21 East Road, Kirkwall

21 East Road in Kirkwall is a mid-19th century building that has undergone later alterations and additions. It features two stories, a basement, and an attic, with an asymmetrical design comprising five bays. The building sits on a corner site with the ground sloping to the west. The right side of the building is a two-bay house (Number 19) that abuts Number 17, which is listed separately. The left side is a three-bay house (Number 21) that includes a single-storey, flat-roofed L-plan entrance addition on the outer left. The two central entrance bays are slightly recessed. The exterior is made of squared and coursed rubble with yellow sandstone ashlar dressings, and there is an eaves course above the central two bays. The windows feature long and short margins, and there are long and short quoins. Ashlar steps and entrance platts extend over the basement.

On the north and northeast (principal) elevation, the bays are grouped in a 2-2-1 arrangement. The central two-bay entrance group has pilastered and corniced doorpieces at the ground level, with deep-set timber-panelled doors and rectangular fanlights. There is a window in each bay at the first floor, with a dormer above in the left bay. The two-bay group on the left (Number 21) has small basement windows in each bay, with windows at each floor above and an attic dormer between the bays. A modern glazed entrance addition is set back on the outer left. The single bay on the right (Number 19) features a modern door with flanking windows at the basement level, and a window at each floor above, along with an attic dormer.

The east (side) elevation of Number 21 includes the entrance addition at ground level, a window set to the right at the first floor, and a gablehead stack above. The windows are 4-pane timber sash and case, with replacements in Number 19. The roof has grey slate, a stone ridge, and corniced multi-flue gablehead stacks on the east and west sides, with predominantly uPVC rainwater goods.

The interiors were not seen in 1998. The boundary walls consist of a low rubble wall with stone copes along the north elevations, topped with spear-headed cast-iron railings that run continuously over the entrance bridges.