32 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

32 Royal Terrace is a townhouse built between 1854 and 1859, designed by William Playfair as part of a very long, 121-bay terrace of townhouses. It is part of a group value context, recognized for its architectural importance.

The building is part of a grand terrace with a rusticated ground floor and a central three-storey section punctuated by three-storey and attic Corinthian colonnaded pavilions. Flanking these are three-storey balustraded sections, leading to further three-storey sections with three-storey and attic Ionic colonnaded pavilions. Two-storey balustraded sections mark the outer left and right sides of the terrace, and all houses have basements. The exterior is constructed from painted droved ashlar to the basement, V-chamfered rustication to the ground floor, and polished ashlar to the upper floors, with coursed squared rubble and dressed margins to the rear. Architectural details include a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors. A narrow band course runs above the first floor windows, and an eaves cornice sits below the balustraded parapet.

The principal north elevation is a three-bay, two-storey structure with a basement and attic. The basement level has timber-panelled doors with a three-light fanlight, and windows in segmentally headed openings. The ground floor features steps and a platt leading to a timber-panelled door with margin lights and a segmental fanlight. The attic is lit by three windows.

The rear south elevation is a three-bay structure with an advanced central bay, and features band courses between the basement and ground floors and between the ground and first floors, and an eaves cornice.

The building predominantly features six-pane glazing in timber sash and case windows on the front elevation; the ground floor has plate glass. The roof has a central valley and a mansard profile to the front, covered in graded grey slate. Tall mutual corniced ridge stacks with linked octagonal flues are located to the west, while a non-original ridge stack is on the east.

Original cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border edge the basement recess and platt at the front. A random rubble boundary wall with flat coping forms the boundary of the gardens at the rear.

The ground floor lobby features pilastered walls and a coffered barrel-vaulted ceiling. The former drawing room on the first floor has been subdivided, with some good original plasterwork replicated on a non-original partition wall. The rest of the first floor has been significantly altered. The staircase and landing have a large skylight with a coffered cavetto surround, with good plasterwork to the landings, and cast-iron balusters.