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Plans of the New Town of Author(s): M. K. Meade Source: Architectural History, Vol. 14 (1971), pp. 40-52+142-148 Published by: SAHGB Publications Limited Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1568296 . Accessed: 25/03/2013 16:44

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This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Plans of the New Town of Edinburgh

byM. K. MEADE

The Edinburgh Town Council minutes for 6 June 1767 record that: 'On Wednesday last the Magistrates of Edinburgh conferred on Mr , Architect, a gold medal with the freedom of the city in a silver box, as a reward of his merit for having designed the best plan of the New Town.' Despite the importance of this plan (Fig.33a) unfortunately little is known of its architect'sbackground. Born c. 1740,James Craig's father was an Edinburgh merchant, his mother a sister of the poet JamesThomson, best remembered as the author of RuleBritannia and The Seasons.No record survives of his early education and though he is supposed to have received his architecturaltraining under Sir Robert Taylor, this would appearto be a confusion with a namesake. An obscure young man then, the New Town Competition of 1766-67,was to bring him sudden fame. Extension of the Royalty of Edinburgh was by no means a new idea, and Craig's award-winning plan must be seen as the culmination of a series of attempts to enlarge the city. The Old Town was hemmed in on its long ridge with the ground falling steeply away to rise abruptly on an open plain to the south and to the north on a broad ridge. The hollow on this side was partly filled by the North Loch. As early as the 1680sJames II had encouraged improve- ment and expansion and a bridge programme to improve access was mooted. All was curtailed, however, by the Revolution of 1688.The issue was not taken up until 1720,when the Council acquired the Loch Bank Estate(on the north side of the North Loch). A residential quarter was to be established, further properties bought and the loch transformed into a canal. To this end an act was passed in 1723, but in the face of local opposition and a tight financial situation there was no immediate sequel. For long only small unrelated schemes were to make headway in the hands of private enterprise. Extension of the city was not only being considered at home. The correspon- dence of John, 11th Earlof Mar, exiled for his part in the '15, contains important presages both of the North Bridge and Craig's plan. In a letter of 1728, Mar recommends an almost identical site for a new town on the broad ridge to the north, '.. . having a noble prospect...' and '.. . a fine opportunity for gardens down to the North Loch and one on the other side towards Broughton'. But if the Royalty was to have a planned expansion, the initiative had to come from the Town Council. Here, however, the opposition lobby continued to put up strong resistance,and the subsequent 'Proposals'of 1752and 1759(of great interest as town planning documents of the period) produced in fact no more tangible results, apartfrom 's Exchange, than those of 1720-23. Only in 1763was the North Bridgescheme pursued with any success. In July 40 of that year the ScotsMagazine published an article on the bridge, illustrated

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions with a proposed elevation.' The latter was reissued with a plan of the city MEADE:NEW showing an advanced 'ringroad scheme' converging on the new bridge (Fig. TOWN OF 32b).4 The road plan and elevation are particularly interesting as they bear EDINBURGH Craig's signature, the earliest extant example of his work and proof of his connection with extension schemes for the city at least three years before the competition of 1766. Behind the proposals stands the commanding figure of . First elected Provost in 1723, he became a most active supporter of the city's expansion. It was Drummond who saw the advantage of first securing accept- ance of the bridge: this achieved, his main objective, the development of the fields to the north, would more easily follow. In 1766Drummond gained the provostship for the last time. He died before the end of his tenure, but the opposition had been overcome: the North Bridge was under construction,' and on 22 March the Town Council had announced its intention of holding a public competition for the design of a new town. Altogether six plans were received, and on 2 August Drummond announced the Committee's decision that plan No.4 by Mr JamesCraig, architect, held the most merit. The committee of adjudication included 'among the artists the MessrsAdams by whom several alterations were made to the plan'. Obviously the committee was not entirely satisfied,and from August 1766to July 1767a series of protracted discussions ensued in which Craig apparently made several amendments and finally produced a new plan. Some light may be thrown on these proceedings by a 'Plan of Edinburghand Places Adjacent' (Figs 33a & b)6 published by John Laurie, an important Edinburgh cartographer, in 1766. Though on a very small scale, this plan shows the projected new town. Laurie had been called upon to prepare the ground survey for the competition7 and producing an accurate and up-to-date map that same year, he would have every interest in making use of the award-winning design. Engraving on copper, corrections could easily be made and two editions of his plan exist showing different layouts for the New Town (Figs 31a&b).These very possiblyillustrate Craig's initial project or the subsequent amendments proposed to the com- mittee prior to the manuscript plan of July 1767.8 The success of Craig'sscheme owes much to his simple but effective use of the site, with the central axis terminated by squares on the crown of the ridge and transversestreets connecting the parallel Queen and PrincesStreets on the slopes. The latter, having buildings on one side only, provide magnificent views (as Lord Mar predicted) down to the Forth or across to the Old Town and the Castle Rock. The rectilinear design is largely imposed by the site, and it would therefore seem unfair to criticize Craig'slack of originality.Moreover, Craig was not required to produce a grandiose plan on the lines of those illustrated in Patte's Monumentsdriges d la gloirede LouisXV, but a viable housing scheme to relieve overcrowding of the Old Town as well as providing suitable accommodation for its wealthier inhabitants. In October 1767Craig went to London on council business. Capitalizing on his success, he promptly made himself known at Court, and presented his New Town plan to King George III,to whom the origin of some street names is owed. An early print of the plan9 dedicatedto the king, omitted any reference to the Town a snub Council, which caused some offence to the magistrates. 41

