14 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh

Designed by William Playfair and built between 1823 and the early 1830s, number 14 is part of the extraordinarily long 121-bay palace front terrace of townhouses that dominates this Edinburgh address. The whole terrace features an arched and rusticated ground floor, with three 3-storey and attic Corinthian colonnaded pavilions punctuating the central 3-storey section. Flanking this centre are 3-storey balustraded sections leading to 3-storey sections with 3-storey and attic Ionic colonnaded pavilions, with 2-storey balustraded sections to the outer left and right. All houses sit above basements.

The principal elevation employs sophisticated masonry detailing: droved ashlar to the basement; V-chamfered rustication to the ground floor; and polished ashlar to the upper floors. The rear elevation is predominantly coursed squared rubble with dressed margins. The elevations feature base courses, dividing bands between basement and ground floor, an impost course to the ground floor, a dividing band between ground and first floors, narrow band courses to the first floor broken by windows in each bay, band courses above the second floor, an eaves cornice, and a balustraded parapet.

The principal (north) elevation of number 14 is 3 bays wide, 3-storeys high and includes a basement. The basement contains a modern 2-leaf timber and glazed door with segmental fanlight at centre, a window to the left in a segmentally-headed opening, and to the right, a wall with two windows that block off the area beneath the platt. At ground floor level, the right bay has steps and a platt overarching the basement recess leading to a 2-leaf timber-panelled door with segmental fanlight. The first floor features cast-iron balconettes to its windows.

The south (rear) elevation is 2 bays wide, 3-storeys high, and includes a basement. A band course divides the ground and first floors, with an eaves cornice and blocking course above. The ground floor has a modern door to the left, while the first floor has seen alterations: to the left, a bay window has been converted to form a doorway with an external metal stair leading down to ground level. The right bay retains a cast-iron balconette to its window.

Fenestration is regular across the principal elevation and predominantly regular on the rear elevation. Ground floor openings are round-headed, set within round-headed overarches. Glazing is predominantly plate-glass; the basement features 12-pane glazing to the principal elevation, while upper floors are glazed with timber sash and case windows.

The roof is M-pitched with a central valley, finished in graded grey slate with stone skews and skewputts. To the west, mutual ashlar chimney stacks are surmounted by linked octagonal flues serving both front and rear pitches.

Boundary treatments are carefully detailed. To the front, stone coping surmounts the basement recess and platt, topped with cast-iron railings featuring dog bars and spear-head finials separated by a distinctive circled border. Cast-iron boot-scrapers flank the steps. The rear boundary is formed by random rubble walls with flat coping; the south wall is surmounted by cast-iron railings with spear-head finials.

The interior retains considerable quality. The ground floor contains a small timber entrance vestibule (a later addition) with a secondary door opening into the entrance lobby. The entrance lobby features a compartmented ceiling with pilasters flanking the opening to the stair hall and good ornamental plasterwork. The stair hall has an encaustic tiled floor and timber wainscoting. The former dining room and rear room (east) have been made into one room by the removal of the party wall; both retain good ornamental plasterwork.

At first floor level, the front (west) room has good plasterwork and a classical timber chimneypiece. The former drawing room preserves good plasterwork with a corniced doorpiece and architraved panels to the walls. The rear room (east) also has good plasterwork and a classical grey marble chimneypiece, though the mantel shelf is missing. The rear room (west) features a plain moulded cornice.

The stairs and landings are fitted with timber balusters, newels and pendants, with some timber wainscoting applied to the stairs and landings. The ceilings and landings feature good plasterwork, while above is an oval cupola with a deep cavetto surround decorated with four plaster plaques depicting dexter hands raised in benediction.