New City (Edinburgh)

Plans to create a new city in Edinburgh belong to the time of the reign of King James VII (late 17th century ). In the XVII century, the population in Edinburgh reached a critical point, the medieval Old Town was overcrowded. Then the city government decided to expand the boundaries of the city, in particular, in order to prevent the massive departure of influential people in London . The era of the Enlightenment came to Edinburgh, and the outdated urban infrastructure no longer suited the young progressive philosophers who settled in the city.

Due to the geographical position of Edinburgh, expanding the city’s boundaries was not an easy task. To this end, it was decided to drain the lake Nor-Loch , which was heavily polluted with sewage and emitting a stench. Drainage of the lake was completed in the XIX century . Most of the valley, where the lake was previously located, was taken under Princes Street Park , and one of the main shopping streets of the city, Princes Street , was also spread here. The National Gallery of Scotland , the Royal Scottish Academy , the main building of the Bank of Scotland and other impressive buildings were built on the artificial hill The Mound (the completion of the finished object in 1830 ).

Thus, the valley of the dried Nor Loha divided the Old and New Towns. To connect both parts of the city, the North Bridge and Waverley Bridge were built. In the middle of the XIX century, railway companies settled in the valley, which marked the beginning of Edinburgh-Waverley station .

Gradually, rich citizens began to move to spacious Georgian houses on wide streets in the New Town, leaving the Old Town to the poorer segments of the population.

In January 1766, a competition was held for the development of planning projects for the new quarter. The winner was 26-year-old James Craig , who proposed a simple, well-structured scheme of the New City. The plan was somewhat revised and submitted to the court of King George III in 1767 . The revised plan was based on three parallel streets ( Princes Street , George Street and Queen Street ), located between St. Andrew Square and Charlotte Square. Three streets perpendicular to them complete the road network.

Craig’s original plan contained diagonal connecting streets, so the road network resembled the flag of Great Britain . In order to simplify the plan, it was decided to abandon them, and decided to convey the spirit of British patriotism through the names of streets and squares.

Street Names

The main street of the new quarter was George Street ( George Street , literally George Street), named after the then ruling King George III . North Street is Queen Street ( Queen Street , lit. Queen Street), the street south of George Street was originally named St. Giles Street ( St. Giles Street ) in honor of the patron saint of the city of St. Egidius . St. Andrew Square and St. George's Square , respectively, the patrons of Scotland and England , symbolized the union of England and Scotland . Thistle Street and Rose Street , respectively, are symbols of Scotland and England complete the picture.

Since St. Egidius was also the patron saint of lepers and associated with the king with slums in London, St. Giles Street decided to rename Princes Street ( Princes Street , literally Princes Street ) in honor of the king’s sons. St. George's Square was renamed Charlotte Street (in honor of Queen Charlotte ) to avoid confusion with George Square in the southern part of the Old Town. The western part of Thistle Street was renamed Hill Street and Young Street, thus Thistle Street was twice shorter than Roses Street. Three perpendicular main streets are called Castle Street due to the opening view of Edinburgh Castle , Frederick Street in honor of the father of the king and Hanover Street in honor of the Hanover dynasty .

Construction

The construction of the New City began with St. Egidius Square. Craig intended to build on both main squares along the large cathedral. However, the square of St. Egidius belonged to Sir Lawrence Dundas, who wanted to build his own mansion designed by Chambers on this site. The Palladian-style mansion, completed in 1774, now serves as the headquarters of the Royal Bank of Scotland . The Church of St. Egidius was supposed to be located instead on the side of George Street, but for reasons of architectural compatibility, a monument to Henry Dundas was installed in its place.

The first New City was completed in 1800 with the construction of Charlotte Square. The square was designed by Robert Adam and was the only uniform architectural ensemble of the New City. Adam also designed the church of St. George, but his project preferred the project of Robert Reid. The northern part of Charlotte Square is decorated with Bute House - the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland .

Redevelopment

The new city was conceived solely as a residential quarter. Townhouses interspersed with multi-unit rental houses stood in straight rows along the main roads. The internal parts of the quarter were intended for service personnel’s apartments — dance teachers, hairdressers, etc. Soon, the commercial potential of the secured quarter was revealed, and stores began to appear one after another. In the XIX century, most of the townhouses on Princes Street were driven out by commercial buildings. Redevelopment of the first New City is still ongoing, however many buildings remained in their original form.

After 1800, it was decided to continue work on the New City. Four new projects were proposed.

The Northern New City was intended to expand the boundaries of the city from the northern part of Queen Street Gardens to the Water-of-Lit River . Work on this project was carried out in the 1800s – 1830s. The basis was again taken Craig's plan with straight streets with private buildings . The area around Picardy Square was completed by 1809.

To extend the New Town to the east, Sir Marjoribanks built the elegant Regent Bridge (1819), which made it easy to get to Calton Hill from Princes Street. The city consul arranged a competition for the development of the layout of the eastern New City, but he did not bring success. In the end, the design of Playfera was used: Regent Terrace, Calton Terrace and Royal Terrace were built , but the northern part of London Road was never completed. Several monuments were built on the southern slope of Calton Hill, as well as the Royal High School in neo-Greek style .

In the XIX century, under the New city, a railway tunnel was dug up, connecting Scotland Street and Canal Street , later becoming part of Waverley Station. After its closure, the tunnel began to be used for growing mushrooms , and during World War II as a bomb shelter .

In the New Town on the artificial hill of The Mound is located the National Gallery of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Academy . On Queen Street is the Scottish National Portrait Gallery . Other attractions are the Balmoral Hotel (formerly the North British Hotel ), as well as the Walter Scott Monument .

Edinburgh’s main shopping street is Princes Street, with many shopping centers, both Scottish and international. George Street was previously the financial center of the capital; now it houses modern bars, often occupying old bank buildings. Designer boutiques are located near St. Egidius Square. Princes' Street Mall is located at Waverley Station .

• James Grant. Old and New Edinburgh . - Cassell & Co, 1880s. - T. III — IV.

• New Town (eng.)
• Description on the UNESCO website (eng.)