Travel news
If you like learning about Scottish history, you’ll love this new project.
InterContinental, owners of the George Hotel in Edinburgh, have commissioned historians to explore the hidden stories behind one of Auld Reekie’s most iconic buildings, as part of an initiative marking the company’s 75th anniversary celebrations. InterContinental is marking the special moments that have taken place within the walls of its hotels around the world.
The owners have partnered with VoiceMap to develop an exclusive audio walking tour guide for guests and visitors to the city.
Developed and narrated by Dr Esther Mijers and Professor Ewen Cameron of Edinburgh University, they say the tour unlocks the capital’s hidden history.
Starting at the George, the audio tour tells the lesser-known stories lurking within the building. It explains how, during the 19th Century, the hotel was a collection of five prestigious townhouses and home to the well-known Ferrier family, which boasted a connection to Scotland’s literature scene.
Sir Walter Scott and Robert Burns were frequent guests, while novelist Susan Ferrier – dubbed Scotland’s Jane Austen – was an unsung hero in Scots literature.
Guests are then guided to seven other locations pinned across the city including 17 Heriot Row, former home of one of Scotland’s most famous writers, Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island, Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde, Kidnapped, and The Master of Ballantrae: A Winter’s Tale.
Other landmarks explored include Edinburgh Academy Senior School, which exemplified the very best of a structured education for the youth of the New Town and has since produced notable alumni, and St Andrew Square, where James Craig’s plans to build a church, dedicated to Scotland’s patron saint, Saint Andrew, were foiled by Lawrence Dundas. The church was instead built on George Street, next door to the George.
The tour also visits Edinburgh University’s Old College where the mysterious murder of Lord Darnley, the unpopular second husband of Mary, Queen of Scots, took place. And it moves on to the Old Medical School to reveal the story of the Edinburgh Seven - pioneers of women’s education whose trailblazing campaign prompted a change in the law that allowed women to study medicine.
For more information about the tour visit edinburgh.intercontinental.com