Originally called Penarth Terrace, numbers 1 to 19 Windsor Esplanade were built between 1856 and 1871, likely to the design of Alexander Roos, architect to the Bute Estate. The terrace marks a transition in architectural style from the earlier neo-classicism of buildings such as the nearby Bute Esplanade (NPRN 423129) and numbers 6??9 (NPRN 19372), 20-23 (NPRN 19375) and 58?59 (NPRN 307735) Mount Stuart Square, towards the later more elaborate structures such as Dock Chambers (NPRN 307738), all also likely designed by Roos. Although alterations have been made to several of the houses since their originally construction, the terrace remains the most complete surviving terrace of this period in south Cardiff.

Windsor Esplanade is constructed of snecked grey and brown local sandstone with Bath stone dressings. The houses are mainly of two storeys with slate roofs, red-brick chimneys with pots, and round-headed dormers. Several of these dormers have finials, others are decorated with Welsh dragons or else are without ornament. Numbers 1, 2, 9, 11, 18, and 19 are stepped forward slightly, and numbers 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 18, and 19 (the end and central houses) have shaped gables with Bath stone copings topped with finials, except for number 1 where the finial has been lost. The gable on the central house (10) is slightly narrower and lower. At the tops of the other buildings runs a decoratively pierced Bath stone gable, although this has been lost over numbers 6, 7, and 8 and is also absent between numbers 9?11. Under this cornice runs a band of red brick with red and black decorative terracotta tiles. A string course runs across the terrace at second-storey sill level.

The ground floors of the houses have semi-hexagonal bay windows and doors with single rectangular fanlights and rectangular hoodmolds. The second storeys have single sash windows over the doors and paired sash windows over the bay windows, all with rectangular hoodmolds. The central house (10) has a narrow central bay window with a door to the left and a sash window to right on the ground floor and three second-storey single sash windows.

(Sources: Cadw Listed Buildings Database; Victorian Society Tour Notes, VS01/16)
A.N. Coward, RCAHMW, 31.7.2018