A small harled five-bay mansion lying gable-on to St Leonard's Street in S Central Edinburgh, Hermits and Termits was built in 1734 for William Clifton, a Solicitor of Excise. It took its name from the poetic-slang for a pair of crofts, Hermitis and Terraris, which can be traced back to at least the 15th century and were associated with the St Leonard's Almshouses.
Hermits and Termits was restored in 1982, an early project by local architect Ben Tindall, to form his own residence. The interior is panelled and the staircase features a fine mahogany balustrade.