History & Architecture

New Town, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland within the United Kingdom. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is known for it’s intense culture and magnificent architecture dating back to the eighteenth century. The construction of New Town paved the way for much of early modern design in Europe.

The idea for building a “new town” for Edinburgh originated from the Duke of Albany and York in order to create a regality and make profit for the royal class of Scotland. The “old town” was also becoming overpopulated and the fathers of the city realized that citizens would soon migrate to the attractive lights of London. Fear of losing large amounts of population and therefore revenue for the city convinced the fathers to invest in the construction of a new suburb.

The architect who conceived the layout and design plans for New Town was James Craig who won a design competition put on by Edinburgh. Craig proposed an axial grid layout and new classic and Georgian styled architecture. The main street in town was to be named George Street after the then king, George III of Hanover.

Building originally began in 1765 and was completed in 1820; however further construction continued well into the late nineteenth century. Construction presumably could have started far before 1765 but due to the then Duke’s untimely resignation from Edinburgh, in order to become King in 1685, when plans for the new suburb began, construction was put on hold until 1765. This time in Scotland was a great one as it was during the Scottish Enlightenment and Edinburgh was becoming renowned for its new ways of thought and philosophy.