32 Brighton Place, Edinburgh

This is a pair of classical terraced houses, originally mirrored, built around 1824 by John Baxter of Portobello. Alterations and additions have been made since. The houses, numbered 30 and 32 Brighton Place, are two storeys with a partial basement to the rear. They were originally three bays wide, with single-storey flanking pavilions, although the pavilion to the right of number 32 has been extended to two storeys.

The front (southeast) elevation is constructed of polished ashlar, deeply-channelled to the ground level, while the rear and sides are harled. The front features horizontal bands of stone between the basement and ground floors, and between the ground and first floors. There are also cill courses and a cornice. Original cast-iron handrails remain in place on the three steps leading to the deep-set front door (a modern multi-panelled door at number 30, and a four-panelled door with stained glass upper panels at number 32). Plate glass fanlights and windows are above the doors on the first floor. Windows are situated on each floor in the central bays. A window is present within each of the pavilions, and windows are on both floors of the pavilion on the far right.

The rear (northwest) elevation has blank bays at the centre of each house, except for a basement door at number 32. A later single-storey extension to the rear of number 30, originally part of the house but now a separate flat (number 30B), extends from the right-hand bay. A window is visible within the northeast pavilion, and two-storey extensions have been added to the southwest pavilion of number 32, alongside a basement window to the far right.

The principal elevation features timber sash and case windows with plate glass. A variety of windows are found to the rear, including plate glass, 12-pane, and 4-pane sash and case windows, along with a more modern metal window in the northeast pavilion. The roof is grey slate, piend style, with a platform. There are rendered and coped chimney stacks to the front and rear. The northeast elevation and the rear of number 30 are finished with rendered and coped wallheads, with a shoulder detail. The rear wallhead of number 32 has an ashlar and coped design.

The interiors of the houses retain some original features. In number 30, cornices and shutters remain, though most other original details have been removed. Number 32 retains an original cast-iron banister for the staircase, a skylight/cupola in the stairwell, and a marble fireplace in the front ground floor room. The plasterwork in the hall and vestibule is ornate and features a Gothic style. There are further original details including a flaming torch motif in the cornice of the principal room and a ceiling rose in the front first floor room.

The boundary walls are modern in part, with a broken wall at number 30. The front wall of number 32 is rendered and coped with droved ashlar, incorporating coping and render repairs.