Stone - Crown Office

I think this blog is due another 'stone' picture, so here's a nice one! This decorative stonework can be found on columns on either side of the entrance to the Crown Office on Chambers Street, the body responsible for prosecution of crime in Scotland.

Stick no bills

I found this little piece of history on the walls of the University's Old College on Chambers Street. Amusing really, that this bit of non-grammar appears on the exterior of one of the most famous academic institutions in the country...

St James Chapel, Newhaven

I haven't posted a Stone picture for a while, so here's one! This is part of the west gable of the oldest building in Newhaven; that of St James' Chapel which is now a ruin.

The Chapel of St Mary and St James was built around 1508 by James IV for those who worked on the construction of his magnificent shipt, the Great Michael. The chapel later fell into disuse and was bought by the Society of Free Fishermen in the middle of the 18th century, and used as a place of burial until 1848. At an archeological dig in 1972, skeletons were indeed found, and the discovery was made that the chapel had been built on a foundation of oyster shells!

Tron exterior

Stone and drainpipe outside the Tron Kirk on the corner of the High Street and the Bridges. The building hasn't been used as a church for years, but instead served as an tourist information centre until this year when it remained shut. It desperately needs renovation but there's no agreement on a plan and, more importantly, no money.

Apologies for my failure to post over the last few days - will remedy the situation over the weekend.

Stones of Old College

Stones on the north-facing wall of Old College. How's that for an abstract work of art?

Proverb

This proverb is embedded in the walls of the Scottish Parliament - a great aspiration!! (and one I'd dearly love to master...)

Pink ivy

Gorgeous pink ivy on a wall in Old Town. Autumn is coming!

Where people live!

This is the corner of a street I once lived in, a bit further down the road. Gorgeous eh? Because so many people share flats, even professionals/couples etc, many get the chance to live in these grand Victorian flats (they're not houses but were designed as separate apartments) they would never otherwise be able to afford! One of the many nice features of these old flats can be seen quite clearly in this picture - the windows on the ground and first floor seem to have the original shutters still in place. I can tell you from experience that they can't be beaten on keeping out light and sound, and they help keep your room nice and warm in winter!

Guitar man

This picture is for my sister, whose birthday it is tomorrow. Guitar man on the Royal Mile, with a background of typical Edinburgh sandstone.

Moody castle

I thought it was time for another picture of our most famous landmark, the castle. Today it's a rather moody one, taken from the top of the Mound.

Above the Deacon Brodie

This is the Bank Street wall above a famous Edinburgh pub called the Deacon Brodie Tavern, which has its entrance on the Royal Mile. The pub was named after Deacon William Brodie, an Edinburgh man who inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

William Brodie (1741-88) was a well-respected member of the Town Council, and Deacon, or Head of the Incorporation of Wrights and Masons. But although Brodie was a respectable tradesman by day, by night he lived a double life of crime. He used his daytime job to copy the keys of his clients, whom he burgled by night. He also used illicit money to fuel his expensive lifestyle which included mistresses and a gambling habit. Brodie was eventually found out, tried and hanged.

Tenement windows

Windows in a tenement building on Merchant Street, near the Grassmarket. You can see the 'close' or shared stairwell through the windows on the left. You see this type of sash and case window a lot in Edinburgh, although many of them have now been replaced by modern plastic (double-glazed!) ones.

Old Town contrast

I'm back! Though I adore the buzz of London it's so nice to be back in Edinburgh, where the pace of life is so very different, the air so much cleaner and the commute so much easier!

This is a view from Chambers Street looking up towards the 'back' of the Royal Mile. I love the contrast between the white render and the old stone. The white building of flats is actually about ten stories high (this is only the top of it) and has its entrance on the Cowgate. Because of its steep hills, Edinburgh is very much a three-dimensional city, where buildings often have an entrance at different street levels - which can be very confusing when you're trying to read a map!

Stones - George Square

As promised, another photo of lovely stonework on one of Edinburgh's older buildings. As you can see, the walls were recently repointed. The little stones inbetween the larger ones give the walls a pretty but peculiar effect, and I've never seen this anywhere else. These buildings are on George Square and were originally built as fashionable town houses in the 18th century, the most famous former inhabitant of the square being author and historian Sir Walter Scott. Unfortunately, most of the square was demolished in the sixties to make way for modern university buildings.

In the middle of the square is a lovely park (see tomorrow's post) which is used mainly by students but comes into its own each August, when it is totally transformed to the fabulous Spiegel Garden.

The first stones

I love the colours, textures and shapes of stone walls of buildings - and I love how the type of stone used in a city can give it a distinct character. For example, Edinburgh (creamy-grey sandstone), Glasgow (red sandstone) and Aberdeen (granite) have very similar architecture but completely distinct characters because of the traditional building stone used.

As part of this blog I will try and photograph stone walls all over the city, to build up a collection of snapshots that map the surfaces of Edinburgh's urban fabric! Here's the first one, taken on Willowbank Row.