42 Colinton Road, Edinburgh

Circa 1875-80, this is a two-storey villa, originally rectangular in plan, with a later attic added in 1901 by the architectural practice MacGibbon & Ross. It is a three-bay villa with substantial rear wings, and features a large modern addition to the southwest. The front is constructed of grey sandstone ashlar, while the sides and rear are of squared and snecked rubble, with droved quoins. Chamfered reveals are present, along with a band course above the ground floor, a banded cill course at the first floor, a band course to the first-floor windows, and an eaves cornice below the attic storey. Channelled quoins define the front and porch, while pedimented dormer windows break the eaves.

The southeast (front) elevation features a recessed, single-storey ashlar entrance porch to the right, with a round-arched doorway and keystones, and keystoned windows on the returns, finished with a stone parapet and balustraded front. The main elevation has two single-pane windows to the ground floor of the central bay, a bipartite window above at the first floor, and balustraded canted windows at ground floor level in the outer bays, with bipartite windows above. Dormer windows are present in the outer bays.

The northwest (rear) elevation displays deep, lower, two-storey rear wings of varying dates (one wing rendered) with unevenly arranged windows and dormer windows breaking the eaves. Two tall central stair windows are notable, though the lower one is obscured by a modern extension. An upper window breaks the eaves, crowned by a pedimented dormerhead, with wallhead stacks flanking it. Dormer windows are also present in the outer bays. The northeast elevation has an entrance porch on the ground floor, two single windows above at the first floor, and an attic storey featuring a central corniced wallhead stack and a bull’s-eye window, with dormer windows in the outer bays. A small lean-to extension and a bipartite window are present on the rear wing, along with a dormer above. The southwest elevation showcases the large, two-storey modern addition, along with three dormer windows and a wallhead stack to the right of the centre of the main block.

Timber sash and case windows are used throughout, with plate glass glazing to the front elevation and mostly four-pane windows to the rear and sides. The roof is a slate piend with a platform bell-cast form, decorative cast-iron brattishing, lead flashings, and four wallhead stacks.

The interior includes fine stained glass windows by Henry Holiday, dating from 1902, depicting ‘Oberon and Titania’ on the vestibule door, and ‘Science,’ ‘Art and Charity’ in the stair windows.

Boundary walls of rubble with semi-circular coping enclose the rear and sides, while the front has a rebuilt rubble wall with saddleback coping. The main gatepiers have moulded panels, a swagged frieze, a dentilled cornice, banded end piers with ball finials.