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITECTURAL This arrogance in his dealings with his clients was to be a recurring trait of HISTORY 14: 1971 Craig's character and one which probably contributed to the decline of his practicein later years. Now well established, Craig saw fit to suggest certain improvements to his Gold Medal plan. The London episode may have brought him into contact with John Gwynn's contemporary town planning proposals for that city. Possibly he gained some knowledge of the Woods' work in Bath or, more simply, he was tempted to return to the earlierversion in the John Lauriemap of 1766(Fig.31a). At least in 1774he presented two circus projects(Figs34a&b)" sited at the junction of FrederickStreet and George Street in the centre of his plan. Building had only just started on the east end of George Street, but the circus scheme was not taken up by the authorities. Placed on the crown of the ridge, the sharp fall in ground on either side would probably have required considerable banking to handle the design successfully, and for the Town Council the loss in housing, and consequently feu-duty, must have been the main disadvantage. A circus scheme was still being considered in 1780-82as Ainslie's map shows (Fig.32a)", but, though this version is reduced to a more practicalsize, it was finally passedover and Craig'soriginal plan followed. In 1773 Craig had designed St James' Square (Fig.35),12commissioned by Walter Ferguson, Writer to the Signet, as a private speculation. In this case Craigalso provided the elevations, severe ashlarfacades broken only by slightly projecting bays and treated as a unified composition. Perhaps they were his most original, if modest, domestic architecture, for his major commissions show him to be a competent if rather unimaginative second-generation Palladian.Certainly the early 1770smark the peak of his careerwith St Andrews church, Dundee, of 1772and the PhysiciansHall of 1773-74,a period epitomized by the David Allan portrait (Fig.30a).i1 The present constricted approach from Walk to must not be blamed on Craig, for if his New Town and St James Square plans had been followed in their entirety Leith Street would have been considerably wider. Laterin the 1770sand early 1780sbuildings started to encroach on the precise limits he had laid down, and in his pamphlet Planfor Improvingthe City of Edinburgh"4of 1786 Craig remonstrates against this development. 'It must strike with force every person, that thirty-five feet is by far too narrow an inlet from the port of Leithboth to the Old and New Town.' It seems unlikely that much attention was paid to Craig's opinion. By the 1780shis prestige had waned and, apart from work on the Battery at Leith, he appears to have found little employment. Yet his Planfor Improvingthe Cityof Edinburghforms a major contribution to the proposals for a South Bridge development at this time (Fig.36a). In 1785Parliament passed the South BridgeAct, allowing for the construction of a bridge or viaduct, an ambitious structure of nineteen arches set on a slightly oblique line from the North Bridge. The architect was Alexander Craig and progress was rapid: building commenced in 1786and the bridge was opened to pedestriansby 1788. For some reason the publication of Craig'spamphlet ,which he states to have been drawn up by 18 July 1785,was unavoidably delayed, but it was completed 42 'before I knew that Mr , Architect of London, had made out a

