Two and a half centuries of a capital New Town

Salute those Georgian city planners, says Stuart Peters

Growing up in Edinburgh, my friends and I would roam around the city centre with no particular interest in the architecture, but as time progressed it began to dawn on me that I lived in a pretty spectacular place.

As well as being beautiful, Georgian architecture is robust.

It was 250 years ago that work began on Edinburgh’s New Town and the buildings are still standing strong.

The layout of the streets was almost designed with insight into how people would live in the 21st centuries.

The wide roads allow modern traffic and the grids and crescents have been mimicked by developers the world over.

Of course, it may well be that the large developments popping up around the country will still be standing in two and a half centuries, but somehow I doubt it very much.

Whilst building work actually started in 1767, the idea of expanding Edinburgh from the crowded and narrow streets of the Old Town was first mooted by James VII before he ascended to the throne.

He saw the opportunity to use the area north of the city and gave the city a grant but it took another 100 years for the project to begin as James left Edinburgh to be crowned King of both Scotland and England.

Overcrowding in the Old Town together with the arrival of the Age of Enlightenment to Edinburgh saw a design competition set up by the city fathers, which was won by 26-year-old James Craig, whose design for Princes, George and Queen Streets, and the various mews in between, formed the first stage.

These grand houses were perfect for the capital city’s elite, who embraced art and literature making Edinburgh a mecca for the intellectuals and writers who mingled with the more established professions.

To see how people lived in those times, members of the public can visit the Georgian House in Charlotte Square – after the tall tenements with small rooms in the Old Town it was absolute luxury.

The craftsmen of that era were meticulous in their work. The thick walls have withstood the tests of time, although current residents are aware that maintenance does take quite a lump out of their income.

It took 80 years for the New Town to be completed but by the mid-20th century much of it was turned in to commercial use.

Not only shops; but also offices of companies which wanted to be in the centre of Scotland’s financial hub.

One of the joys of my work with Dunedin House Properties is seeing many of the buildings in this area and the equally grand West End being re-developed back into residential homes. Yes, we have many planning restrictions, but whilst at times they have my colleagues and I pulling out our hair, we are also aware that they are there to ensure that the beauty of these buildings is not spoilt.

This month I will visit the Scottish Gallery in Dundas Street where artist Hugh Buchanan, another enthusiastic fan of the neoclassical architecture of Edinburgh, is having an exhibition to celebrate this important 250th anniversary.

I plan to combine the trip with a walk around the streets to marvel once more at the wonderful city which I am proud to call home.