8 Nile Grove, Morningside, Edinburgh

Probably R Rowand Anderson, dated 1880. Large 2-storey and attic irregular-plan villa with rear service wing and later extension, Queen Anne and Scottish 17th century details. Cream sandstone, squared and snecked rubble front with dressed ashlar dressings, squared and snecked stugged rubble to rear and sides. Base course, roll-moulded reveals to front and W elevation; ashlar mullions and transoms; thistle finials.

N (NILE GROVE) ELEVATION: 3-bay; gabled bay to left with 2-storey canted window (1-2-1) with transomed lights; single window with open swan-neck pediment in gablehead. Centre bay with single transomed window at ground floor, pedimented single window at 1st floor above; small tripartite timber dormer with half-piend roof. Bay to right with projecting transomed tripartite window at ground floor, corniced bipartite window at 1st floor above; bipartite timber dormer with finial to half-piend roof and curved stone apron.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: 3-bay with advanced gabled outer bays; single storey flat-roofed closed entrance porch to centre bay with single window at 1st floor above; porch with cornice and parapet, architraved doorway on N return, narrow sidelights with etched glass, 2-leaf panelled door, tiled vestibule, pilastered panel of floral carving as fanlight; bipartite window to W. Bay to left with single conriced windaw at ground and 1st floor, single window with dated semi-circular pediment in gablehead. Bay to right with single and bipartite window at ground floor; canted corbelled oriel window at 1st floor rising through eaves to rooftop balcony with turned timber columns and balustrade, sweeping eaves to half-pyramidal finialled roof; blank pedimented tablet on N return. Lower 2-storey (1st floor regrettable later addition) extension with 2 bipartite windows at ground floor, single windaw at 1st floor.

S (REAR) ELEVATION: large 2-storey flat-roofed service wing and single storey addition to left and centre bays, bipartite and single window to right bay. 2 tall shouldered and corniced wallhead stacks linked by modern dormer. Small dormer with half-piend roof to right.

E ELEVATION: large modern escape stair to left; 2 single windows to ground and 1st floor of centre bay; 2 transomed windows to right bay. 2 tall shouldered and corniced wallhead stacks linked by slate hung wall with secondary entrance.

uPVC replacement windows throughout. Green slate roof with red ridge tiles; 4 wallhead stacks (see above). Moulded skews, scrolled skewputts. Moulded eaves gutters and gutterheads.

INTERIOR: not seen 1992.

Tall rubble wall with semi-circular coping to rear and sides, low wall to front with curved coping, panelled boundary piers with moulded coping.