Fairfield House, Croft Street, Dalkeith

This is an early 19th-century villa with associated outbuildings, situated on Croft Street in Dalkeith. The original villa is a two-storey, three-bay classical building, to which a later, flatter-roofed, single-storey range was added between 1835 and 1852, extending across the principal east elevation.

The east elevation of the original villa is faced with ashlar stone, while the remaining elevations are constructed from square and coursed, stugged rubble masonry. The later addition is faced with droved and stugged sandstone ashlar. A continuous, narrow band course runs along the elevations, slightly below the eaves level. There is a blocking course and a raised tablet above the centre bay. Other features include drove rybats, quoins, and raised cills.

The east (principal) elevation has a centre bay which projects slightly, featuring a segmental-arched recessed panel. The first floor has regular fenestration. The south elevation is three bays wide (2-1), with an off-centre bay featuring a cast-iron window guard at first floor level, two blind windows in the left bay, and blocked windows in the right bay, where a new window has been inserted to the right at ground level. A brick wall adjoins it to the left. The north elevation has a window to the left at ground level and a blind window to the right at first floor. A coped projection, likely related to the original kitchen range, extends to the right at ground level, with a small boarded aperture to its left. A piended brick porch is located in the re-entrant angle between the elevation and the wing, containing a door facing west and a window facing north. The west elevation has a two-storey stepped porch addition in the centre bay, with a door to the right and a window to the left at ground level, and a slit window above on the north return. There are windows to the left at ground level and in the outer bays on the first floor.

The later range returns to clasp the original villa on the north and south elevations and includes a base course, cornice, a parapet, and balustrading on the east elevation. It has architraved openings. The principal east elevation features a tall door, centrally positioned, with a consoled open pediment, a double door consisting of a two-leaf panelled outer door and an inner glazed door with a divided fanlight. Tall canted windows are present in the outer bays. The south elevation includes a two-leaf glazed door with a fanlight on the south return, with some concrete repair panels visible to the left.

The windows are mostly sash and case, with a 12-pane glazing pattern. Side lights of the canted windows have smaller eight-pane windows. Some upper sashes of the canted windows contain stained glass panes, featuring central engraved medallions, some of which are damaged. Ground floor windows on the north and west elevations are barred. The roof is covered with grey slates, with piended and platform sections, and includes two bowed-roof slate-hung dormer windows on the east pitch and a large rooflight on the west pitch. Corniced wallhead stacks are present, finished in ashlar on the north side and rendered and lined on the south side. A can is positioned on top of the roof on the north side. Some original rainwater goods remain.

A brick lean-to, formerly a dairy, is located in the northeast corner of the grounds, featuring a shop front with a door to the right, a boarded window, and a wooden fascia with the name "Fairfield Dairy" incorporated into the east wall, facing Lothian Road. Several polychrome brick buildings are located in the southeast corner of the grounds, one freestanding (likely a former stable), and two incorporated into a rubble wall at the corner, all with pointed-arched openings. Adjacent are a later brick shed and several rubble buildings. A stone building, situated behind the polychrome brick buildings, contains good plasterwork. A cow byre adjoins the buildings. Boundary walls are brick on the north side, and ashlar coped rubble on the east and west sides. Wrought-iron carriage and pedestrian gates are located to the northeast of the east wall, with a flat-coped wall shaping upwards on either side. A gate and door are present in the west wall.