38-42 Great King Street, Edinburgh

38-42 Great King Street, Edinburgh

A classical palace block terrace designed by Robert Reid and William Sibbald, built between 1814 and 1823. The building comprises three storeys with basement and attic, arranged as a 59-bay composition: a 9-bay central pavilion flanked by 18-bay blocks on either side, with 7-bay terminal pavilions at each end. The central and terminal pavilions contain double main door tenements, while the intervening sections contain single houses.

The principal sandstone ashlar elevation features polished V-jointed rustication to the principal floor, broached ashlar to the upper floors, and rock-faced rustication to the basement. A continuous cornice runs across the elevation and returns at corners, with blocking courses and wallhead panels at the central and terminal pavilions. Cill courses mark the first and second floors. Steps and entrance platts of ashlar oversail the basement.

The central pavilion rises 9 bays with an advanced 3-bay centrepiece flanked by Ionic pilasters at the first and second floors. Left and right outer bays are also advanced, with flanking Ionic pilasters. Blind balustraded aprons decorate the centrepiece and outer bays at first floor. Ground floor windows sit within round-arched panels. Flush panelled doors with semicircular fanlights occupy the left bay of the centrepiece and the outer left and right bays, with plate glass to the centre and left, and radial fanlights to the right. The central and outer windows at first floor are pedimented with consoles; flanking windows are corniced with consoles. A semicircular window is centred at attic level. The flagged basement area has rubble walls and predominantly vertically boarded timber cellar doors.

Two 6-house blocks flank the central pavilion, mirrored to either side. Each comprises three 3-bay houses with flush panelled doors and various rectangular fanlights at ground level. To the east of the central pavilion, doors occupy the bay to the right; to the west, doors occupy the bay to the left. At No 16, the first floor cills are lowered (early 19th century alteration) with a contemporary cast-iron balcony. Upper floors maintain regular fenestration. These blocks share the flagged basement treatment with rubble walls and vertically boarded timber cellar doors.

The terminal pavilions form a near-mirrored 7-bay pair at each end. Each comprises a 3-bay centrepiece with Ionic pilasters dividing bays at first and second floors, and blind balustraded aprons at first floor. Windows in the centre bay are pedimented with consoles at first floor; flanking bays have corniced windows with consoles. Ionic pilasters flank the central three bays at first and second floors. The western terminal pavilion contains a centred common stair door at ground level, flanked by doors, in turn flanked by windows in round-arched panels. The eastern terminal pavilion has a door centred at principal floor, with a door to the left and a former door converted to window to the right; windows occupy bays to the left while blind windows occupy bays to the right, all within round-arched panels. At the first floor, a blind window appears in the penultimate right bay. Both pavilions feature semicircular windows centred at attic level and share the basement treatment of their counterparts.

The western terminal pavilion returns onto Dundas Street as a 6-bay block (45-51 Dundas Street) comprising three 3-bay shop fronts. Blind windows occupy the penultimate and outer right bays; regular fenestration fills the left bays at principal and upper floors, with a blind window in the third bay from the left at attic. A large shouldered wallhead stack stands to the right of centre.

The eastern terminal pavilion returns onto Drummond Place as a 5-bay symmetrical block (16 Drummond Place). A flush panelled door with radial semicircular fanlight is centred at principal floor, flanked by windows in round-arched panels. Ionic pilasters flank bays at first and second floors, with panelled pilasters dividing bays at attic.

Windows are predominantly 12-pane timber sash and case, with some plate glass and 4-pane examples. The roof is of grey slate. Cast-iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout. Chimneys are predominantly broached ashlar, including several restored examples, some rendered, and coped with circular cans. Ashlar skew copes finish the gable lines.

The interiors contain notable decorative schemes: a Grecian centre with Soanic border in the entrance hall of No 22; a Neo-Rococo painted ceiling in the drawing room of No 34; and restored Watteau-esque decorative paintings in the bow-ended dining room of No 34.

Ashlar copes crowned by cast-iron railings with spear-headed balusters and urn finials front the property. Cast-iron lamps mounted on the railings have glass globes. Mews access to the rear is provided via Cumberland Street Lane.