Tag Archive for 'Edinburgh'

The New; Old Town of Edinburgh

Published
by
Property Know Team
on November 5, 2006
in Edinburgh Property Market
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A History of the “Towns” of Edinburgh; the City of Edinburgh is split into two Towns - the New and the Old Town. We found this interesting on how it has effected how the current infrastructure of Edinburgh is shaped.

The Old Town has preserved its medieval plan and many Reformation-era buildings. One end is closed by the castle and the main artery, the Royal Mile, leads away from it; minor streets (called closes or wynds) lead downhill on either side of the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets or surround major public buildings such as St Giles Cathedral and the Law Courts.

Other notable places of interest nearby include the Royal Museum of Scotland, Surgeons’ Hall, the University of Edinburgh, and numerous underground streets and vaults, relics of previous phases of construction. The street layout, typical of the old quarters of many northern European cities, is made especially picturesque in Edinburgh, where the castle perches on top of a rocky crag, the remnants of a dormant volcano, and the main street runs down the crest of a ridge from it.

The New Town was an 18th century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded Old Town. The city had remained incredibly compact, confined to the ridge running down from the castle. In 1766 a competition to design the New Town was won by James Craig, a 22-year-old architect. The plan that was built created a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with enlightenment ideas of rationality. The principal street was to be George Street, which follows the natural ridge to the north of the Old Town. Either side of it are the other main streets of Princes Street and Queen Street. Princes Street has since become the main shopping street in Edinburgh, and few Georgian buildings survive on it. Linking these streets were a series of perpendicular streets. At the east and west ends are St. Andrew’s Square and Charlotte Square respectively. The latter was designed by Robert Adam and is often considered one of the finest Georgian squares in the world. Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland, is on the north side of Charlotte Square.

Sitting in the glen between the Old and New Towns was the Nor’ Loch, which had been both the city’s water supply and place for dumping sewage. By the 1820s it was drained. Some plans show that a canal was intended, but the Princes Street Gardens were created instead. Excess soil from the construction of the buildings was dumped into the loch, creating what is now The Mound. In the mid-19th century the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy Building were built on The Mound, and tunnels to Waverley Station driven through it.

The New Town was so successful that it was extended greatly. The grid pattern was not maintained, but rather a more picturesque layout was created. Today the New Town is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture and planning in the world.

Information Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh

Bright and beautiful in Edinburgh

Published
by
Property Know Team
on November 2, 2006
in Edinburgh Property Market
. 0 Comments

Edinburgh’s exclusive property review:

There is something vaguely ecclesiastical about the front door at 22c Polwarth Terrace in Edinburgh, which is actually tucked away around the back of this rather imposing detached Victorian villa, facing out on to the rear garden. This thought follows you into the vestibule where the arched timber doors look like they might have come from a church. Which they did, as it happens, owner and architect Sebastian Tombs having rescued them from a local church that was being demolished. “You see so much waste of lovely old things,” he says.

This individual approach is perfectly suited to this equally individual home, which Tombs, who is the Chief Executive of Architecture and Design Scotland, and his wife Eva, a homeopath, bought in 1983, when they moved in with Eva’s three children. The couple’s approach to house-buying was unusual in itself as they weren’t buying alone. “There were a number of people we had connections with who were looking to relocate,” says Tombs, “so we decided if something big came up we would buy it together and divide it up.”

The perfect opportunity arose when the entire house at number 22 came on the market, having been lived in by the one family since the 1920s. The scale was right, while the house is easily accessible to the city centre yet is set within the quiet and leafy Merchiston and Greenhill conservation area. (It would be a good home for a writer, as Tombs observes, given that the likes of Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith live nearby: “The area’s local magic would be bound to rub off!” he says.)

The couple bought the house with two other sets of buyers, and Tombs’s first big negotiation was over who was getting which part of it. The basement level went to a young family who wanted direct access to the garden, while the grander rooms of the middle section became home to a retired teacher and her companion, with the Tombs taking the upper villa, which gave them the option of then extending into the attic.

Most people would find tackling one property a challenge, yet Tombs had the task of creating all three homes “and everyone had different things they wanted from the space,” he says. As with any big project, there were glitches along the way when developing this upper villa. Dry rot was discovered when the doorway was opened up on the ground level, and again when Tombs opened up the giant shutters in the drawing room. The bulk of the work was completed over six months, although the spaces were still a little rough around the edges when the family first moved in, when they would come in through a hole in the wall and then a clamber up a ladder as the lower section of stair wasn’t in place.

Things are certainly more comfortable these days. The main accommodation is on the original top floor and revolves around the central landing. There are three bedrooms on this level, although the smallest, which is currently used as a study, is accessed from the master bedroom, so this could become a generous en suite. The expansive bay-windowed drawing room has its original timber flooring, ornate cornicing and giant marble fireplace, while there’s also a family bathroom and a large dining-kitchen that Tombs designed with a raised cooking zone. “From this slightly elevated level, we could keep an eye on the kids playing in the garden,” he says. He did consider opening a doorway between the drawing room and kitchen for a while, creating a flow of space between the two, and that possibility remains for the next owners.

The attic level was developed in 1985 after the couple had their three youngest children and needed the additional space. It was a huge task as all the materials had to be trailed up through the house, but this has created another five rooms which have been used as bedrooms although Tombs has taken one as an office, along with a compact shower room and small kitchenette space.

Tombs also designed the timber staircase leading up to this level to reflect the existing stair below, and included a wide window seat on the half-landing which proved a popular spot with the kids when they were young. It’s been a great family home, he reflects, and the things he’ll miss most are the light on these upper levels and the stairs “because running up and down them all the time keeps you fit!”

The fact that the Tombs are now downsizing to the basement property - so not leaving at all, really - probably says all you need to know about their enjoyment of living in this grand old house.

Source: http://property.scotsman.com