40 Colinton Road, Edinburgh

This is a large, two-storey and attic villa built in 1893 for Edward Calvert. It is situated in Edinburgh and constructed of cream sandstone for the front elevation, with squared and snecked stugged ashlar to the rear and sides. Ashlar dressings are used on the side elevations. The villa’s design incorporates a base course, a band course above the ground floor, and a banded cill course on the first floor. The eaves feature a cornice with a Greek key pattern to the frieze. Angle pilasters are present at ground floor level, with moulded panels, and paired pilasters at first floor level. Foliate capitals adorn the mullions, columns and pilasters, while the first-floor windows have panelled aprons.

The front (SE) elevation is dominated by a central doorway flanked by paired red granite columns on ashlar pedestals. Above the door is a frieze, cornice and swagged blocking course dated '1893'. The entrance is topped by a two-leaf panelled door with a rectangular plate glass fanlight, leading to a tiled vestibule. The inner door is fitted with etched glass sidelights and fanlight. A round-arched bipartite window sits on the first floor, set within a raised panel with a red granite columnar mullion and panelled pilasters; at the base the window is flanked by scrolls. A bipartite timber dormer features a swagged apron and open segmental pediment. The outer bays contain full-height canted windows with central red granite columnar mullions; the first-floor windows are stilted segmental-arched, with scroll-flanked pedimented timber dormers above.

The rear (NW) elevation has a lower two-storey wing, with the first floor breaking the eaves into mansard roofs, and pedimented attic windows. Ground-floor windows are single or bipartite. An ashlar-fronted box dormer with a parapet rises from the main blocks, along with a tripartite transomed stair window framed by wallhead stacks. Bipartite timber dormers are positioned on either side.

The NE elevation features segmental-arched windows to the 3-bay main block, with bipartite windows in the right bay, a bipartite window at ground floor and a single window above in the centre bay. Another ashlar-fronted box dormer has a bipartite window and Greek key pattern frieze, framed by scroll-flanked coped wallhead stacks. The rear wing has two doors and a single window at ground floor, with two pedimented attic windows and a central wallhead stack above.

The SW elevation mirrors the NE elevation, also featuring segmental-arched windows to the main block and a dormer with a Greek key pattern frieze. The rear wing has a bipartite window and a pedimented attic window. Timber sash and case windows with plate glass glazing are used throughout. The roof is a green slate piend and platform roof, with lead flashings. Seven wallhead stacks are a prominent feature, with one central stack. A moulded eaves gutter runs around the building.

The interior was not inspected in 1992. A low rubble wall borders the rear, sides and front of the property.