The naming of Waverley

We very much enjoyed the pictorial special in RAIL 888 showing aerial views of Edinburgh and Waverley station.

Having carried out extensive research into the history of Waverley station, for a series of articles which appeared in the North British Railway Study Group’s Journal, we can find no evidence that the station was ever officially named after Scott’s Waverley novels.

When the station site was first developed in 1844-46, an existing embankment called the ‘Little Mound’ was replaced by a three-arched bridge over the new railway. This was known as Waverley Bridge, with this name no doubt suggested in recognition of its position adjacent to the Scott Monument, which was then under construction. The station development took place primarily in the area between Waverley Bridge and the existing North

Bridge, and also to the east of the North Bridge.

There are references to the Waverley Bridge station in company records from 1848, and that name was well-established by the early 1850s.

From the start, it was frequently abbreviated to Waverley, and was also referred to initially as North Bridge Station, the general station, or simply Edinburgh.

The names Waverley and Waverley Bridge were used interchangeably into the early 1870s, when the first major rebuilding of the station took place, after which the name Waverley became firmly established.

Donald Cattanach, Edinburgh and Allan Rodgers, Longniddry