Horselethill House, 5 Horselethill Road

Horselethill House comprises two linked late 19th-century sandstone villas, internally connected, both with basement and attic storeys.

No. 5 is a three-bay villa built circa 1874, with alterations by William J Smith in 1945 and 1955, the latter relating to its conversion to a hall of residence. Constructed of squared and snecked sandstone with ashlar dressings and a string course dividing the ground and first floors, it stands on falling ground.

The principal north-east elevation features a round-arched hoodmoulded doorway to the centre, approached by stone balustraded steps with ball finials. The doorway has glazed side lights continuous with a fanlight. A single window sits above. To the left is a full-height bowed stone window with five-light windows to the principal floors, rising into a conical roof against the gabled wallhead, with a pedimented window breaking the eaves and a decorative weathervane. To the right is a bay with tripartite windows to the principal floors and a dormer above with a catslide roof. The rear south-west elevation is a three-bay composition with irregular fenestration and gabled dormers. The north-west gabled elevation contains a flat-roofed link to the basement and ground levels, with a mullioned and transomed stair window to the centre and a further window to the left; the gablehead bears mock timber framing.

The windows are plate glass glazing in timber sash and case frames. The roof is grey slate with ashlar stone gablehead stacks and profiled guttering.

The interior contains a fine array of classical plasterwork cornices and decorative doorpieces with architraves, carved panels and cornices. A stylised timber stair balustrade has urn finials to the newel posts. Rooms feature later wainscot panelling and carved classical and Jacobean chimneypieces.

No. 7 is a seven-bay villa built circa 1874 with extensions and alterations circa 1908-09 (the work of James Cairns or A Wilson) and further alterations by William Smith in 1945 and 1955. The original house is a four-bay core extended circa 1908 by an addition of three closely grouped bays. The villa has a clasping conservatory. It is constructed of squared and coursed sandstone with ashlar dressings, a cill band course at ground level, architraved windows, eaves course and cornice.

The principal north-east elevation has outer bays to the right set back in a recessed plane. The doorway is set in a re-entrant angle on the return of the advanced bays, sheltered by a square-sectioned corniced stone porch. A semicircular window lights the basement under the steps; stone steps approach the door, flanked by ashlar dies, one bearing a cast-iron lamp. Single windows flank the door to the outer right, with a window altered as a door to a fire escape and a timber dormer above. To the left of the entrance porch is a bay with single windows to each floor. The outer left bay of the original house breaks the eaves in a pavilion roof giving a tower effect, with slightly projecting tripartite windows to each floor, diminishing at first floor with a block pediment and a stone wallhead dormer above with semicircular pediment. The addition of circa 1908 to the outer left has regular fenestration, deeply projecting eaves and a stone Glasgow Style dormer to the mansard attic. The rear south-west elevation displays an L-plan conservatory of circa 1910 clasping the outer corner to the left; a round-arched stair window is present; a five-light projecting window occupies a bay to the right, with two slightly recessed bays of the later extension to the outer right; a stone corbelled and canted oriel is set at first floor to the right; a flat-roofed dormer window completes the elevation. The north-west elevation is two-bay with a short return of the conservatory to the right and a full-height canted bay in a slightly advanced bay to the left.

The conservatory is timber-framed, with a polygonal end to the advanced section and a curved corner to the clasping corner, a stone base, and hopper ventilation at shelf height.

Windows to the original house are four-light timber sash and case with small-pane upper and plate glass lower sashes; the extension has small-pane upper and plate glass lower sashes. Corniced ashlar wallhead stacks serve the original house with a full complement of cans; bull-faced stone stacks serve the extension.

The interior features decorative classical plasterwork cornices and panel frames, classical marble chimneypieces with architraves and cornices over friezes, some with panelled friezes. An unusual cast-iron balustrade with fluted timber newel posts bearing capitals and urn finials forms the stair. Round and segmental archways are present. The backstair has a timber balustrade bearing simple Glasgow Style fretting.

The link joining the two villas at basement and ground levels is a two-storey flat-roofed structure, apparently reworking an earlier mews, designed by William J Smith in 1955, with a large picture window to the principal elevation at ground floor serving a dining block.