19 Springfield, Dundee

19 Springfield is a group of buildings constructed between 1828 and 1851. Initially feued in 1830-1831, the terraces were largely completed by 1846, with further modifications later excluding Springfield House from the layout. The development comprises a neo-classical cul-de-sac, stepped upwards from the sea and terminating with a semi-detached house to the north and a short terrace at Perth Road.

The majority of the buildings consist of two-storey, three-bay houses with basements (some of which have been filled in), arranged in pairs that step up the slope. Each pair typically features a central tetrastyle Doric portico with wrought and cast-iron balconies above (though most have been lost). The windows are set within lugged architraves, corniced at ground level, with first-floor sill courses. A main cornice and balustrade run along the tops of the terraces. The lower pairs are alternately advanced and recessed, while the later upper pairs are generally on the same plane. Almost all the recessed pairs have pilaster strips defining their north-facing ends. Nos 15 and 16 have a full-length ground floor colonnade. A modern addition is located to the west of No 15. Nos 17 and 28 are single three-bay houses with a portico on the left side, connected by a single-storey link to No 16.

The buildings fronting Perth Road (Nos 1-4 and 29-32) are symmetrical, eight-bay structures, with the outer bays slightly advanced. They share a similar style to the rest of the development, featuring central tetrastyle porticos. No 1 is angled to accommodate Perth Road and has a trabeated porch on its side. No 32 has a later hemispherical, pilastered bow rising through the ground and first floors. Balustrading has been recently restored at No 3, while No 32’s original features include a Doric portico and cast-iron balcony. No 3 has an altered, mullioned balustrade.

The corner houses have two bays facing Perth Road and three bays facing Springfield, and are of a similar style. No 4 includes a central portico and a panelled wallhead stack facing Springfield; its balustrade has been recently restored. No 29 has a portico on the right side and a wallhead stack that was partially removed to make way for a later slate mansard roof with consoled dormers.

The windows are mostly later two-pane sash and case windows, although some are four-pane or twelve-pane, and some are modern. The roofs are low-pitched and slate-covered, with ridge stacks. The rear elevations are of rubble construction. Some original plastered Ionic interiors remain. The original iron railings are now missing. Records indicate the feuing was approved according to a plan by an eminent architect in Edinburgh.