The principal rooms at No. 3 Charlotte Square are part of Robert Adam’s celebrated Georgian masterplan for Edinburgh’s New Town. When the house was first completed in the 1790s, the main interiors lacked the elaborate ornamentation and refined plasterwork typical of Adam’s designs. Ceilings were left as plain boarding without moulded detail.

Following a programme of archival research, a new ornamental plaster ceiling was designed to reflect Adam’s original intentions. Working drawings recreated the classical motifs such as interlocking guilloches, paterae and acanthus leaf mouldings, with careful attention to correct proportions and relief. Master plasterers executed the work using traditional lime putty and horsehair plaster applied over timber laths. Each decorative element was cast from bespoke timber patterns, scribed on site for precise jointing and finished with a fine lime wash to match the surrounding surfaces.

The completed ceiling now restores the full complexity of Adam’s aesthetic and brings No. 3 into alignment with the richly detailed interiors found elsewhere in Charlotte Square. The project demonstrates how rigorous research, skilled craftsmanship and appropriate materials can reinstate historic architectural form and enhance the conservation of an A-listed landmark.