Georgian buildings, Princes Street

Image: © kim traynor Taken: 4 Jul 2010

One of the last remaining vestiges of the original New Town architecture of Princes Street can be seen above the shop fronts at the corner of Frederick Street. "The New Town has been built upon one uniform plan, which is the only means of making a city beautiful. Great part of this plan as yet remains to be executed, tho' they proceed as fast as their supplies of money will allow them. The rent of the houses in general amount to £100 per annum, or upwards, and are most of them let to the inhabitants by builders, who buy the ground, and make what advantage they can of it. The greatest part of the New Town is built after the manner of the English, and the houses are what they call here, 'houses to themselves'. Tho' this mode of living, one would imagine, is much preferable to the former, yet such is the force of prejudice, that there are many people who prefer a little dark confined tenement on a sixth story, to the convenience of a whole house. One old lady fancies she should be lost if she was to get into such an habitation; another, that she should be blown away in going over the new bridge; and a third lives in the old style, because she is sure that these new fashions can come to 'nae gude'." -- Edward Topham, Letters from Edinburgh, 1775 Image

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