Contemporary Architecture - Historic Properties
| New Town Buildings |
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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| Terry Farrell & Co.
- refurbishment Dean Gallery, 73 Belford Road, 1999 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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Terry Farrell
& Co. - refurbishment Scotland's National Gallery of Modern Art SNGMA - former John Watson's School by Burn, 1825, The masterplan involves co-ordinated sculptures, landscaping. etc. |
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| Charles Jencks Earthworks with Terry Farrell - 'Ueda' at the SNGMA 2001-02 |  |
| Former
Gymnasium Lee Boyd rear of SNGMA, 1995-96 |
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Ron Galloway - Architect
Jonathan Speirs & Assocs. - lighting & interior consultant The Bonham, 35 Drumsheugh Gardens, 1998 Three Grade A listed Terrace houses combined to create one of the top 20 best new hotels in the world |
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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: |  |
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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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Hugh
Martin Partnership |
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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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Richard Murphy Architects Oloroso rooftop restaurant, 37 Castle Street 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 Half way down Princes Street is the RSA: |
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| Centotre
restaurant 103 George Street |
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| Assembly
Rooms 54 George Street |
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Royal
Scottish Academy (RSA), |
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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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Malcolm
Fraser Architects |
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| George Hotel |  |
| St Andrews & St Georges Church |  |
| The Dome restaurant |  |
| Le Monde restaurant |  |
| Malcolm
Fraser Architects Opal Lounge, George St, 2001-02 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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| 3D
Architects Former C&A Store + Jays Dept. Store, Princes St: Redevelopment 2002-04: H&M Edinburgh for Redevco Burtons Department Store |
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Balmoral Hotel,
1895-1902, Beattie North Bridge/Princes St 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, 1774, Princes St, (opposite North Bridge/Balmoral Hotel),
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,
with later John
Lewis Edinburgh addition to Leith St. by Basil
Spence (1987): 'Food on 1': conversion of an upper level of the St James Centre by Comprehensive Design Architects (CDA): Opposite the latter is possibly the site of the largest new development in Edinburgh: |
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Allan
Murray Architects |
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| Square
contains Melville Monument (image right). Going clockwise, starting
in the east side, we have Dundas Mansion: Chambers' Royal Bank of Scotland Headquarters (1772-74) In the south-east corner is the red sandstone Prudential Assurance at 14 South St.Andrew St by Waterhouse |
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| In the south-west
corner at No.6 is the well-balanced Scottish
Provident Building, 1961, by Rowand
Anderson Kininmonth & Paul. |
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| In the south-west
corner (Sainsbury's at street level) is a rather austere Basil Spence
building: St Andrew Square Retail / Commercial property Basil Spence, architect |
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| On the south
corner to George Street is the newly-restored former Caledonian Insurance
Co., 1938-59, Thomson & Connell: black marble, flanking statues,
copper roof and Art Deco fenestration and decoration. |
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| No.10 next
door is a quiet, mildly decorative and vertically-ordered insertion
dating from 1994 by Reiach
and Hall Architects |
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| In the north-west on the corner with George Street is Standard Life Assurance. |  |
| Comprehensive
Design + Lifschutz
Davidson Architects The Walk incl. Harvey Nichols, St Andrew Sq, 2000-02 |
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| Valvona & Crolla restaurant off Multrees Walk by Reiach and Hall Architects |  |
| Bank of Scotland HQ. east side of St Andrew's Square |  |
| Walk North towards Queens Street: the Scottish National Portrait Gallery at 1 Queen St,1889/95, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson: a 'must see' building |  |
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Further along
is No.9 Queen St: Royal
College of Physicians, 1845, by Hamilton, late Greek Revival |
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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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| Richard
Murphy Architects Dublin Street Lane, 1993 & 2000 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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Richard Murphy Architects housing project: Dean Bank Lane 2003-05 Private Housing |
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Richard Murphy Architects 17 Circus Lane, 1998-2000 Private Houses Two Circus Lane Houses for Mike Gordon £300k |
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| Richard Murphy Architects also fought to have another mews house in Circus Lane, so-called 'Japanese house' |  |
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Richard Murphy Architects Moray Place 1996 & 2000 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 |  |
| City Observatory, 1818, Playfair: small domed building in centre of hill. |  |
| National
Monument (to the Napoleonic Dead), -1829, Cockerell,
exec. Playfair;
designed as a folly, based on Acropolis. Scottish National Monument |
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| Nelson's
Monument, 1807; 1814-16, Burn: dropping ball on top pole signalled
time to ships in the Firth of Forth. |
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| St Andrew's House, 1934-39, Tait: 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, 1830, Thomas Hamilton, 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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Richard Murphy Architects
17 Royal Terrace Mews, 1993 |
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Edinburgh Tours
Edinburgh New Town : Stockbridge
Scottish Architecture
Edinburgh New Town restaurants
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