St Andrew Square, Edinburgh
Public square | |
| Maintained by | Essential Edinburgh |
|---|---|
| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK |
| Coordinates | 55°57′15″N 3°11′35″W / 55.95417°N 3.19306°W |
St Andrew Square is a garden square in Edinburgh, Scotland located at the east end of George Street.
The construction of St Andrew Square began in 1772,[1] as the first part of the New Town, designed by James Craig. Within six years of its completion St Andrew Square became one of the most desirable and most fashionable residential areas in the city.[1] As the 19th century came to a close, St Andrew Square evolved into the commercial centre of the city.
Most of the square used to be made up of major offices of banks and insurance companies, making it one of the major financial centres in Scotland. At one time, St Andrew Square could claim to be the richest area of its size in the whole of Scotland.[2]
The gardens are owned by a number of private parties and belong to the collection of New Town Gardens. They were made open to the public in 2008 and are managed by Essential Edinburgh.[3]
The square has several shops, including the department store Harvey Nichols and the designer precinct Multrees Walk.
It is also home to The Edinburgh Grand Hotel and apartments, as well as a series of London chain restaurants and bars on its south side, such as
Points of interest
Dominating the centre of St Andrew Square is the fluted column of the
On the east side of the square stands the impressive mansion of
A short distance from Dundas House, down George Street, is where St. Andrew's Church was built in 1784. In 1806 the head office of the British Linen Bank moved to St Andrew Square. The building was a branch of the Bank of Scotland until 2016.[8] St. Andrew Square was also home to the National Bank of Scotland, which was headquartered at No. 42, until it merged with the Royal Bank of Scotland in 1969.
Beneath the eastern streets of the square lies the long disused
Notable residents
Many famous Scots occupied the residences of St Andrew Square. On the north side of the square, No. 21 was the birthplace of
Transport
St Andrew Square has been used as a transport hub for a number of years. The original St Andrew Square Bus station was demolished in 2000, with a modern replacement opening to the public in 2003.
Buses
Local bus services have stops to the west side of the square on North St David Street & South St David street.
Tram
St Andrew Square tram stop is an island platform located on the east side of the square. It is the nearest stop for Edinburgh Waverley railway station which lies approximately 250m to the south, and for Edinburgh bus station which is 50m to the north.
Trams from here run west through the city to Edinburgh Airport, and north to Leith and Newhaven.
| Preceding station | Edinburgh Trams | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picardy Place towards Newhaven |
Newhaven – Edinburgh Airport | Airport
|
References
- ^ a b c Lang, p.124
- ^ a b Lang, p.125
- ^ "History of St Andrew Square". Essential Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ Wilson and Smallman, p.83
- ^ Wilson and Smallman, p.84
- ^ "Our Banknotes – The Ilay Series". The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
- ^ "Dundas Mansion, Edinburgh". Edinburgh Architecture. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
- ^ "Branch review" (PDF). Bank of Scotland. 5 September 2016.
- ^ "Scotland Street Tunnel". Subterranea Britannica.
- ^ Daiches, p.130
Bibliography
- Campbell, Donald. Edinburgh: A Cultural and Literary History. Northampton, MA: Interlink Books, 2004.
- Catford, E. F. Edinburgh: The Story of a City. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd., 1975.
- Daiches, David. Edinburgh. London: Hamish Hamilton Limited, 1978.
- Geddie, John. Romantic Edinburgh. 2nd ed. Edinburgh (London, Glasgow): Sands & Co., 1911.
- Lang, Theo, ed. The Queen’s Scotland: Edinburgh and the Lothians. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1952.
- Wilson, Neil, and Tom Smallman. Edinburgh. 2nd ed. Footscray, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd., 2002.
- Youngson, A. J. The Making of Classical Edinburgh: 1750 – 1840. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1968.