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions design'. The elevations illustrating Craig'splan do not attain the grandeur and MEADE NEW elegance of Adam's conception for the South Bridge, though they are more TOWN OF sympathetic in their relation to the old (Fig. 36b). But the plan itself, EDINBURGH with the text of Craig'sproposals, is highly original in its consideration of the practicalissues of trafficcirculation and civic amenity. That these advanced ideas were ignored by the Town Council is not sur- prising. Adam's scheme held precedence, but this was also considered too ambitious and the South Bridge was developed on a far more modest scale. Craig's plan even more than Robert Adam's required extensive demolition and would have proved too costly an undertaking, yet in its unusually modern approach and functional purpose it provides a particularly fitting conclusion to Craig'scareer as a planner. He died in 1795,his last years clouded by financial difficulties and unemploy- ment; the brilliant promise of a successful career gradually faded, and to this the intractable side of Craig's character no doubt contributed. Though the significance of his unadopted projects should not be forgotten, the New Town of Edinburgh must remain Craig'soutstanding monument. To the left of the group of allegorical figures adorning the title of his New Town plan (Fig.33b)a cupid turns to crown with laurels a figure that can only be the architect himself, perhapsfor once a justifiedpresumption.

MAPS AND PLANS OF THE CITY OF EDINBURGH The following list provides a chronology of the most important original maps and engraved plans relating to the history of the development of the city in the eighteenth century. Part I concerns the Old Town; Part II is devoted to maps and plans that illustrate particular stages in the development of James Craig's New Town; Part III to those plans that form James Craig's personal contri- bution. Here the various states of the plans and their sequence is of importance and is listed in detail.

PARTI: PLANSOF THEOLD TOWN OF EDINBURGH 1742 (1) The Plan of the City and Castle of Edinburghby William Edgar,Architect, Anno 1742 Engravedby P. Foudrinier.Numbered and lettered key to the streets and build- ings in the right lower corner. Appearsto be the first trustworthy survey of the Old Town of Edinburgh. Copies:Published in William Maintland, TheHistory of Edinburgh(Edinburgh 1753). Reproduced in Robert Chambers, Reekiana(Edinburgh 1833), and here re- engraved by William Murphy of Edinburgh, with inserts in the top corners, left and right, of Van Hoyen's view of the city of 1650and of and Palace from Gordon of Rothiemay's plan of 1647.Small reproduction in the RoyalScottish Geographical Society Magazine (1919, pl. 4). Facsimilein D. Simpson, EdinburghDisplayed (Edinburgh 1962). Original in Dr Simpson's possession. EdinburghPublic Library: 1.

1765 (la) The Plan of the City and Castle of Edinburghby William Edgar, Anno 1765 43

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITECTURAL No.1 brought up to date, showing the line of the North Bridge,new road from HISTORY 14: 1971 the south, removalof the bastionsof the city wall and the additionof the Exchange,Brown's Square, Adam Square and St Cecilia'sHall. Copies:National Libraryof : 1; EdinburghPublic Library: 3

PART II: GENERALPLANS OF EDINBURGH AREA 1763 (1) Map of the County of Midlothian from an actual survey by John Laurie, geographer, 1763 Edinburgh featured on a very small scale but the line of the proposed North Bridge and the road connecting it with are shown. Curiously, the map is drawn looking south from the Firth of Forth. Copies:Edinburgh Public Library: 1; National Libraryof Scotland: 1; Signet Library:3

1766 (2) Bearford'sParks MS ground survey for the competition for the New Town of 1766.Includes part of the North Loch on the south and extends to Dickson's Ground on the north; from St Ninian's Row on the east to Provost Stewart's ground on the west, beyond Dean of Guild Allan's park. The Lang Dykes and Gabriel'sRoad are shown, feus and tenancies given and named. At the top:'N.B. all the ground within the red shade belong to the City of Edinburgh.J.L. 1766.' J.L. is probably John Laurie,an important Edinburgh cartographer.In the centre: 'Edinburgh 8th January, 1796. The figures marked on several places of this plan, in my opinion, show the declivities taken from this point, which at the time of the survey was made in all probability the highest part of the ground. William Sibbald.'15 The piers of the North Bridge are shown marked 'North Loch Bridgeand abutments'. Copies:Original MS in the City Chambers, Edinburgh,Estate Surveyors Office, Long box No. 14

(2a) Ground Plan of the City of Edinburgh'sProperty on the North Side of the Town intended to be feu'd out for Building upon [Fig.30b] Engraved copy on a reduced scale of the MS survey (No.2) printed for the guidance of those who took part in the competition of 1766. Copies:Bodleian Library:original engraving (Gough Collection); Edinburgh PublicLibrary: 3 photostats

(3) A Plan of Edinburgh and Places Adjacent from an Actual Survey by John Laurie,geographer, 1766[Fig.31a] Engravedby Alexander Baillie. Edinburghis shown on a small scale as in PartII No. 1 above, but the plan has the normal viewpoint from south to north. The projected New Town is featured, here called 'New Edinburgh', and is possibly Craig's original scheme awarded the prize on 2 August 1766. Layout based on a central square with streets radiating from it to form a pattern similar to that of a Union Jack, but with lateral streets limiting the scheme to north and south. 44 These have houses on both sides. The streets peter out to the west and run into

