Edinburgh
Capital of Scotland and a unitary authority, located near the southern
shores of the Firth of Forth
Area:
263 sq km/122 sq mi
Physical:
Water of Leith, Salisbury Crags, Arthur's Seat
Industries:
Pinting, publishing, banking, insurance, chemical manufacture, electronics,
distilling, brewing
Population:
(1995) 447,600
Features
Edinburgh Castle contains St Margaret's chapel, the oldest building
in Edinburgh, dating from the 12th century. The palace of Holyrood House
was built in the 15th and 16th centuries on the site of a 12th-century
abbey; it is the British sovereign's official Scottish residence.
Edinburgh is to be the site of the Scottish Assembly, a nation-region
tier of Government in the UK, with tax- varying powers; a new building
is to be built on the east side of the city centre to house the administrative
offices of the Assembly. The Parliament House, begun in 1632, is now
the seat of the supreme courts. Edinburgh is a cultural centre and hosts
the Edinburgh Festival, an international arts festival, with the Edinburgh
Fringe Festival taking place alongside, in August-September each year.
The Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland (renovated
in 1989) in Classical style are by William Henry Playfair (1789-1857).
Edinburgh's principal church, St Giles, was consecrated in 1243 and
became a cathedral in 1633. The episcopal cathedral of St Mary, opened
in 1879, in the New Town area. The Royal Observatory has been at Blackford
Hill since 1896. The principal thoroughfares are Princes Street and
the Royal Mile.
The city has three universities: The University of Edinburgh
(1583), Heriot-Watt University (established in 1885; received university
status in 1966), and Napier University. The Conference Centre, designed
by Terry Farrell, opened in 1995; Edinburgh Festival Theatre also opened
in 1995.
History
There is evidence of Bronze and Iron Age occupation of Castle Rock,
and in Roman times the site was occupied by Celtic peoples; in about
617 the site was captured by Edwin of the Angles of Northumbria; the
city took its name from the fortress of Din Eidin which he built. The
early settlement grew up around a castle on Castle Rock, while about
a mile to the east another burgh, Canongate, developed around the abbey
of Holyrood, founded in 1128 by David I. It remained separate from Edinburgh
until 1856. Robert the Bruce, having made Edinburgh the capital in 1325,
made Edinburgh a burgh in 1329, and established its port at Leith. In
1544 and 1547 the town was destroyed by the English. After the union
with England in 1707, Edinburgh lost its political importance but remained
culturally pre-eminent. During the 18th century, Edinburgh was known
as the `Athens of the North´ because of its concentration of intellectual
talent, for example, Adam Smith, David Hume, and Joseph Black. Development
of the area known as New Town started in 1767. Parts of the Old and
New Towns were designated a World Heritage Site 1995.
Other buildings and monuments:
Among other noteworthy public buildings in Edinburgh are the Royal
Scottish Academy (1823-6), the National Gallery of Scotland, the Surgeon's
Hall, the Royal Scottish Museum, and the Bank of Scotland. The monument
to Walter Scott, situated on the south side of Princes Street, and designed
by G M Kemp, is the most ornate in the city. It is in the form of an
elaborate Gothic spire 60 m/197 ft high. Other monuments in the city
are to Robert Burns, David Hume, Allan Ramsay, James Watt, David Livingstone,
William Pitt, Dugald Stewart, and John Playfair. The Scottish National
War Memorial, opened by the then Prince of Wales on 14 July 1927, is
situated on the apex of the castle rock on the site of the old barracks;
it contains the names of over 100,000 Scots who died in World Wars I
and II.
20th-century development:
The postwar years saw substantial changes in Edinburgh. New housing
estates were established on the fringes of the city, rehousing the occupants
of unsatisfactory housing areas in the central area which were demolished,
and industrial estates established. A central bus station beside St
Andrew Square has been linked with office and shopping accommodation
in the St James Centre. Renovation of parts of the old town has been
substantially completed, and new department stores and shops constructed
in Princes Street. Much of the new town has been designated a conservation
area, and property there has been improved and restored.
Education and culture:
Edinburgh University has a famous medical school and the Koestler
chair of parapsychology (instituted in 1985), the only such professorship
in the UK. The Heriot-Watt University has premises both within the city,
and on a campus at Riccarton, within the city district; Moray House
College of Education is in the High Street. Schools include the Royal
High School, now a comprehensive school in the suburb of Barnton, Edinburgh
Academy, Fettes College, Stewart's- Melville College, George Watson's
College, and Merchiston Castle School.
A notable annual event in the cultural life of the United Kingdom is
the Edinburgh International Festival, which includes music, drama, opera,
and art exhibitions. It was founded in 1947 by Rudolph Bing and has
been held annually ever since, in August- September. The Edinburgh Fringe
Festival provides a showcase for amateur groups and new talent. The
Military Tattoo is held a few days before the Festival on the Esplanade
in front of the castle.
Economy:
The most important industries of Edinburgh are brewing, whisky distilling
(for which it has been noted for more than 200 years), electronics,
and printing and publishing, with the connected industries of
paper-making, bookbinding, and map-making. The city is also the
centre of considerable banking, finance, and insurance expertise.
The Edinburgh airport is at Turnhouse.
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