36, 38, 40 North Castle Street, Edinburgh

1792-4. 3-storey basement and attic, 8-bay former pair of classical houses with flats above. Droved cream sandstone ashlar with polished dressings. V-jointed rustication at ground; mutuled eaves cornice. Centre right, common stair bay slightly recessed, droved at ground; corniced doorpiece with rectangular plate glass fanlight. Plain house door to right. 4-bay block to left with heavy Roman Doric pilastered doorpiece to centre right bay; plate glass fanlight; upper floor windows show traces of timber architraves, corniced at 1st floor. 4 canted piend-roofed dormers.

Timber sash and case windows; 12-pane to 5 left bays, plate glass to right (4-pane to dormers). Ashlar coped skews; rendered stacks to S, and pair at centre, ashlar to right; grey slates.

INTERIOR: No 36 with curving cantilevered stone stair on axis with Hall, extended to upper floors, with plain round iron banisters; lift to centre right; former Dining Room with panelled dado and swagged frieze; at 1st floor 2 2-bay rooms at front, that to S with panelled dado; similar plan at 2nd floor; open plan attic. Extended to rear at ground and 1st floors, above garage. No 40 with curving cantilevered stone stair to centre left, plain round banisters; former Dining Room with swagged frieze and partition dividing off sideboard recess; recess with 2 doors to subdivided rear rooms; further subdivisions at 1st floor; possible 2-bay former Drawing Room with small deep recess. Basement with safe and wine bins. Single surviving double upper at

No 38; stair with plain round banisters, and further enlarged stair to garret; kitchen with (covered) flags, stone ranges and servants bells; N rooms at main floor seem to have been united as 1 with fluted pilasters marking old divide, now subdivided again.

RAILINGS: cast-iron spearhead.