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Leith Walk to the east. The North Loch is shown as a formal canal bordered by MEADE N EW trees. Certain place names are missing in the area of the Old Town. TOWN OF Copies:National Libraryof Scotland: 1; EdinburghPublic Library: Photographic EDINBURGH enlargement of New Town area

(3a) A Plan of Edinburgh and Places Adjacent from an Actual Survey by John Laurie,geographer, 1766[Fig.31b] Engraved by Alexander Baillie. Very similar to No.3 above but appears to be re-engraved. The most noticeable differenceis the New Town, now so named. Here the layout is very close to Craig's gold medal plan approved by the Council in July 1767 (Part III No.3). It is more accurately sited with a public building terminating the line of the bridge."6But the layout is still different from Craig(Part III No.3) in that only three blocks of houses areshown between the squares which contain further housing blocks to the north and south, leaving access only on the line of the central street, a possible reference to the Place Vend6me. The vista is closed by two churches to the east and west of the squares as in Craig's 1767design. Houses are still shown on either side of the northern and southern lateral streets. This perhaps representsCraig's amended version before he presented his 'new plan' accepted in July 1767.Castle Hill, , Arthur's Seat, Portsburghand the Abbey(Holyrood) are so named as they are not in No.3 above. Copies:National Libraryof Scotland: 1; EdinburghPublic Library: 1 c. 1780 (4) Plan of the City of Edinburgh [Fig.32a] Earliest version of John Ainslie's plan, dedicated to Provost David Stewart (Provost 1780-82),but undated. The New Town is shown completed to about mid-way along the section of George Street between St Andrew's Square and Hanover Street. A projected circus is shown at the junction of FrederickStreet and George Street, contained within the line of the secondary streets. This is presumably the last variant of Craig's circus project first put forward around 1774(Part IIINo.3e) but never executed. A facsimile of the plan is reproduced in D. Simpson, EdinburghDisplayed (Edinburgh 1962). Original in Dr Simpson's possession.

PART III: PLANS OF THE NEW TOWN AND CONNECTED WORKS BY JAMES CRAIG July 1763 (1) A Plan and Elevation of the Bridge Intended to be built over the North Loch Edinburgh Inscribedbelow title with ornamental border top centre, 'JamesCraig Delint, H. Gavin Sculpt Edinr 1763'.Plan and elevation in two figures of the proposed bridge showing the buildings between Fleshmarket Close and Halkerston's Wynd with proposed access through there from the High Street to the bridge. Sections showing gradients of the proposed bridge and its access compared with those of the then existing roads between the Old Town and Multrees Hill. Three 'figures' and an 'explanation' thereof in righthand upper corner, on the left an NB: 'The area of the and Upper Lower Flesh Mercats, with 45

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITECTURAL those of the Neighbouring Ruins may be turned into a Noble and spacious HISTORY 14: 1971 square, quite open upon the end of the Bridge.'7 Of particularinterest as the first occasion on which Craig appears to be connected with the New Town projects. Copies:Published in the ScotsMagazine xxv, (July 1763),361, prefacing the article 'Of the Intended Enlargement of the City of Edinburgh'.On p.362: 'NB A plan of the intended brige may be seen in the hands of Mr George Fraser,deputy auditor of the Excise... This plan, with a map of the city and its environs is since published by MessrsPhinn and Mitchelson, engravers.'

