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Designed for Lord Drummond
| James
Craig (1744-95) famously won the competition to masterplan an Edinburgh
New Town when only 22 years old in 1766; Edinburgh New Town gradually
absorbed much of the professional classes from the increasingly ramshackle
Old Town. The New Town was mostly built of sandstone from Craigleath
Quarry. Princes Street (1805) is fairly uninteresting despite its
fame, but Charlotte Square and George Street (after George III) contain
many good works. |
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The following entry is a bit of a detour for those on foot; if it's
too far then start at The Bonham or continue from the last tour at
The Caledonian: |
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| Dean
Gallery - refurbishment,
73 Belford Road 1999 Terry Farrell & Co. Refurbishment of former Orphanage by Hamilton, 1833. Farrell was also responsible for the recent masterplan for both this building and the adjacent Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art - SNGMA Across the road to the West is the SNGMA: |
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Scotland's National Gallery of Modern Art - refurbishment Terry Farrell & Co. SNGMA - former John Watson's School by Burn, 1825, The masterplan involves co-ordinated sculptures, landscaping. etc. |
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| Earthworks
- 'Ueda' at the SNGMA 2002 Charles Jencks with Terry Farrell |
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| Former
Gymnasium 0 rear of SNGMA 1996 Lee Boyd |
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The
Bonham, 35 Drumsheugh Gardens |
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| Next head East towards the centre, down Chester St., right into Queensferry St. - at No.32 is one of three Pizza Expresses by Malcolm Fraser Architects in the city (right) - then left to: |  |
| The
home of big finance with billions rumoured to pass through the Square's
dozen or so institutions every year. Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)
was born at No. 16, Lister at No.9 and Earl Haig at No.34. The square was designed by Robert Adam who died before its completion. West Register House, Charlotte Square, 1814, Robert Reid powerful building occupying former church of St. George with strong vertical emphasis: a superb endpiece to George Street. Georgian House (NTS), No. 7 Charlotte Square, 1792-, Robert Adam - protected and reposed work. |
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80
George Street |
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| Edinburgh's
most famous street beside the Royal Mile. Princes Street 'Galleries'
- original proposal in 2002 for half a mile of mall under Princes
St. - current proposal involves mall from Waverley to the Mound. Edinburgh Galleries Shortlist: Allan Murray Architects - winner, Dec 2002 Erick van Egeraat Gareth Hoskins Architects Page and Park Architects | 
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Princes Street Vision:
Malcolm Fraser Architects in conjunction with the Cockburn Association
& the City of Edinburgh Council announce major reworking of Princes
St with malls through to Rose St Just west of Castle St, on Princes St: New Club by Alan Reiach, Architect & British Home Stores (Bhs) by Robert Matthew, Johnson-Marshall & Partners; nearby is Debenhams |
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Oloroso
rooftop restaurant, 37 Castle Street Richard Murphy Architects Atop a listed Basil Spence building is Richard Murphy Architect's conversion with base-build by Comprehensive Design Architects Designed for the late restaureteur James Sankey and the ITV Chef of the Year 2000 Tony Singh, Oloroso includes a rooftop terrace with views to Fife and the Castle |
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| Centotre restaurant, 103 George Street |  |
| Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street |  |
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Royal
Scottish Academy (RSA), Princes Street |
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| National
Gallery of Scotland, The Mound 1845-58; (1978) William Playfair A short detour to George St. will take you to ricks: |
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Rick's
Bar, Hotel & Restaurant, 55a Frederick St |
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| George Hotel |  |
| St Andrews & St Georges Church |  |
| The Dome restaurant |  |
| Le Monde restaurant |  |
| Opal
Lounge, George St 2002 Malcolm Fraser Architects Creative basement conversion as quality nightclub Back on Princes St is the monument to Sir Walter Scott: |
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| Scott
Monument, Princes St World-famous Victorian monument Across the road is Marks & Spencers, and Jenners, Victorian Department Store |
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| Jenners,
Princes St often described as the Harrods of the North, refurbished by Michael Laird Architects Princes Mall, (former Waverley Market) Princes St, 1984, BDP; subterranean shopping complex with black 'spikes' above ground evoking the brooding form of St. Mary's Cathedral at the far end of Princes St |
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| H&M
Edinburgh - Former C&A
Store + Jays Dept. Store, Princes St 2004 3D Architects Burtons Department Store |
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Balmoral Hotel,
North Bridge/Princes St 1902 Beattie Opposite the Balmoral, across North Bridge, is GPO: |
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| Former
General Post Office
- GPO 1861-66 Robert Matheson; additions by Oldrieve 1909; HM Partnership 2004 The shell has been retained and has been redeveloped |
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| General
Register House, Princes St, (opposite North Bridge/Balmoral
Hotel) 1774 Robert Adam From here one can head North to the later phase of New Town - down from Queen Street - or head up Calton Hill. |
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Waverley
