21 Regent Terrace, Edinburgh

This is a substantial townhouse, designed by William Playfair and built between 1826 and 1833. It forms part of a long terrace of 34 classical townhouses on Regent Terrace in Edinburgh. Number 21 retains its original two-storey and attic appearance, while many others have had a third storey added. The terrace is punctuated by two larger, three-storey pavilions, with three-bay advanced sections at each end (Nos 11-16 and 23-28), and a twelve-bay section at the western end (Nos 1-4). The terrace steps down at intervals to follow the slope of the road.

The exterior is constructed of droved ashlar stone to the basement, and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation is predominantly of coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. The principal elevation features a base course, dividing bands between the basement and ground floor, and between the ground and first floors. A continuous cast-iron trellis balcony with a Greek key border runs along the front of the first floor. Other details include a band course above the first-floor windows, an eaves cornice, and a blocking course. A doorpiece with fluted, attached Greek Doric columns provides entry. The fenestration is regular, with architraved windows to the ground and first floors, and panelled aprons to the ground-floor windows.

The main (south-east) elevation has a basement level with windows and a central entrance. The entrance is a timber-panelled door with a three-light fanlight in a segmentally-headed opening. A set of steps and a platt, which covers the basement recess, lead to a two-leaf timber-panelled door with a triple-circle glazed letterbox fanlight on the right-hand side. The rear (north-west) elevation shows a three-bay design with a shallow two-storey advanced bay to the centre.

Most of the windows have 12 panes of glass; the first-floor window on the right side of the rear elevation uses 16 panes. These are predominantly in timber sash and case windows. The roof is an M-shaped design with a central valley and a mansard profile to the front. It is covered with graded grey slate, with stone skews and skewputts. Chimneys rise from the east and west sides, with individual octagonal flues at the front and predominantly circular cans.

In front, stone coping over cast-iron railings with dog bars, spear-head finials, and a distinctive circled border edge the basement recess and platt. At the rear of the property, random rubble walls with flat coping form the boundary of the garden.