20 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

20 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

Number 20 Regent Terrace is a Grade A listed building designed by William Playfair in 1825 and constructed between 1826 and 1833. It forms part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses, each of three bays. The terrace was originally conceived as predominantly two-storey buildings with attic and basement storeys, though many have since received additional third storeys in later years. Number 20 retains its original two-storey and attic elevation. The terrace is punctuated by two substantial pavilion sections of three storeys (at numbers 11–16 and 23–28), each with advanced three-bay sections at either end, and a twelve-bay three-storey section at the western end (numbers 1–4). The terrace steps down at intervals to follow the slope of the road.

The principal elevation features painted droved ashlar to the basement and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation is predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. The principal elevation is decorated with a base course, dividing bands between each storey, and a cornice between ground and first floors. The first floor is distinguished by a continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border. A band course sits above the first floor windows, with an eaves cornice and blocking course above. The doorpiece displays fluted attached Greek Doric columns. Fenestration is regular throughout, with architraved windows to ground and first floors and panelled aprons to ground floor windows. The rear elevation similarly features predominantly regular fenestration.

The southeast principal elevation shows a two-storey, attic and basement composition. The basement contains a timber-panelled door with a three-light fanlight in a segmentally-headed opening to the centre bay, with windows to the left and right bays. The ground floor has a door to the right bay accessed by steps and a platt overarching the basement recess; this is a two-leaf timber-panelled door with a triple-circle glazed letterbox fanlight. The attic floor contains two canted dormer windows. The northwest rear elevation comprises a two-bay elevation with an eaves course.

Glazing throughout is predominantly 12-pane, except for 16-lying-pane glazing to the first floor of the front elevation and plate glass to the attic floor. The right bay of the rear elevation has 16-pane glazing. Windows are predominantly timber sash and case. The roof is of M-profile with a central valley and mansard profile to the front, clad in graded grey slate with stone skews and skewputts. To the east and west are mutual ridge stacks preceded by individual octagonal flues to the front; downpipes and hoppers are predominantly circular cans with cast-iron examples to the front.

The front boundary features stone coping surmounted by cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials and a distinctive circled border, edging the basement recess and platt. To the left of the platt stands a wrought-iron lamp standard. The rear boundary, forming the garden wall, consists of random rubble with predominantly flat coping.

The interior retains significant period detail. The basement contains a laundry room with original copper and three large sinks, a wine cellar, and service bells. The ground floor lobby features nineteenth-century imitation marble painted walls, a pilastered timber and glazed screen with two-leaf doors, good plasterwork, and a compartmented ceiling. The former dining room contains a classical black marble chimneypiece with flanking gas brackets and good plasterwork. A rear room to the west has a white marble chimneypiece with a simple cornice, while the rear room to the east has a simple cornice only.

The first floor contains an L-shaped former drawing room with a grey marble chimneypiece and good plasterwork. The rear room to the west has good plasterwork and a replacement painted stone chimneypiece with grate brought from the basement. On the second floor, some doors retain reeded architraves. The front room to the west has a painted cast-iron chimneypiece, whilst the rear room to the west features a painted stone chimneypiece with a deep cavetto cornice. The rear room to the east contains remains of original wallpaper preserved in a cupboard under the sink.

The stone cantilevered stairs feature ornate cast-iron balusters with a replacement cast-iron tray rest. The stair ceiling and landings retain good simple plasterwork, and a rectangular cupola sits within a compartmented ceiling.