Date: Tuesday 22nd January 2013
Started at: Edinburgh University Library, George Square
Finish at: Playfair Steps at Princes Street
Led by: Karen MacCormick and Helen Houston (Blue Badge Guides)
On what started as a very snowy morning but actually stayed dry but cold, 37 Strollers braved the elements to meet up with our 2 Blue Badge guides for a Historical tour of the “old” New Town. That is the area south of the High Street beginning at George Square (now the centre for Edinburgh University). George Square was not named after royalty but actually after the brother of the landowner! We found out the names of some famous former occupants, Sir Walter Scott and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for example, and also other notaries who attended Edinburgh University, like Eric Liddell and John Sharp.
We saw Chapel Street, which should probably be renamed
now for the new Mosque, and Bristo
Square with the McEwan Hall and music centre.
There were a lot of breweries around in those days, obviously a profitable
business. Moving past the medical school down to Chambers Street, we passed the old drill
hall for the Scots Guards Rifles and then the Bedlam Theatre. We took refuge in
the museum to gather some heat while we were told that Chambers Street and George IV Bridge used to be a series of 5 squares
of the “old” New Town, including Argyle
Square built with the proceeds of money earned by the
Duke of Argyle’s tailor on the death of King George. He had early notice of the
death and bought up all the black cloth which he resold at inflated prices!
We then made our way past the
site of the last public hanging in Edinburgh
in 1864 at the corner of the High Street, and went down the Playfair Steps to end our
walk at Princes Street (in the "new" New Town).
You can add the provisional dates for all the 2013 Strollers Waks to your diary now by following this link to open a document with all the dates.