August 1763 (2) A Plan and Elevation of the intended New Bridge over the North Loch with a Plan of Edinburgh Exhibiting all the proposed Improvements in that City [Fig.32b] 'Published by Authority, Edinburgh, Augt 1763and sold at the shop of Phinn and Mitchelson, Copperplate and Seal Engravers, Luckenbooths, and by Hector Gavin, Engraver,Parliament Close.' The plan of the city, in the upper right-hand half of the sheet would seem to derive from Edgar(Part I No. 1). It shows a 'ring road' round the northern and western sides of the city con- necting up with the proposed bridge and a southern approach on the line of the future Nicholson Street forking at its northern end, the purpose being to relieve traffic congestion within the city and facilitatecommunication with the Port of Leith. Explanatorynote to this effect inserted between the title and the plan. In the lower left-hand part of the sheet, a re-engravedversion of the plan and elevation of the bridge shown in No.1. The carriageshown in No.1 is not inserted here; the NB is now 'figure' 4 in the explanatory note. The scale is slightly larger.At the foot of the plate 'Jas.Craig Delin". A print of the section showing the city, and the ring road exists and is probably an earlier version. It is unsigned, without the explanatory note, title or date. The projected road from Abbey Hill round the southern face of Calton Hill (the present Regent Road) stops short at the Calton burialground and does not cross over the Calton ravine. The line of Nicholson Street is only pencilled in. At the top centre is a lettered key to streets &c. On the back is written in pencil: 'This appearsto be an early proof of a plan of the City Improvements by James Craig. The finished plate has a plan of the North Bridge.' It is reproduced in RSGS Mag.(1919), marked 'Anonymous map, circa 1767'and in Bookof theOld EdinburghClub xxiii, 4 (Edinburgh 1941). Copies:Phinn & Mitchelson plan - British Museum: 1; Public Library:1 and 2 photostats; National Libraryof Scotland: 1 photostat; Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh: 1 photostat; early print - Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Edinburgh: 1

July 1767 (3) Plan of the New Town Original MS approved by the Town Council and signed by the Lord Provost, GilbertLaurie, 29 July 1767.At the top centre enclosed in an ornamental border a quotation from the poet JamesThomson, Craig'suncle, 'Liberty,Part V, The 46 Prospect'.18The streets on the plan are unnamed, nor are the widths of the

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions streets inscribed. The central area of the two squares is drawn on a separate MEADE: NEW piece of paper and stuck down, that of the western square being wrongly set TOWN OF so that it readsfrom south to north. Thus the two 'equestrianstatues' inscribed EDINBURGH on the western square face north instead of facing along the axis of the central main street, to the pair correctly shown on the eastern square. In the centre of each square an 'obelisque'is marked. In the centre of the blocks, on the western and eastern side of the squares respectively, a site is provided for a church. Gardens are shown, corresponding to the blocks of houses to the north and south and on the south side of the North Loch, now laid out as an ornamental canal. The area to the north of the bridge and east of the eastern square is marked 'Cleland's Feu' and includes other properties (outside the extended Royalty). A square 'public building', also stuck on, is shown due north of the bridge, overlapping part of Cleland's Feu and the other properties, and is the future RegisterHouse projected in the'Proposals' of 1752. Copies:Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh:original MS

1767 (3a) Plan of the New Town at Edinburgh [Fig.33a] Apparently the earliest engraving from the original plan, it is unsigned. The title in the lower left corner is surrounded by allegorical figures. At the top centre is an ornamental border with vignettes of streets, but an empty space within the border where Thomson's lines are later inserted. The churches, obelisks and equestrian statues, though shown as in the original MS above, are not so named. Ornamental gardens are shown behind the blocks of houses. The property of Sir LawrenceDundas19 is shown, surrounded by a dotted line, behind the site of the eastern church; and the squares,later named after St Andrew and St George. The main parallel streets read from top to bottom: Forth Street, George Street and St Giles Street; the transverseones, from left to right: Castle Street, Green Street and Hanover Street. The trans- verse streets on either side of the squares are unnamed, as are the secondary streets. To the right of the bridge the Orphans' Hospital and Trinity College church are shown but not named. The plan is reproduced in F. C. Mears & J. Russells' 'The New Town of Edinburgh', Bookof the Old EdinburghClub xxiii (Edinburgh 1941),in folder at back. Copies:Original engraving in the possession ofF. C. MearsFRIBA

On 15August 1767appeared the following advertisement: 'Speedily will be published, by Authority of the Right Honourable the Magis- trates of Edinburgh a Plan of the New Town, Elegantly engraved from the original designed by JamesCraig, Architect.' Plan No.3a must be an early proof following the advertisement and printed before the Town Council minute of 14 October 1767: 'A question was raised anent the common sewers for the New Town. In the absence of anyone present being capable of giving proper directions, Mr Craig expressedhis willingness to go to London thereanent.' During his stay in London, Craigsubmitted a copy of his plan to King George III and it was then that the street names were changed and the dedication added. The King himself suggested the alteration of St Giles Street to Princes 47

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITEC TURAL Street, as the name of St Giles was then associatedwith an insalubrious area of HISTORY 14: 1971 London. Craig had mistakenly named Queen's Street Forth Street and this was corrected. Sir John Pringle, the Council's representativein London, apparently suggested the alteration of Green Street to FrederickStreet in compliment to the royal family. The plan received the royal approval, and the dedication read as follows: 'To His Sacred Majesty George III the Munificent patron of every Polite and LiberalArt. This plan of the New Streets and Squares intended for His ancient Capitalof North Britain;one of the happy Consequences of the Peace,Security, and Liberty his People enjoy under his mild and auspicious Government, Is with the utmost Humility Inscribed by His Majesties Most devoted Servant and Subject,James Craig.'2?

