New Town

城市概覽

By the 1600s Edinburgh was crowded and filthy within the walls of the Old Town. The Duke of Albany and York held his nose at it in Holyrood Palace and backed a plan to extend north. But he left town to become the unpopular King James VII / II, was ousted from his throne and launched a series of "Jacobite" counter-coups to regain it, so his support was toxic. The city continued to fester on its crag and to dump its sewage into the Nor Loch. A fresh start was made in the 18th century: the 1707 Union with England made a defensive position unnecessary, and was drawing away the most prosperous and influential people to live in London. Edinburgh needed to re-invent itself as a place to live and work. In 1767 the council adopted the plans of a young architect James Craig (1739-1795). These covered the area that became Princes St, George St and Queen St, and created the grid pattern you see today. By 1820 this tract was populated by expensive private homes, by different builders with individual designs. Charlotte Square at the west end of George Street is the finest example of this first phase, designed by Robert Adam. Streets were added to the north (Great King Street being the best) and northwest (where Moray Place is a superb circle of mansions). Connections were made across the valley to Old Town by a bridge (replaced by the present North Bridge in 1897) and a midway embankment, The Mound. The West End was built in the 1860s and 1870s. Shared private gardens were a major part of the plans - Princes Street Gardens began this way, and its owners prevented any construction south of the street that might spoil their view. They likewise tried to prevent the railway from linking the east and west terminuses but were defeated by 1846. These gardens and St Andrew Square are now public parks, but many remain private, such as Queen Street Gardens, Dean Gardens, and the centres of many squares and crescents. The original tract between Princes Street and Queen Street is now mainl

如何抵達

1 Waverley Station is at the east end of Princes St, with trains from all parts: see Edinburgh#Get in for routes. Buses and trams from the airport stop outside Waverley station. The tram continues northwest to Leith and local buses fan out to all parts of the city. 2 Edinburgh Bus Station is 200 yards north of Waverley, terminus of all inter-city buses. 3 Haymarket Station is more convenient for the west end of New Town. All trains from the west (for instance Glasgow) stop here. Never bring a car into New Town unless you've planned ahead for where you might park. From 1 June 2024, most of the New Town is in a Low Emission Zone, with camera-enforced penalties for entering in a non-compliant vehicle. Cars built after 2015 are generally compliant, but check online. Walking is usually the best way to get around New Town, but it extends 2 miles east-west, and then there's the slopes up to the Old Town or down towards Stockbridge to be negotiated.

必看景點

1 Calton Hill. This is the stubby crag just east of Princes Street: a short stroll up it commands great views. The "National Monument", a memorial to Scots killed in the Napoleonic Wars, was an attempt to out-do the Parthenon in Athens but the money ran out with only the west facade built. Nelson's Tower was built 1807-16 in the shape of an upturned telescope in honour of the naval hero. A Time Ball on the mast drops at 1PM every day just as the One O'Clock Gun is fired from the castle - this gives a time signal to ships in the Firth before the sound rolls out to them, or it would if not obscured by drizzle and the ships in possession of reliable watches. It was operated by the adjacent City Observatory, superseded in 1896 by the Royal Observatory in the south of the city. City Observatory remained active until 2009 then was refurbished as the Collective Gallery exhibition space for modern art. (updated Jun 2025) 2 Old Calton Cemetery, Waterloo Place EH1 3BQ. Daily 9AM-5PM. Atmospheric Georgian graves, memorials, and funerary ornaments. Memorials include those to the philosopher David Hume (1711-1776), to the Scots who died in the American Civil War, and to the Martyrs of Reform imprisoned or transported for sedition in the 1790s for calling for the right to vote. (updated Dec 2023) St Andrew's & St George's West Church, 13 George Street EH2 2PA (next to Intercontinental Hotel), ☏ +44 131 225-3847, [email protected]. Daily 10AM-2PM. Completed in 1784, this is the parish church of the New Town. It's Italianate with an unusual elliptical interior, with an ornate ceiling blending Roman, Pompeian and Scottish elements. The steeple holds Scotland's oldest complete peal of bells, cast in 1788. In 1843 this church was the scene of The Great Disruption, when a third of ministers broke with the Presbyterian Church of Scotland to found their own Free Kirk. St George's Church was part of the breakaway, but there was a reconciliation in the 20th century, and in 2013 that cong

體驗活動

1 Assembly Rooms are a large events venue at 54 George St. This grand neoclassical building was completed in 1787, with the inaugural event a Hunt Ball. Its principal spaces are the Music Room (capacity 788) and the Ball Room (capacity 400), with nine other classily decorated rooms. It's in constant use for private and public functions and a major site during the Festival. The building is owned by the council but run by a separate company. Dunard Centre is a concert venue under construction on St Andrew's Square by the bus station. It might open in 2029. 2 Edinburgh Playhouse, 18-22 Greenside Place EH1 3AA. Built as a cinema in 1929 and refurbished in 1980, this is now Scotland's largest performance space, with a capacity of 3059. That's about 1000 more than can comfortably be seated and 2000 more than they have toilet provision for. It's run by ATG, Ambassador Theatre Group. (updated Dec 2023) Vue, 61 Greenside Place, Leith Walk EH1 3AU (within Omni Centre next to Playhouse), ☏ +44 345 308 4620. Large multiplex cinema showing mainstream releases. (updated Dec 2023) Stand Comedy Club is in a basement at 5 York Place, east end of Queen St where the trams make a sharp turn. Water of Leith Walkway follows the stream from Balerno at the southwest edge of the city down through Colinton, Saughton and Murrayfield, to flow under the Glasgow road and form the boundary of New Town. Follow the east / south bank under Coltbridge Viaduct and Belford Bridge, crossing banks and continuing into Dean Village. The following section is described as part of Stockbridge and the final stretch as part of Leith. The New Town and Stockbridge sections are too narrow for cycling, cut onto adjacent streets. Use the layers button ( below the full screen button) and activate "Hiking" to see the walkway on the map.

購物

Princes Street This is the main shopping street in Edinburgh, running from Waverley railway station to Lothian Road. Lots of chain stores here. George Street 200 yards north has more upmarket shops, plus bars and restaurant