Oddfellows

When you walk past this bar on Forrest Road you will probably not notice the interesting facade of the building, let alone know about the history of this place. Built in 1873, Oddfellows Hall was the gathering point for members of the Oddfellows Order. I understand that these were guilds with members from an odd assortment of trades (rather than all from the same trade), hence the term 'odd fellows'. Oddfellows Hall was a Lodge where they would congregate, with lecture rooms, meeting rooms and domitories.

Many Edinburgh people will remember "Bar Oz", previously located in this building, which was accessed through a narrow passage and laid out over two floors. In 2006, £1.05 million was spent on redesiging and opening up the space, and many of the original features can now be seen again.

Add-on

I really like this recent addition to the Chrystal Macmillan Building, now home of the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. The building sits on the north-west corner of George Square and faces the Middle Meadow Walk. The extension was designed by SMC Davis Duncan Architects and completed in 2008.

Chrystal Macmillan was an important suffragist and the first woman science graduate of the University in 1896.

Minto House, Chambers Street

You don't often see architecture this ornate in Edinburgh, and although the delicate Italianate style is perhaps a bit out of tune with the rest of Old Town, the sandstone from which it was made is certainly the dominating building surface in this city.

Fly like a bird!

Birdseye view of the roofs of buildings on George IV Bridge, Old Town.

Roofs of the Old Town

Still on the roof of the Museum, now looking to the right of the castle in almost northerly direction. The large church steeple is what used to be a Church of Scotland and its Assembly Hall in one. It is now known as the 'Hub', or the headquarters of the International Festival. In the distance you can just make out some snowy hills in Perthshire, on the other side of the Firth of Forth.

Waverleygate

This is Waverleygate, on the corner of North Bridge and Waterloo Place. This wonderful classical building was once the General Post Office and went through a series of improvements in the 1890s, 1900s and 1960s but by the 1990s all post services had moved out and the building stood empty for several years. More recently it has been redeveloped into fancy new office spaces. Take-up has been slow, however, and I believe the building is still largely empty.

Arden House

I simply had to share this with you; this is the drawing room in Arden House (for hire from the University) - downstairs from the Confucius Institute. It's beautiful!!

RSA on the Mound

The Royal Scottish Academy on the Mound, basking in the winter sun. Originally built as an art school by William Playfair in the mid-19th century, it is now used by the National Galleries of Scotland as its primary exhibition space.

Buccleuch Place and Meadows

I took this photo a couple of days ago from the 11th floor of the David Hume Tower on the University of Edinburgh Campus, looking to the south-west. In the foreground is Buccleuch Place, part of the central University campus, with behind it the Meadows and the residential area of Marchmont (not -d) beyond that.

Portobello Baths

These are the Victorian baths in Portobello. They are being looked after by Edinburgh Leisure, and include a swimming pool, turkish baths and even normal bath tubs that you can use if you don't have one at home!

Balmoral Hotel

Opened in 1902 as the North British Hotel, the Balmoral hotel is one of Edinburgh's most famous landmarks. It was originally a railway hotel and at 1 Princes Street it still towers over Waverley station. Its name and ownership changed after a refurbishment in the 1980s, but the clock is still always set a few minutes fast so that travellers don't miss their trains (except for at New Year when it is set accurately!)

Interesting fact: Edinburgh author J K Rowling finished the last Harry Potter book at this hotel. Rowling left a signed statement written on a marble bust in her room saying; "JK Rowling finished writing Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in this room (552) on 11th Jan 2007".

Save the Titians!!

Diana and Actaeon and Diana and Callisto, both painted by Italian Renaissance artist Titian in the 16th century, rank among the greatest works of art anywhere in the world. They have been on display in the National Gallery of Scotland since 1945, but they are actually owned by the Duke of Sutherland, who has now decided to sell them. The National Galleries of Scotland have been offered first refusal, which means they must raise £50m by Christmas to buy the first work, and then another £50m by the end of next year. Whatever your views are on the value of art etc, these are two of the most magnificent works ever painted and they should stay on public view for everyone to enjoy. To find out more about the campaign, go to the NGS website.

So, I've done my bit for the cause. I will be away this week and haven't had the time to pre-load photos so expect to have to look at this one for a while! :-)

Same building at sunset

At 4.13pm yesterday I got an e-mail from Mr Dido who told me to run outside and get some pictures of this magnificent sunset. Which I did of course. Recognise the building?

National Museum of Scotland Tower

Yesterday I had a go on the digital SLR from work - way more sophisticated than my normal apparatus. I can't say I really got the hang of all the settings straight away, but this was one of my better attempts. This is the 'Tower', part of the National Museum of Scotland, built in 1998 to house the Scottish collections of the National Museums. For me, this is a very special building - not only is it a previous workplace, but it also is where Mr Dido and I got married.

Birds & Augustine's

Across the road from yesterday's picture I spotted this group of birds circling the spire of the Augustine Church. The building dates from 1861, and its architectural design incorporating Romanesque, Renaissance and Classical motifs caused quite a stir, with the 3-tier octagonal spire being ridiculed as a 'bridescake'. Nowadays of course it's an essential part of the Old Town skyline.

It's finally here!!

Pardon my excitement, but never in my life have I lived a stone's throw from a shop that NEVER CLOSES!! The new Asda on the Waterfront opened yesterday and like many locals we went to have a nosy; by 10.30pm it was still pretty busy.

There has been much discussion over the design of the building; earlier versions did not get planning approval but this one has been described as 'sympathetic' and 'continental' - it is certainly not the usual big white box but instead has fairly unobtrusive wood cladding and glass panelling. And, more importantly, a fab fresh curry counter.

Burning chimneys

Victorian chimney pots in front of a low autumn sun. When I was walking round taking pictures yesterday it really smelt of autumn; a combination of wet leaves on the ground and wood burning.

Victoria School sunset

This wonderful-looking chimney is part of Victoria School in Newhaven. In recent years the school has suffered from falling school rolls - the result of changing demographics in parts of the city - and for a while it looked like it might have to close. Fortunately there's been a reprieve, though the problem of old, drafty school buildings that are too expensive for their small pupil count is one that remains a sticky (political) issue throughout the city.

Calotype?

No this is not a Hill and Adamson calotype - though apart from the bike it could have been one! This is a courtyard off the Canongate, a little haven of peace and quiet.

Royal Mile 24 - Tour ends

And with this panorama at the foot of the Royal Mile this tour ends! You can click on the picture for a larger image. On the right you see the entrance to the Scottish Parliament building, and on the left is the Queen's Gallery, part of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The Palace itself is behind these buildings and can't be seen from here. The hill in the middle is part of the Crags/Arthur's Seat in the Queen's Park.

Hope you enjoyed the second part of this tour; you can always look at the entire walk together by clicking on the Tour of Royal Mile label on the right-hand side of the page. And just be thankful that you don't have to walk all the way up the hill again!