1767 (3b) Plan of the New Town at Edinburgh The only surviving copy of the plan mentioned in the Town Council minute of 23 December 1767.It bears the dedication to the King and the new street names (as they are today apart from St George's Square, soon changed to its present name, ). There is no reference to the LordProvost or magistrates, an omission that caused them some irritation. There are certain differencesfrom plan No.3a; the ornamental border at the top centre is of a slightly differentshape and design, there are no vignettes. The quotation from Thomson's LibertyPart V uses another combination of lines from that in plan No.3, lines 701-702,709, 710 and up to 'enlivened isle' in line 711. The square public building north of the bridge is now called 'Register House' and to the right of the bridge Trinity College church is now so named. The streets and squares have their widths marked. The gardens behind the houses are shown en bloc,no longer ornamental. Apartfrom these divergences,the plan is similar to No.3. Copies:British Museum: 1; EdinburghPublic Library:1 photostat

1768 (3c) Plan of the New Streetsand Squaresintended for the City of Edinburgh Similar type to No. 3a, at the foot of the sheet the plan is signed 'Ja.Craig, Arch. inven. et delin. and P. Begbie,Sculp.', dated January1768. The title ornamented by allegorical figures is in the lower left corner as in No.3a. Top centre is an ornamental border as in No.3a, with the quotation from Thomson's Liberty Part V as in No.3b, now used in all subsequent prints. The LordProvost is now acknowledged at the foot of the plate above the middle of the margin: 'This Plan was begun to be carried into execution Anno 1767,The Right Honourl" Gilbert Laurie, Esq., Lord Provost.' The dedication to George III signed by Craig with the royal coat of arms in the centre is placed below the margin. Instead of the equestrian statues and obelisques shown in the previous plans, only one equestrian statue is now inscribed in the middle of the two squares. The two churches in the squares are now so named. The square building due north of the bridge is marked 'public building' not 'Register House' as in No.3b. The buildings to the right of the bridge are as in No.3b, below them, 48 above the margin, is now inserted a note giving the widths of the main streets

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions and of the pavement.The gardensbehind the houses are shown enbloc as in MEADE: NEW No.3b and as in all subsequentprints. Sir Lawrence Dundas's property is now TOWN OF laid out with parterres,though he had alreadyacquired the site of the eastern EDINBURGH churchthe latteris stillfeatured as in the followingNew Town plans. Copies:National Library of Scotland:1; EdinburghPublic Library: 2; Edinburgh University:2 1768 (3d) Planof the New Streetsand Squaresintended for the City of Edinburgh [Fig.33b] Similarto No.3c but with certainadditions and changes:the 'publicbuilding' is now changedto 'RegisterOffice', its shapeapproximating to RobertAdam's design.Its insertionhas causedcertain alterations around it: the squarebuild- ing previouslyshown to the right of it is erasedand the 'RegisterOffice' encroachesto the north on Cleland'sFeu. In the areato the rightof the bridge 'LadyGlenorchy's Church' and the 'MethodistMeeting' have been inserted, while the unnamedOrphans' Hospital has been slightly twistedround. The 'Northside of the HighStreet' has now beeninscribed at the foot of the plateto the left of the bridgeand the words'scale of feet' havebeen erased.This is the finalform of the January1768 series. Copies:National Library of Scotland:3; EdinburghPublic Library: 2; Edinburgh University:1 c. 1774 (3e) Planof the NewTown [Fig.34a] OriginalMS of an amendedplan submittedto the Town Councilaround 1774 showinga circusat the intersectionof GeorgeStreet and FrederickStreet, on a largescale similar to No.3. The circusis open only on the line of GeorgeStreet; FrederickStreet simply gives accessto the secondarystreets between Queen Street and GeorgeStreet and between the latter and PrincesStreet which curve round the circusin crescents.Housing blocks are only shown on their straightsections at the CastleStreet and HanoverStreet ends. An obeliskis markedin the centreof the circus.The housingblocks in the left of the circus havea centralemphasis, but in the righthalf only the northernand southern blocksfacing St Andrew'sSquare have this feature.As in No.3 Sir Lawrence Dundas'sproperty is not shown, althoughby this datethe constructionof his house wasin progress.Two templesare shown on eitherside of the west end of the canal.The RegisterOffice, Craig's Royal College of Physicians(built 1775-77)and the TheatreRoyal (1768) are inserted, like the squaresapparently stuckon. The quotationfrom Thomson is the sameas in No.3. The plan bears no signatureor date.Though there is a handwrittennote describingthe widths of the streetsin the upperleft-hand corner, it is partlyillegible. Copies:Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh: original MS 1774 (3f) Plan of the New Streets and Squares intended for the City of Edinburgh [Fig.34b] Engravedplan for the circus scheme, title and style are of the form of No.3d. 49

