4 Springfield, Dundee

4 Springfield is a Neo-classical terrace of houses constructed between 1828 and 1851, originally feued in 1830-1831, with additional houses completed by 1846. The layout was later modified to exclude Springfield House. The development forms a cul-de-sac stepped up from the sea, terminating with a semi-detached house to the north and short terraces at Perth Road.

The majority of the terrace comprises Nos 5-14 and 18-27, which are two-storey houses with basements (some of which have been infilled), arranged in pairs and stepped in elevation. Each pair features a central tetrastyle Doric portico, with wrought and cast-iron balconies originally present on most, overlooking the street. Windows are set within lugged architraves, corniced at ground level and with 1st floor cill courses. A main cornice and balustrade run along the roofline. Lower pairs are alternately advanced and recessed, while later upper pairs are situated on the same plane. Almost all but the recessed pairs have pilaster strips defining their north-facing ends.

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

The elevations facing Perth Road consist of Nos 1-4 and 29-32, each being symmetrical eight-bay structures with the two end bays slightly advanced. They are similarly styled with central tetrastyle porticos. No 1 is situated at an angle to accommodate Perth Road, featuring a trabeated porch on the side. No 32 contains a later hemispherical, pilastered bow that rises through both ground and first floors. A balustrade has been recently restored to No 3, having been altered and mullioned at some point.

The corner houses, Nos 4 and 29, are two bays wide facing Perth Road and three bays facing Springfield. No 4 has a central portico and a panelled wallhead stack to Springfield, alongside a restored balustrade. No 29 features a portico on the right, with a wallhead stack partly removed to accommodate a later slate mansard roof with consoled dormers.

The houses have sash and case windows, the majority of which are more modern, 2-pane, although some retain 4 or 12 panes. Low-pitched slate roofs with ridge stacks are present. The rears of the houses are rubble-built.

Some original plastered Ionic interiors with architectural detailing survive within the properties. The original iron railings have been lost. The foundations for the development were laid following a plan by an unnamed eminent architect in Edinburgh, as recorded in a document dated January 28, 1830.