29 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

No. 29 Royal Terrace is a townhouse built between 1823 and the early 1830s, designed by William Playfair as part of an exceptionally long, 121-bay terrace. It contributes to a grand palace front with a rusticated ground floor and a series of arched openings. The design incorporates three-storey and attic Corinthian colonnaded pavilions centrally, flanked by three-storey balustraded sections, and further pavilions with Ionic colonnades. Balustraded sections define the outer left and right edges. All properties have basements.

The exterior is constructed of droved ashlar to the basement, V-chamfered rustication to the ground floor, and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation uses predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. Key architectural details include a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors. Additional band courses are present on the first floor, and above the second floor, complemented by an eaves cornice and a balustraded parapet. The fenestration is regular on the principal elevation, while the rear elevation has predominantly regular window placement, with round-headed openings within round-headed arches on the ground floor.

The north (principal) elevation is three bays wide and three storeys high with a basement. The basement features segmentally-headed windows, and the central bay has a timber-panelled door with a three-light fanlight. The right bay is altered, with a blocked area and windows, and a timber-boarded door. The ground floor to the right bay has steps leading to a platt shared with No. 29, now surfaced with tiles. The first floor has cast-iron balconnettes to the windows. The south (rear) elevation is two bays wide, three storeys high, and has a basement, with a band course dividing the ground and first floors, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course.

The glazing is predominantly 12-pane, with plate glass to the ground, first, and second floors of the principal elevation. Most windows are timber sash and case. The roof is M-shaped with a central valley, covered with graded grey slate, stone skews, and skewputts. Mutual corniced ashlar ridge stacks with linked octagonal flues and predominantly circular cans are present at the west and east ends of the principal elevation.

Stone coping with cast-iron railings featuring dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border defines the front boundary, edging the basement recess and platt. A wrought iron lamp standard is positioned to the left of the platt. A random rubble boundary wall with predominantly flat coping forms the rear garden boundary.