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITECTURAL Above the royal coat of arms in the dedication is inscribed: 'This improvement HISTORY 14: 1971 was presented to the Magistratesby Mr Craig in A.D. 1774.'A circus is shown at the junction of George Street and FrederickStreet but there are certain differ- ences from No.3e: the circus has the same diameter but the intermediary streets (now called Rose Street and Thistle Street) have houses on their crescents as well; the line of FrederickStreet is restored but two churches are now inserted extending back from the circus to the Rose Street and Thistle Street crescent. The central emphasis to the blocks in the left-hand section of No.3e is no longer shown, nor are the Royal College of Physicians and the Theatre Royal. This plan is also featured in the portrait of James Craig by David Allan [Fig.30a]. Copies:Huntly House Museum, Edinburgh: 1; Edinburgh Public Library: photostat

1773 (4) Plan of a New Designed Square, the property of Mr WalterFerguson, writer in Edinburgh [viz. 4b, Fig.35] Plan of St James' Square. The title is at the top and in the bottom left-hand corner: 'Jas.Craig Arch. inven. et delin., Edinburgh, 1773.'In the upper left corner is a note of four figures stating the 'Advantages of the Situation of the Square'. It shows the development of the area of Cleland's Feu north of the Register Office. The Register Office and other buildings including the 'Metho- dist Meeting' and the Theatre Royal are shown as well as the eastern side of St Andrew's Square. Instead of the church, Sir Lawrence Dundas's house is shown. The road to the left of the Register Office is partly continued by a dotted line, intimating perhaps the intention of continuing it to join the open upper left-hand corner of the square. The streets leading out of the square to the right are also open suggesting continuation of the scheme to Leith Walk. Copies:Heriot Trust, Edinburgh:tracing probablyof original drawing

1773 (4a) St James'Square Same title as in No.4 above, but engravedversion 'P. Begbie,Sculpt.' Copies:City Chambers,Edinburgh (archives): 1

1773 (4b) St James'Square Engravedversion as in No. 4a, but with RegisterOffice shown in elevation. Copies:British Museum: 1; Edinburgh Public Library:2 photostats; Bodleian Library(Gough Collection): 1

1773 (4c) St James'Square Signed by Craig and engraved by Begbie, this plan is limited to the area of the square and the Register Office (plan only). It does not extend so far south, east or west, nor does it have the note on the advantages of the square; it is coloured. 50 Copies:Edinburgh Public Library: Edinburgh Miscellania vi

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 1786 MEADE: NEW (5) Planfor Improving the Cityof Edinburgh[Figs 36a & b] TOWN OF Pamphletpublished by Craigin 1786,illustrated with his plan of the projected EDINBURGH South Bridgedevelopment, engraved by Kirkwoodand showing an octagon at the junctionof the HighStreet with the North and proposedSouth Bridge. A crescentis laid out at the southernend of the South Bridgecontaining in its upperpart the enlargedUniversity area and in the lowerthe Old Infirmary.A new road is shown running from Lauristoneast towardsArthur's Seat and Musselburgh.In the lowerright-hand corner it is emphasizedthat LeithStreet shouldbe considerablywider than the presentconstricted approach to Princes Street.Elevations of the housesin the proposedoctagon and the TronKirk are alsoincluded, engraved by Joshua Archibald. The pamphlet itself is an enlightened town planning document. The octagon would 'prevent the accidentsto which both carriagesand foot passengerswould be liableif the entry to so greata thoroughfarewas at right anglesto the HighStreet.' Markets are provided by the NorthBridge. The South Bridgehad to be wideenough, with buildingsrunning its length, to allowfor heavytraffic. The vastcrescent'would represent the Citylike an opengenerous friendwith extendedarms giving a heartywelcome to all strangersfrom the south'. The suggestedeast-west axis from Lauristonto Musselburghwas to passbetween Calton Hill and Arthur's Seat, where landscaping would improve the naturalbeauty of the setting,'the most picturesqueand elegantapproach thatprobably can be to anycity whatsoever'. This new roadproposal is strongly reminiscentof the ring roadscheme of 1763(Part III No.2), and Craigpoints the comparisonby his suggestionhere that 'a road should be carriedup the southside of CaltonHill which would completethe circleand make an elegant roadround the City'. Copies:City Chambers, Edinburgh (archives): 1; Edinburgh Public Library: 2

