4 Gayfield Square, Edinburgh

This is a near-symmetrical, semi-detached villa built between 1790 and 1800, displaying a Classical style. It has an L-shaped plan, incorporating a single or two-storey rear section. The main, or north-east, elevation has four bays and two storeys, with an attic level. The ground floor is characterised by smooth rustication with V-joints, while the upper floors are finished in polished ashlar stone, laid in coursed and random rubble patterns with droved quoins and margins, with droved ashlar to the rear. The fenestration is largely regular.

The principal north-east elevation features steps leading to a timber-panelled front door, above which is a letterbox fanlight with radiating glazing. A prominent doorpiece composed of detached Roman Doric columns supports an entablature. A dividing band sits between the ground and first floors, with a cill band running along the first floor. An eaves cornice and blocking course complete the facade. Two later tripartite dormers have been added to the roof.

The side or south-east elevation has a recessed section of the rear jamb to the left, and the gable end of the main block to the right. A timber-panelled door with a multi-pane fanlight is located far right on the jamb, accompanied by a window to the ground floor. The gable end has a window to the ground and first floors, and smaller windows to the attic floor. An eaves course runs along the jamb and the return of the gable end.

The rear or south-west elevation comprises a single-storey, single-bay section, slightly recessed, with a bipartite window to the left. Adjacent to this is a two-storey section with a shallow, projecting bow to the centre, featuring a tripartite window on the ground floor and a Venetian window on the first floor. The rear section is finished with an eaves course.

Most windows are timber sash and case, with predominantly 12 panes of glass. The bipartite window to the rear and the centre section of the tripartite and Venetian windows have 4 panes of glass. Plate glass glazing is found in the flanking lights of these windows, and in the window to the left of the side elevation. Dormers incorporate plate glass in timber top-hung upper casements and fixed lower frames. The roofs are slate, with haffits and piended slate dormers. The main block and the single-storey rear section have pitched roofs, while the rear jamb has a piend roof, all finished with graded grey slate. Stone skews and skewputts are present. Two stacks are visible: a rendered, corniced gablehead stack on the south-east gable, and a rendered corniced ridge stack on the north-west; both have circular cans.

The front garden is enclosed by a rendered wall with droved coping, topped with spear-head and urn finialled cast-iron railings. A pair of panelled and corniced ashlar gatepiers are positioned centrally, with a single rendered pier featuring pyramidal coping at the outer left corner.