5 Windsor Street, Edinburgh

A classical range of terraced houses designed by William H Playfair in 1822. The buildings form a 39-bay principal elevation (3 bays per house), comprising 2-storey structures with basements. The design employs Greek Doric doorpieces featuring fluted engaged columns supporting entablatures as the dominant architectural feature.

The principal north-west elevation is constructed in polished ashlar (painted to numbers 5, 7, 27, and 29, with doorpieces predominantly painted), whilst the basement uses droved ashlar (painted to numbers 5, 7, 13, 25, 27, and 29). The rear elevation is built in squared coursed rubble with dressed margins. A base course runs along the façade, with cill bands to both ground and first floors. The first floor is defined by a continuous wrought iron balcony featuring a trellis pattern with Greek key border and scrolled brackets. The façade is completed with an eaves cornice and blocking course.

Windows are regularly fenestrated with sunk panelled aprons at ground floor level. Architraves, predominantly painted, frame windows at ground and first floors (though numbers 15, 19, and 23 retain unpainted examples, some in poor condition).

The basement contains timber-panelled doors, predominantly featuring 3-light letterbox fanlights (4-light variants at numbers 5 and 7; plate glass at numbers 15 and 25). Basement windows flank the central doors. At ground floor level, steps and platts overhang basement recesses, leading to timber-panelled doors (2-leaf timber-panelled doors at numbers 11, 13, and 19; 2-leaf timber-panelled and glazed doors at numbers 5, 7, and 21). Letterbox fanlights feature triple circle glazing patterns at numbers 7 and 25. The basement areas under certain platts are blocked by walls at numbers 9, 15, 19, 27, and 29. Cast-iron railings edge the basement recess and platts, featuring spear-head and pine cone finials, spear-headed dog bars, and a circle-patterned top border.

Windows predominantly employ plate glass in timber sash and case frames. Twelve-pane glazing appears at numbers 11, 19, and 25, and in the basements of numbers 15, 21, 23, 27, and 29. Four-pane glazing occurs at number 7 and ground floor of number 5. The first floor of number 5 features plate glass top panes with paired casements below.

The roof is M-pitched with valleys, finished in graded grey slate. The ridge stacks comprise 5 corniced rendered mutual ridge stacks preceded by linked individual ashlar octagonal flues, 1 corniced ashlar mutual ridge stack preceded by linked individual ashlar octagonal flues, and 5 corniced rendered mutual ridge stacks, predominantly with circular cans. The south-east rear elevation shows an eaves course with some dormer-headed windows breaking the eaves line.

Number 5 retains significant interior features. The ground floor lobby contains a round-headed niche to the right and a screen of 2 fluted Greek Doric columns in anta between the lobby and stair hall, with a compartmented ceiling and good plasterwork throughout. The former dining room features a timber chimneypiece carved with scenes from the Merry Wives of Windsor, and excellent plasterwork. On the first floor, the front room (south) and rear room (south, which has a bowed inner wall) both display good plasterwork. The stairs and stair hall feature stone stairs with cast-iron balusters, an oval cupola opening (its original cupola since replaced) within a sail-vaulted ceiling, and good plasterwork to the ceiling and landings.

Number 17 contains substantial interior features on the ground floor, where the lobby (subdivided by a modern glazed screen) features a geometric and encaustic tiled floor, Anagylpta-style wall covering, a round-headed niche to the right, compartmented ceiling, and good plasterwork. The former dining room has a non-original marble chimneypiece. The rear room (north) has a bowed interior wall and good plasterwork. On the first floor, the former drawing room (subdivided) contains excellent plasterwork and a corniced doorpiece; the rear rooms display simpler plasterwork. The stairs and stair hall feature stone stairs with cast-iron balusters, an oval cupola within a sail-vaulted ceiling, Anagylpta-style wall covering below the dado rail, and good plasterwork.