Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh photos, Building architect, Scottish Capital City landscape images, Design

Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh Architecture

Edinburgh City Centre Photographs: Scotland Shopping Street buildings + public realm design

Princes Street Gardens

Princes Street Gardens in Winter – ‘Winter Wonderland’

photos © Adrian Welch

This green urban landscape is formed from two adjacent public parks in the centre of the Scottish capital city. The large public spaces are located just north of Edinburgh Castle.

View to HBoS building:

photos © Adrian Welch

The Gardens were formed in the 1820s following the long draining of the Nor Loch and building of the New Town. This Georgian property development designed by architect James Craif began in the 1760s. the topography slopes down towards the main line railway that heads west out of the Scottish capital towards Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow.

Princes Street Shops

Doric Tavern – traditional Edinburgh Old Town bar near the gardens, on the south side of Market Street:

photo © Adrian Welch

The loch, situated on the north side of the town, was originally an artificial creation forming part of its medieval defences and made expansion northwards difficult. The water was habitually polluted from sewage draining downhill from the Old Town.

Princes Street in the rain:

images © Adrian Welch

Princes Street Edinburgh : Redevelopment / Masterplan

The gardens run along the south side of Princes Street and are divided by The Mound. The National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy buildings are located on this land between the two parks.

East Princes Street Gardens run from The Mound to Waverley Bridge. They cover 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) in land area. The larger West Princes Street Gardens cover 29 acres (12 ha). It extends to the St. John’s Church and St. Cuthbert’s Church, near Lothian Road in the west.

Location: central Edinburgh, southeast Scotland, United Kingdom