31 Springfield, Dundee

31 Springfield, Dundee, is a group of buildings of considerable architectural merit. Constructed primarily in the 1820s and 1830s, with further development continuing to 1851, the complex originally comprised a neo-classical cul-de-sac, stepped upwards from the sea, and terminating with a semi-detached house to the north and shorter terraces along Perth Road. The layout was later modified to exclude Springfield House.

The terraces consist of numbers 5-14 and 18-27, which are two-storey and basement houses (some basements have been filled in), arranged in groups of three, stepped in pairs. Each pair features a central tetrastyle Doric portico, originally with wrought and cast-iron balconies above (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 top of the buildings. Lower pairs are alternately advanced and recessed, while later upper pairs are set on the same plane. Almost all but the recessed pairs have their northern ends defined by pilaster strips.

Numbers 15 and 16 share a similar style and include a full-length ground-floor colonnade. A modern addition stands to the west of number 15. Numbers 17 and 28 are single, three-bay houses, each with a portico at the left side. They are connected to number 16 by a single-storey link.

The buildings fronting Perth Road (numbers 1-4 and 29-32) are symmetrical, eight-bay structures, with the two end bays slightly advanced. They share the same detailing as the other terraces, including central tetrastyle porticos. Number 1 is angled to accommodate Perth Road and has a trabeated porch on its side. Number 32 incorporates a later hemispherical, pilastered bow rising through both ground and first floors. Number 3 has a restored balustrade and altered mullioned windows.

The corner houses (numbers 4 and 29) are two bays wide on Perth Road and three bays wide on Springfield. Number 4 features a central portico, a panelled wallhead stack on the Springfield side, and a recently restored balustrade. Number 29 has a portico on the right side, while the wallhead stack has partly been removed to accommodate a later slate mansard roof with consoled dormers.

The windows are mostly modern, two-pane sash and case, although some retain four- or twelve-pane glazing. The roofs are low-piended and slate-covered, with ridge stacks. The rear of the buildings are rubble constructed. Surviving interiors contain good, original plasterwork and Ionic decorative details. The original iron railings are now missing.

Historical records note that the feu was approved in January 1830, "according to a much approved plan by an eminent architects in Edinburgh," and further action was recorded on March 17, 1831.