Edinburgh Heritage

These artciles about Edinburgh's history and heritage are in a particular order so it is best to read them in the order they are displayed.

Introduction
EDINBURGH is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. For the visitor it has a many-sided appeal. To... more »
West Princes Street Gardens
To the south, a wide area of attractive residences, spaciously set amid gardens and wooded policies, gives a garden -... more »
Edinburgh History
Edinburgh, what first emerges out of the mists of tradition is the shape of its Castle Rock, dimly seen as... more »
King Robert the Bruce
If its military history began centuries before, the earliest City Charter now extant is that granted by King Robert the... more »
John Knox
Edinburgh became a cockpit in which Catholicism and Protestantism - with Mary Stuart and John Knox as representative champions -... more »
Edinburgh Since C18
Edinburgh has subsequently lead a peaceful and almost uninterrupted prosperity. If in industry, wealth, and population it has had to... more »
Edinburgh Architectural Heritage
THE romantic beauty of Edinburgh today is not due to her varied site alone; it owes at least as much... more »
Edinburgh Buildings
The architectural history of Edinburgh began with the Castle, and here appropriately we find in the little Norman Chapel of... more »
Seventeenth Century Buildings in Edinburgh
The art of the Renaissance made slow progress in Scotland owing to the long - drawn troubles of the Reformation... more »
Edinburgh Bridges
THE BRIDGE - BUILDING PERIOD. By this time the Burgh had become dangerously overcrowded, with a population of some 60,000,... more »
Adam Brothers
The earlier buildings in the New Town were somewhat commonplace, though beautifully decorated within. By the end of the century,... more »
The Romantic Movement
There remains the third great force which has affected the modern city. The fires of the Romantic movement, lit towards... more »
The Seven Hills
EDINBURGH is built on and surrounded by hills. To these hills it owes in a large measure its picturesque character.... more »
A Scottish Acropolis
The Calton Hill is largely responsible for Edinburgh's descriptive title of "Modern Athens." The hill, commanding the long vista of... more »
Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat's bold outline marks the site of the city from afar and illustrates one of Edinburgh's unique characteristics. In... more »
Blackford Hill
When "the broom is blowin' bonnie," Blackford Hill affords a spectacle of colour of extraordinary richness. Its green bulk is... more »
The Braid Hills
The Braid Hills are associated, not only in Edinburgh but all over Scotland, with the national game of golf. The... more »
Craiglockhart Hills
The hills of Craiglockhart and Corstorphine stand as sentinels guarding the western approach of Greater Edinburgh. They rise on either... more »
Corstorphine Heights
Across the vale rise the pleasantly wooded heights of Corstorphine Hill, on whose southern slopes are established the gardens of... more »
The Royal Mile
THE Old Town is unquestionably the most interesting quarter of Edinburgh. It is, as Ruskin says, "delicious in life and... more »
The Castle Hill
Leaving the Esplanade, we enter the Castle Hill, up which state processions passed when the Castle was a royal residence... more »
The Lawnmarket
As we pass into the Lawnmarket, a short, steep street, the West Bow, branches off on our right. Formerly a... more »
Deacon Brodie
Farther down, on the same side, is Brodie's Close, where lived the notorious Deacon Brodie, immortalised by R. L. Stevenson... more »
St Giles Church
Facing us is St. Giles' Church, whose walls have witnessed some memorable scenes, e.g., the preaching of John Knox, and... more »
Parliament House
The building on the south side of Parliament Square, with its Italian façade and imposing Doric portico, is occupied by... more »
Royal Proclamations
Immediately east of St. Giles' is the Mercat Cross, which, during several centuries, acquired associations that made it the centre,... more »
Flora Macdonald
Across the street is Anchor Close, at the lower end of which, in a building now removed, was the printing... more »
Cleanse the Causeway
Blackfriars Street (south side) led to the monastery of the Blackfriars, founded by Alexander II. in 1230. This thoroughfare, or... more »
A Canongate Romance
Near the top (south side) is Chessel's Court, at the far end of which is the old Excise Office, the... more »
Moray House
Returning to Canongate, Moray House has a curious entrance guarded by obelisk - topped pillars and its substantial balcony. In... more »
Adam Smith
In the second close from the churchyard (north side), within a little courtyard on the right, stands Panmure House, the... more »
The Castle and the Palace
FROM time immemorial there have been fortifications on the Castle Rock. It is not, however, until 1004 that it is... more »
The Crown Square
On the highest portion of the rock is the Crown Square, having the Palace buildings on the east side, the... more »
Scottish National War Memorial
The Scottish National War Memorial occupies the site of an early chapel founded by David I., rebuilt in the fourteenth... more »
Palace of Holyroodhouse
The Palace of Holyroodhouse was a development of the Abbey founded by David I. in 1128; and since that date... more »
The Banqueting Hall
The Palace, when the Sovereign is not in residence, is open to visitors, who proceed by way of a staircase... more »
The Cowgate
THE "Cow - gait" - the "Via Vaccarum" of Alexander Alesse in the early sixteenth century; the "Platea Bovina" of... more »
Patrician Homes
In the interval, the Cowgate has experienced many changes. In the course of time it became the residence of nobles... more »
The The Tailors' Hall
The Tailors' Hall has also witnessed important national and civic events, such as the preliminaries to the signing, in 1638,... more »

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