string course at 1st floor continuing capitals; architraved segmental-arched windows with ashlar colonnette-mullions and nook-shafts and carved foliate capitals to front and sides; channelled quoins; paired brackets to eaves cornice; decorative balustrade (missing to W) with festooned urn finials.

S (FRONT) ELEVATION: recessed outer right bay with single storey entrance porch in re-entrant angle comprised of segmental arches carried on column with capitals of foliage and masques, balustrade with ball finial, panelled door with moulded surround, tiled vestibule; single window above porch. Remaining 3 bays comprised of slightly recessed central bay with advanced tripartite window at ground floor (central window enlarged to form door), 2 single windows at 1st floor; channel-quoined outer bays with canted windows at ground floor, parapet and ball finials and bipartite windwos above with floral chip-carving to lintel. W (EAST CASTLE ROAD) ELEVATION: 3-bay; single windows in bay to centre (taller at ground); slightly advanced tripartite windows at ground floor to outer bays, bipartite windows with floral chip-carving to lintel above.

E ELEVATION: 3-bay; tripartite window at ground floor by bay to left, single window above; advanced central bay with single window at ground floor, bipartite window with bracketted cill above; chamfered bay to outer right, single window at ground floor, single window with bracketted cill at 1st floor.

N (REAR) ELEVATION: advanced bay to left corbelled above ground floor; single window at 1st floor, bipartite window with bracketted cill just breaking eaves with plain parapet; corbelled corner turret at 1st floor in re-entrant angle to right with single window; central single storey extension with piend roof to right; tall round-arched stair window above flanked by single windows; at ground floor rear door to left, single windows at 1st floor of recessed bay to outer right.

Plate glass timber sash and case windows, slate piend and platform roof; 2 corniced ridge stacks, 1 wallhead stack to rear; moulded cast-iron gutterheads.

INTERIOR: not seen 1992.

3 substantial square tapering coped gatepiers with cut-away arrises (2 additional ones at new development in adjoining ground).