20 Springfield, Dundee

20 Springfield comprises a neo-classical cul-de-sac development of terraces built between 1828 and 1851. The terraces are stepped up from the sea and terminate with a semi-detached house at the north end and short terraces along Perth Road. The development was feued between 1830 and 1831, with the majority of the houses constructed by 1846, and the layout was subsequently modified to exclude Springfield House.

The terraces consist of Nos 5-14 and 18-27, which are two-storey houses set on basement levels (some basements have been infilled), arranged in pairs, each with three bays. A distinguishing feature is the central tetrastyle Doric portico to each pair, originally accompanied by wrought and cast-iron balconies (most of which are now absent). The windows are set within lugged architraves, corniced at ground level, with first-floor cill courses. A main cornice and balustrade run along the terrace. Lower pairs are alternately advanced and recessed, whereas later upper pairs are generally on the same plane. Almost all but the recessed pairs are defined at their north ends by pilaster strips. Numbers 15 and 16 are similarly styled but feature a full-length ground-floor colonnade. A modern addition exists to the west of No. 15. Numbers 17 and 28 are single three-bay houses with a portico on the left side, linked to No. 16 by a single-storey connection.

The elevations facing Perth Road consist of Nos 1-4 and 29-32, each being symmetrical eight-bay arrangements with the two end bays slightly advanced. They share the same style as the other houses, including central tetrastyle porticos. No. 1 is angled to accommodate Perth Road, featuring a trabeated porch on the side, while No. 32 has a later hemispherical, pilastered bow rising through both ground and first floors. No. 3 has a modern balustrade.

The corner houses are two bays wide facing Perth Road and three bays wide facing Springfield, all displaying a similar style. No. 4 has a central portico and a panelled wallhead stack to Springfield, with a recently restored balustrade. No. 29 features a portico on the right, with a wallhead stack that has been partly removed to create a later slate mansard roof with consoled dormers.

The windows are primarily sash and case, with most now featuring two panes, although some have four or twelve panes. Original sash windows are also present, alongside some modern replacements. The roofs are low-piended and slate-covered, with ridge stacks. The houses are rubble-built at the rear.

Some original plastered Ionic interiors survive within the properties. Original ironwork railings are now missing. Historic documents, dated 28 January 1830 and 17 March 1831, refer to the feuing process, stating that the plan was “much approved” and designed by an "eminent architect in Edinburgh".