Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and is a cosmopolitan and cultured centre home to a large historic centre and a major tourist destination attracting approximately 13 millions visitors per year making it the second most visited tourist destination in the United Kingdom!! The city is the second largest in Scotland with an estimated population in the metropolitan area of 1.25 million. The city lies close to the shores of the Firth of Forth in south-east Scotland, in the generally flat landscape of the Lothian Region, a traditional area of Scotland which is also known as the Central Belt.
Established more than a thousand years ago on a series of extinct volcanoes and rocky crags the city is today home to a vast collection of Medieval and Georgian architecture including numerous stone tenements and is often considered to be one of the most picturesque cities in Europe. From the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle you can look down on the Old Town and New Town districts which contain 4500 listed buildings for which the city has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage list!!
Today the city is a busy cultural centre known worldwide for its major festivals such as the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh Comedy Festival.
Edinburgh has been referred to as ‘the Athens of the North’ since the 18th century, when it became a centre of culture. Unlike most of Britain’s ancient cities, which grew along the river valleys, it is ringed by hills and crags, and the Water of Leith does little to shape the town. Originally built within the ‘Flodden Wall’ and confined by it for safety, its citizens built upwards, instead of outwards, in a manner unheard of in any other European city. The tenements could be as high as 14 storeys! When the New Town was built during the 18th century people were encouraged to settle outside the city walls, the Old Town remained, and to this day is one of Europe’s finest medieval cities.
The Old Town encompasses the Castle, perched commandingly on a huge volcanic rock that projects 80 metres above the surrounding landscape, and which is able to be seen from all parts of the city. The oldest part of the Castle is St Margaret’s Chapel which was built in the 12th century, making it the oldest building in the city. A tiny building, no more than 8 metres by 3 metres, it is named for the English wife of King Malcolm III who brought Roman Catholicism to Scotland. In front of the chapel door stands a very large cannon known as Mons Meg which, in its heyday, could hurl a 250 kilogram stone ball two and a half kilometres! The history of the castle is the history of Scotland, and this is reflected in the many functions of the buildings - fortress, barracks, arsenal, palace, shrine and museum. Other sights of interest within the castle are the Great Hall of King James IV, the Scottish United Services Museum, the National War Memorial to Scotsmen killed in the First World War and the Scottish Crown Jewels, some of which date from the 14th century.
A prominent feature of the Edinburgh skyline is St Giles’ Cathedral, the high Kirk of Edinburgh, which is positioned at the mid-point of the Royal Mile, the main artery of the Old Town of Edinburgh. The cathedral was built in the14th and 15th centuries and much altered by the Reformation and restoration work in the 19th century. It is topped by a crown-shaped steeple and its gothic nave is hung with the colours of Scottish regiments. It contains a copy of the National Covenant, Scotland’s religious ‘Declaration of Independence’. Perhaps one of the most spectacular parts of the cathedral, built in 1911, is the Thistle Chapel, whose ornately carved interior contains two bagpipe playing angels. Outside the cathedral, built into the cobblestones, is a heart-shaped design known as the ‘Heart of Midlothian’ which marks the site of the old Tolbooth Prison.
The Royal Mile runs for one Scottish mile (equal to 1.1 Imperial Miles, or 1.77 kilometres) and is formed from a succession of streets which run from the Castle to the ruins of Holyrood Abbey. The Abbey stands in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the official Scottish residence of the Queen. It was founded in 1128 by King David I and became a wealthy and powerful Augustinian Abbey. The present royal dwelling developed in the grounds of the abbey from a guesthouse, after King James II was born there in1430. Many stirring events took place in the palace from the murder of David Rizzio who was Mary Queen of Scots secretary and friend, to the dazzling court of Bonnie Prince Charlie held in 1745, before the Battle of Culloden killed all his hopes of the succession. Once the Stuart Kings moved to London in 1603 no reigning monarch slept there again until Queen Victoria.
To the north of Princes Street, which is the main thoroughfare, is the New Town, whose Georgian avenues and squares contrast dramatically with the Old Town. The gem here is Charlotte Square, of which No.7 has been restored to resemble the home that the original owner, John Lamond, a minor landowner, would recognize. Carlton Hill has some of the best of the Greek revival architecture which suits Edinburgh to perfection. Here is the cylindrical memorial to Professor Dugald Stewart, copied from the Athenian original and the National Monument of the Parthenon, though never finished through lack of funds. The Temple of Theseus in Athens is recreated and is now the Crown Office and beyond is another classical monument, this time is dedicated to the poet Robert Burns. The monument, which dominates Princes Street, commemorates the novelist Sir Walter Scott, who spent most of his life in the New Town. It shows Scott as a country gentleman, with plaid and faithful dog, not a town-dweller as he undoubtedly was. The memorial, which has many niches and gargoyles, has spiral staircases to various levels, giving fine views of the Old Town and Princes Street, and a closer look at some of the monument’s many statues.
Other sites, in the city, worthy of mention –
John Knox’s House, a 16th century house with timbered galleries, is believed to have been his home from 1561 until his death in 1572. Knox was a religious reformer and was considered to be the founder of the Presbyterian denomination. The building contains mementoes of Knox and also social religious artifacts of his time.
Greyfriar’s Kirk, dating from 1620, it achieved fame as the place that the national Covenant, which rejected Anglicanism in favour of Scotland’s right to decide its own spiritual destiny, was signed in 1638.
National Gallery of Scotland, built between the Old and New Towns, is made up of two classical buildings. The Royal Scottish Academy fronting Princes Street, holds exhibitions of works by Rembrandt, Titan, Raphael and others.
Gladstone’s Land, a 17th century restored merchant’s house gives a vivid recreation of that period.
Royal Museum of Scotland contains a collection of material relating to Scottish life from the earliest times.
Dean Village, a rustic village set in a peaceful valley not five minutes from Princes Street, has several buildings that have been there for centuries. The Dean Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1832, soars high above the hamlet.
Other places of interest within 30 kilometres –
Hopetoun House, considered to be Scotland’s finest stately home, lies 15 kilometres west of Edinburgh. Seat of the Marquis of Linlithgow, formally the Earls of Hopetoun, this magnificent building stands in 150 acres of rolling parkland and is one of Scotland’s most splendid mansions. The grounds contain formal gardens in the style of Versailles and the building has magnificent interiors, original furnishings, tapestries and paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt and Titan.
Malleny Gardens, 12 kilometres south-west of the city, adjoins a 17th century house which is not open to the public, contains many interesting plants including a collection of scrub roses. The gardens are in the care of the National Trust for Scotland.
Linlithgow Palace, 25 kilometres west of Edinburgh, a splendid ruin, it stands on a knoll above the town loch and was the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. It was destroyed by fire by the Duke of Cumberland’s troops in 1746.
The Forth Road Bridge straddles the Firth of Forth and carries traffic from Edinburgh and the Lowlands to the north and is 2.5 kilometres long and over 160 metres high. Also crossing the Firth in this vicinity is the Forth Rail Bridge which is an easily recognised Scottish landmark. It is also 2.5 kilometres long, the first bridge to be completely built of steel and regarded as an engineering marvel!!
Did you know that –
The citizens of Edinburgh were loath to leave the shelter of the city walls when the new Town was first being built, and a bribe of 20 pound was offered to the first person who agreed to build a house there? The house is still standing in Thistle Court.
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