42 Albany Street, Edinburgh

Probably designed by William Sibbald in the early 19th century, 44 Albany Street is a two-storey, attic and basement terrace of six bays, forming a mirrored pair of three-bay houses. It is built of polished ashlar sandstone, with V-jointed rustication at principal floor level and rockfaced rustication at the basement. The building features a base course, band courses between the basement and principal floor, and between the principal and first floor, a corniced frieze at impost level on the first floor, a cill course at the first floor, and a cornice and blocking course at the first floor. Ashlar steps and entrance platts project slightly beyond the basement.

The main, or south, elevation presents a pair of round-arched doorpieces centered around the facade. These incorporate four-panel timber doors, flanked by semi-engaged Doric columns supporting lintels, topped with semicircular fanlights; the fanlight on the left (No 42) is radial, while that on the right (No 44) is plate glass. Windows are set within round-arched recesses on the principal floor, with regular fenestration above and below. There are blank aprons on the first floor of No 42, and the cills on the first floor of No 44 have been lowered. A central curvilinear-fluted panel adorns the wallhead. The basement area is paved with flags.

The west (Albany Lane) elevation is partially obscured by a ground-floor building, and is constructed of coursed rubble with droved ashlar dressings. It features a window at first floor level and another in the attic. A flat-roofed, triangular-plan range is recessed at the center, with a single-bay, single-storey and attic addition to the left of it, situated on a sloping site. This section is built of coursed rubble with droved ashlar dressings. A six-panel timber door is centrally located on the ground floor, above which is a window. Several windows have been filled in. A modern two-leaf, four-panel timber door with a plate glass rectangular fanlight is on the outer right at ground floor. A three-bay corniced former shop front to the left at ground floor has a four-panel timber door with a plate glass rectangular fanlight, along with windows on either side. A window is centered on the first floor. An addition to the outer left features bipartite windows at ground floor, with a modern wall adjoining it to the left. The north return elevation has not been viewed.

The eastern elevation adjoins a terrace and is covered by a separate listing (46-54 Albany Street).

The building predominantly features two-pane timber sash and case windows. A decorative cast-iron window guard is located in the bays to the left and right on the first floor of No 44. The roof is covered in grey slate, with pairs of slate-hung bow-fronted dormers on Nos 42 and 44. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present. Ridge stacks are of broached ashlar and rendered construction, along with a wide gablehead stack, coped with circular cans. The skews are coped.

The interiors have not been inspected.

Ashlar copes top cast-iron railings with spear-headed and urn finials.