NOTES 1 Of this relationshipCraig was inordinatelyproud, frequently ornamenting hisplans with appropriatequotations from Thomson's Prospect ofBritain. 2 Milne'sSquare 1684-88, Milne's Court in the 1690s,then JamesCourt in 1727 nearbyin the Old Town. Soon aftercame Argyle Square to the south (eastof Greyfriars),part of which was built by 1742,viz. WilliamEdgar's map of that year(Part I No. 1).Brown Square and farther east St James'Square c.1762. Most importantof these small schemeswas the laying out in 1766of the far more spaciousGeorge Square, immediately north of the Meadows. 3 PartIII No. 1. 4 PartIII No.2. 5 The bridgewas eventually built to the designsof WilliamMylne, brother of the architectof BlackfriarsBridge; cf. R.S. Mylne,The Master Masons of the Crown ofScotland (Edinburgh 1893), Book 4, p.249. 6 PartII Nos 3 & 3a. 7 PartII Nos 2 & 2a. 8 PartIII No.3. 9 PartIII No.3b. 10 Part No.3e & 3f. I 51

This content downloaded from 132.206.27.24 on Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:44:53 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions ARCHITECTURAL 11 Part II No.4. HISTORY 14: 1971 12 Part III No.4. 13 The David Allan portrait shows the elevation of his PhysiciansHall of 1773 (influenced by Chambers'sDuddingston House of 1768)and the second version of his circus project of 1774(Part III No.3). 14 Part III No. 5. 15 William Sibbald was Superintendent of Works and Deacon of Masons, 1807-08. 16 The city was unable to acquire the land immediately north of the bridge at the time of the competition. Eventually the Register House was built to the designs of Robert Adam. Craig was later able to site St James' Square in this area in a speculative private commission (cf. PartIII No. 4). 17 In 1786 Craig was to present a plan for an octagon at the junction of the High Street with the North Bridge(Part III No.5); though differentlysited, this was perhaps a development of the idea first considered here. 18 The quotation seems to be an arbitrarycompendium of the lines 701-702, and 709, 710 then jumping back to lines 692-693 with certain changes. This rather garbled form may be due to the amendment made by Lyttelton in his publication of Thomson's Worksin 1750,after the poet's death in 1748.Drastic changes were made in subsequent editions, but in 1762 the Workswas re- published by Murdoch, returning to the form of 1750. 19 Before the year was out Sir Lawrencehad managed to acquire the feu of the proposed site for the eastern church. Here he soon started to build a town house to the design of Sir William Chambers, completed by 1778. The area marked 'Sir Lawrence Dundas's Property' on the plan he made his garden. Thus St Andrew's church had to be relegated to a secondary position on the north side of George Street. 20 The Town Council minutes for 23 December 1767 give full details in a transcriptof a letter to the Council from Sir John Pringle.

BIBLIOGRAPHY F. C. Mears & J.Russell, 'The New Town of Edinburgh',Book of theOld Edinburgh Clubxxii & xxiii (Edinburgh 1939-41) W. Cowan, TheMaps of Edinburgh1544-1929 (Edinburgh 1932) D. Simpson, EdinburghDisplayed (Edinburgh 1962) A. J. Youngson, TheMaking of ClassicalEdinburgh (Edinburgh 1966)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to Dr David Simpson for his advice and for permission to re- produce plans in his possession, also to Dr Alistair Rowan for his invaluable help and encouragement. Thanks go also to Mr J. Makey, the City Archivist, and to the staff of the Edinburgh Room of the Edinburgh Public Library. Illustrations are reproduced by kind permission of the National Libraryof Scotland, the EdinburghPublic Library,the Scottish National PortraitGallery. the Old Edinburgh Club, Huntly House Museum and the Bodleian Library. The photographs were taken by Mr Graham S. Falconer of Edinburgh, except for those supplied by the National Libraryof Scotland, the Scottish 52 National Portrait Gallery and the Bodleian Library,Oxford.

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