Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Begin the walk opposite the corner of Princes Street and Hanover Street at the:
1
Royal Scottish Academy
Bisecting Princes Street Gardens, a hill called the Mound was created by earth
moved during the development of Edinburgh's New Town, and it effectively
forms a ridge linking New and Old towns. At the lower end of this hump are
two galleries: The Royal Scottish Academy and, to the south, the National Gal-
lery of Art. Both buildings were designed with strong Greek Doric and Ionic
styling by William H. Playfair around 1825 and 1850, respectively.
Cross Princes Street north to Hanover Street, walking up Hanover Street, and turning
left (west) onto:
2
Rose Street
Not particularly significant historically, this lane was simply intended for a bet-
ter class of artisans and at one point in the 1780s, a two-story height limit was
placed upon its buildings. The conversion of the street into an open-air pedes-
trian mall began in the late 1960s. Today Rose Street is best known for many
popular pubs, such as the Abbotsford, Milne's, and the Kenilworth. The area
has retail shops and restaurants, too.
9
Continue east on Rose Street to Frederick Street, turning right (north) to:
3
George Street
All the street names in the first New Town were intended to celebrate the
Hanoverian reign of George III (he who lost America). George Street is the
central of three principal avenues that run parallel through New Town, and it
runs along the wide ridge of the hill. Looking down it to the west you can see
the dome of West Register House in the distance, and to the east is the column
with Melville in St. Andrew Square at the other end of George Street. To the
north are views of the Forth River. Today the wide boulevard (with parking
down the center) is where most of the city's expensive clothing shops are
located. At the intersection with Frederick Street is the statue of Prime Minis-
ter William Pitt (1759-1806).
From the corner of Frederick Street, turn left and go west on George Street, turning
left (south) on Castle Street, and proceeding back to:
4
Princes Street
Like Queen Street on the northern boundary of the first New Town, buildings
on Princes Street were constructed intentionally only on one side of the boule-
vard. That has insured practically uninterrupted views of Old Town rising up to
the Castle: One of the most iconic panoramas in all of Europe. Despite the
views, the original three-story homes on Princes Street were apparently not as
nice or as desirable as the ones on George and Queen streets. Today, a lot of
Princes Street, a key shopping street, is dominated by unattractive modern
storefronts and some ghastly 20th-century monstrosities. But at the western
corner of Princes and Castle streets are three original buildings buried behind
the much more recent facades.
