21 Springfield, Dundee

21 Springfield represents a neo-classical cul-de-sac development constructed primarily in the 1820s and 1830s, with later additions completed by 1851. The terraces are stepped up from the sea and terminate with a semi-detached house to the north and short terraces along Perth Road.

The properties at Nos. 5-14 and 18-27 are two-storey houses with basement levels (some now infilled), arranged in pairs, stepped to create a varied façade. Each pair features a central tetrastyle Doric portico; many originally had wrought and cast-iron balconies positioned above, although these have been lost from most. Windows are set within lugged architraves, corniced at ground level, with first-floor cill courses. A main cornice and balustrade run along the top of the terraces. The lower pairs are alternately advanced and recessed, while the upper pairs are generally on the same plane. Most of the recessed pairs lack pilaster strips defining their north ends.

Nos. 15 and 16 share a similar style but incorporate a full-length ground floor colonnade. A modern addition exists to the west of No. 15. Nos. 17 and 28 are single three-bay houses, each with a portico on the left-hand side, and are linked to No. 16 by a single-storey connection.

The elevations facing Perth Road comprise Nos. 1-4 and 29-32, which are symmetrical eight-bay arrangements, with the two outer bays slightly advanced. These also feature central tetrastyle porticos. No. 1 is angled to accommodate Perth Road and has a small, set-back porch on its side. No. 32 has a later hemispherical, pilastered bow window rising through both ground and first floors. No. 3 incorporates alterations and a mullioned balustrade.

The corner houses, facing both Perth Road and Springfield, are two bays wide on Perth Road and three bays wide on Springfield, and echo the general style. No. 4 has a central portico and a panelled wallhead stack on the Springfield side, with a recently restored balustrade. No. 29 features a portico on the right-hand side, where a wallhead stack has been partially removed to accommodate a later slate mansard roof with consoled dormers.

Windows are largely sash and case, with many being modern two-pane replacements; some retain original four- or twelve-pane glass. The roofs are low-pitched and slate-covered, with ridge stacks. The rear elevations are constructed of rubble.

Some original, well-preserved interiors with plastered Ionic detailing remain. Historic documents, dated January 28, 1830, and March 17, 1831, reference the feuing of the site “according to a much approved plan by an eminent architect in Edinburgh”. Original iron railings are now missing.