68 and 70 Constitution Street, Edinburgh

Early 19th century tenement, with addition of attic storey James Simpson, 1878. 4-storey and attic 7-bay symmetrical tenement with pend to centre and basement. Cream sandstone, tooled ashlar front with polished dressings, coursed rubble to rear with droved dressings. Rock-faced basement; rusticated ground floor; band cill course at 2nd floor; projecting cill course at 3rd floor; eaves cornice and blocking course; iron window guards to 3rd floor window to right.

East (Front) Elevation: segmental-arched pend (later part-glazed infill) to centre; at 1st floor segmental-arched recess with tripartite window, acanthus leaf capitals and pulvinated frieze bearing blank panel; tripartite window at 2nd floor; single window at 3rd floor above. Slightly advanced bays to left and right of centre with pilastered doorpieces accessed by raised steps, to left paired doorways with panelled doors and segmental-arched fanlight, to right tripartite segmental-arched doorpiece with 2-leaf panelled door and sidelights with etched glass; architraved and corniced window at 1st floor; single windows at 2nd and 3rd floor above. Single windows to outer bays. Mansard roof with crude gabled dormers, 3 single dormers to centre flanked by canted dormers.

North and South Elevations: blank gables with apex stacks (rebuilt).

West (Rear) Elevation: bowed bay to outer right with single windows, single windows to remaining bays.

Timber sash and case windows, mostly plate glass glazing, some 4- and 8-pane windows to rear.

Slate roof; 2 apex chimney stacks (see above).

Interior: not seen 1993.

Gatepiers and Railings: low boundary wall with curved coping, iron gatepiers flanking pend, elaborate original iron gates and railings.