New Town

Welcome to the New Town of Edinburgh. As you stand here in the vibrant and meticulously landscaped expanse of Princes Street Gardens, you are positioned at the exact geographical and historical dividing line of the Scottish…

Standing on the bustling pavement of Princes Street, you are positioned on the southern boundary of the New Town's original grid. Look to your left and your right. …

Arriving at St Andrew Square, you stand in the eastern anchor of James Craig's original master plan. This expansive, rectangular space was designed as a highly exclusive residential enclave for the city's wealthiest citizens. …

Just off the eastern edge of St Andrew Square stands one of the most magnificent buildings in the entire New Town. This grand, palatial structure was originally built as a private mansion for a wealthy aristocrat, but it is best…

We now turn onto George Street, the central spine and absolute main drag of James Craig's geometric master plan. This magnificent boulevard stretches straight ahead, connecting St Andrew Square in the east with Charlotte Square…

Stepping off the wide, sunlit expanse of George Street, we enter the much narrower and heavily shadowed corridor of Rose Street. Running parallel to the main boulevard, this lane is part of a deliberate pair, matched with Thistle…

We have arrived at Charlotte Square, the magnificent western anchor of the original New Town grid. Named to honor the wife of King George the Third, this square is widely considered the architectural jewel of the entire…

Leaving the strict rectangular boundaries of James Craig's original grid, we move northwest into an area that reveals the next phase of Edinburgh's expansion. The newly wealthy elites of the early nineteenth century had developed…

As we walk down the steep, curving streets leading away from the monumental facades of Moray Place, the atmosphere of the city begins to undergo a profound change. We are leaving the rigid, mathematical geometry of the high…