Station Edinburgh's main railway sits between the Old Town and the New Town. Numerous proposals to redevelop, especially in the last decade Head back to St. Andrew·s Square or visit |
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St James Centre - Hugh Martin Partnership John Lewis Edinburgh, Leith St 1987 Basil Spence 'Food on 1': St James Centre upper level conversion Comprehensive Design Architects - CDA Opposite the latter is possibly the site of the largest new development in Edinburgh: |
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Calton
Square + omni
edinburgh, Calton Hill |
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Leith
St Bridge Broadway Malyan Architects |
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| Square
contains Melville Monument (image right). Going clockwise, starting
in the east side, we have the following:- Dundas Mansion 1774 Chambers Royal Bank of Scotland branch In the south-east corner is the red sandstone Prudential Assurance at 14 South St.Andrew St by Waterhouse |
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| Scottish
Provident Building 1961 Rowand Anderson Kininmonth & Paul Located in the south-west corner at No.6, currently empty, well-balanced facade |
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| Former
Scottish Widows building - Basil Spence, architect In the south-west corner (Sainsbury's at street level) is a rather austere retail / commercial property: St Andrew Square |
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| Former
Caledonian Insurance Co., George Street 1938-59 Thomson & Connell Black marble, flanking statues, copper roof and Art Deco fenestration and decoration |
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| No.10
George Street 1994 Reiach and Hall Architects Quiet, mildly decorative and vertically-ordered insertion |
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| In the north-west on the corner with George Street is Standard Life Assurance. |  |
| The
Walk incl. Harvey
Nichols, St Andrew Square 2002 Comprehensive Design + Lifschutz Davidson Architects |
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Valvona
& Crolla restaurant off Multrees
Walk Reiach and Hall Architects |
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| Bank of Scotland HQ., east side of St Andrew's Square |  |
| Walk
North towards Queens Street: Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen St 1895 Sir Robert Rowand Anderson a 'must see' building |
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Further along
is No.9 Queen St: |
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| The
second phase of Edinburgh New Town - Reid; Elliot; Playfair; Graham;
Raeburn - was built between 1802 and around 1823, to the North and
off the plateau (one of the finest elements is Moray Place, right). Edinburgh New Town Phase 2 |
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| Dublin
Street Lane 1993 & 2000 Richard Murphy Architects Private Housing Nominee for Stirling Prize 2000 |
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| You
can continue on your own tour to William
Playfair's Royal Crescent, 1823, Gillespie Graham's Moray Place, 1822, Playfair's St Stephen's Church, 1828 at St. Vincent St. Great King Street (R.L.Stevenson lived at 17 Heriot Row) Down on the Water of Leith is a Pizza Express by Malcolm Fraser Architects at 1 Deanhaugh St (right); close by some contemporary housing, see below: |
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Dean Bank Lane
housing project 2005 Richard Murphy Architects Private Housing |
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| 17
Circus Lane 2000 Richard Murphy Architects Private Houses Two Circus Lane Houses for Mike Gordon |
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| Circus
Lane - 'Japanese house' - Richard Murphy Architects Controversial mews house |
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Moray Place 1996 & 2000 Richard Murphy Architects Private House Refurbishment of a listed New Town house won one of Scotland's seven RIBA Awards in 2002, shortlisted for RIAS Scottish Building Award 2002 |
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| Calton
Hill The scattered monuments on this hill go a long way to earning Edinburgh the sobriquet of Athens of the North: Calton Hill |
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| Duguld
Stewart Monument 1831 Playfair |
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| City
Observatory 1818 Playfair Small domed building in centre of hill |
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| National
Monument (to the Napoleonic Dead) 1829 Cockerell, exec. Playfair Designed as a folly (disputed), based on Acropolis Scottish National Monument |
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| Nelson's
Monument 1816 Burn Dropping ball on top pole signalled time to ships in the Firth of Forth. |
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| St
Andrew's House 1939 Tait Architecture Competition winner |
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Calton Old Burial
Ground, Waterloo Place Obelisk to Political Martyrs Memorial to David Hume Governor's House |
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| Royal
High School 1829 Thomas Hamilton Opposite the Royal High School, to the south-east: |
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Burns
Monument, Regent Road |
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| Calton
Burial Ground A short walk to the East along Regent Terrace (or Regent Road) brings you to Casa Murphy: |
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17 Royal Terrace
Mews 1993 Richard Murphy Architects |
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Edinburgh Tours
Edinburgh New Town : Stockbridge
Scottish Architecture
Edinburgh New Town restaurants
Missoni Hotel
Other buildings in the north of Edinburgh New Town, ie Phase Two:
CDA project for Applecross: Eyre Place
Housing by Reiach and Hall + Oberlanders Architects: Fettes Row terraces
Mansfield Traquair Centre
Edinburgh : back to index
Buildings / photos for the Edinburgh New Town Architecture pages welcome:
info@edinburgharchitecture.co.uk
Edinburgh New Town - Building : page - adrian welch / isabelle lomholt