IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Frederick Street, EDINBURGH, EH2 2EY

This was the sign on a newspaper stand on Princes Street. The council have come in for a huge amount of criticism because of the treacherous state of both the pavements and roads during this recent cold spell.

Boots the Chemist among others can be made out on this busy shopping street.

A handbag and luggage shop, just off Princes Street (ahead).

There is hardly any part of today's Princes Street that gives an impression of what it looked like when first built in the 1760s and 70s. Most of the buildings fell victim to the commercially hard-nosed Victorians who demolished almost everything in the name of progress. These buildings at the corner of Frederick Street and Princes Street are one of the last remaining spots which, apart from the later shop fronts, give a flavour of the original architecture which made the street admired throughout Europe. "The growth of shops of all kinds in the New Town is remarkable. I believe there were not half-a-dozen of them in the whole New Town, west of St Andrew Street, in 1810. The dislike to them was so great, that any proprietor who allowed one was abused as an unneighbourly fellow." -- Henry Cockburn, Memorials Of His Time, 1856

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

There was a French Market in the street. This paella looked just right, and the stall was very busy.

A French market in Frederick Street, beautiful sights, smells and flavours with paella cooking in giant pans, beautiful vegetables, colourful soaps and tasty cheeses. And the sun shone.

Thick fog for the whole day obscured the sun that was forecast. Here looking across Princes Street towards Frederick Street.

With the Royal Scots Dragoons Monument just inside Princes Street Gardens at the foot of the street. For a close-up of the statue, see Image