York Place, Edinburgh

York Place is a street in central Edinburgh of almost exclusively 18th century buildings, linking Queen Street to Broughton Street and Leith Walk. The street's architecture remains almost completely intact but it is one of the busiest streets in the city centre being part of the main east-west route for traffic together with the Edinburgh Trams line and several bus services.

1. History

York Place was developed as a dual sided street on the north-east edge of Edinburgh's First New Town. The land was purchased by the city from James Erskine, Lord Alva in 1793 and it was joined by the Heriot Trust which also owned land here. Work began immediately and was complete by 1804 (other than the church (see below). The street is little altered. The only major change has been the demolition of the east side of Elder Street on the south side including the east corner with York Place, in 1969 (to improve access to the bus station). In 1888 a tram system was introduced. Originally drawn by underground cables the system was invisible except for the rails and central channel (for the cable). This all changed in 1921 following unification of Edinburgh and Leith (which had electric trams since 1905) when a complex of poles and wires were added, to the severe detriment of the streetscape. These poles and cables were removed in 1956 following the demise of the trams. More conscious of the issue of "street clutter" the planners removed all lamp-posts from the street in the 1970s. The street is lit by high level floodlights mounted at eaves level on the buildings. The temporary Edinburgh Trams terminus on York Place was removed in 2022 as part of the Trams to Newhaven project. A new permanent stop opened on nearby Picardy Place in June 2023 after completion of the line extension.

1. Notable Buildings

St Paul's and St George's Church by Archibald Elliot (built as St Paul's Chapel, 1816) St George's Episcopal Chapel by James Adam in 1792 with a new front added in 1934, now in use as a Genting Casino 7 York Pl - St George's manse, an unusual castellated house immediately east of the chapel (1793 remodelled in 1818 by Alexander Laing for his own use) 1 to 3 York Place, an exceptional corner block by David Paton featuring three lower commercial floors with more glass than wall 44 York Place built as a tax office in 1964, remodelled as a Premier Inn in 2018 72 York Place - The Conan Doyle public house - linked to the birthplace of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 50m eastwards at Picardy Place.

1. Notable residents

see No :

2 - James Orrock 6 - Thomas Meik civil engineer 7 - Alexander Laing (architect) 10 - David Milne 10 - William Craig, Lord Craig 10 - Admiral Sir David Milne and his son Sir Admiral Alexander Milne, 1st Baronet 10 - Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton 15 - James Bonar WS 16 - Adam Gillies, Lord Gillies 19 - John Abercrombie (physician) 20 - Sir James Montgomery, 2nd Baronet 21 - James Archer (artist) 22 - Alexander Irving, Lord Newton 23 - James Miller (surgeon) 23 - John Yule (botanist) 28 - Rev David Dickson 30 - Alexander Gillespie 32 - Sir Henry Raeburn artist (as his studio and sales room) 32 - Colvin Smith, artist 35 - Dionysius Wielobycki 36 - James Scarth Combe 37 - John Starforth architect 38 - John Lizars 40 - Alexander Osborne the giant 43 - John Abercrombie (physician) 47 - Alexander Nasmyth and his sons James Nasmyth and Patrick Nasmyth 55 - Andrew Geddes (artist) 57 - Thomas Hamilton (architect) 61 - Lady Sinclair of Murkle 61 - Frederick Hallard, legal author

1. References

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Edinburgh bus station

Edinburgh bus station is a central bus station in the city centre of Edinburgh. The bus station is situated on Elder Street, where the buses enter & exit, with pedestrian access from there and St Andrew Square. The current building and forecourt was completed in 2003, as part of a larger city centre redevelopment to accommodate a prestigious department store and attract other high-end retailers. The design was by Edinburgh architects CDA Group.

Airport Train

St Paul's and St George's Church

St Paul's and St George's Church (known colloquially as "Ps and Gs") is an evangelical church of the Scottish Episcopal Church in central Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located on the corner of Broughton Street and York Place in the east end of Edinburgh's New Town, and is protected as a category A listed building. The building was erected as St Paul's Church, replacing a chapel in the Cowgate. It was designed by Archibald Elliot between 1816 and 1818, and was extended by Peddie and Kinnear in the 1890s. In 1932 the congregation merged with that of St George's Church, also located on York Place. The east window is by Francis Eginton of Birmingham. In 2008 a £5.6 million building project to improve facilities in the church was completed.

Church

St Oran's Church

St Oran's Church was a Gaelic-speaking congregation of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh. Originating in the early 18th-century, the congregation continued until 1948, latterly meeting at Broughton Street. Gaelic public worship in Edinburgh began in the early 18th century and culminated with the opening of the first Gaelic Chapel at Castle Wynd near the Grassmarket in 1769. This was the first Gaelic-speaking congregation in the Scottish Lowlands. A second, larger chapel opened at Horse Wynd in 1813 and the two congregations united in 1815, following which the Castle Wynd building was sold. In 1835, the chapel was raised to the status of a parish quoad sacra. The Disruption of 1843 saw all the church's office holders and almost all of its congregation depart the established church to join the Free Church, creating another Gaelic-speaking congregation in Edinburgh: the Gaelic Free Church. Civic improvements in the Old Town forced the congregation to vacate Horse Wynd in 1870. It settled in the former Catholic Apostolic Church on Broughton Street in 1875. In 1900, the congregation adopted the name "St Oran's". The former Gaelic Free Church – by then known as "St Columba's" – had rejoined the Church of Scotland in 1929 due to denominational unions. The General Assembly concluded the maintenance of two small Gaelic-speaking congregations in Edinburgh was unnecessary and, in 1948, St Oran's and St Columba's united to form the Highland Church, using the St Columba's buildings. Greyfriars Kirk maintains St Oran's tradition of Gaelic worship in Edinburghto the present. The first Gaelic Chapel was a simple T-plan building with seats for 800. It was demolished in the 1830s. The Horse Wynd building stood on a rectangular plan and was executed in a plain neoclassical style. It was swept away in the public improvements that created Chambers Street. The Broughton Street building – the only building occupied by the Gaelic congregation that still stands – is a neoclassical, temple-like building of 1843–1844, attributed to John Dick Peddie. It is now in commercial use.

Church

Edinburgh Assay Office

The Edinburgh Assay Office is the last remaining assay office in Scotland and one of four which remain in the United Kingdom. The Edinburgh Assay Office traces its hallmarking history back to the Gold and Silver Work Act 1457 (c. 8 (S)) the first hallmarking act for Scotland. It is an independent privately run business, owned by the Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh. Since 1457, the deacon, or leader of the craft, assayed and marked the members' wares. However, in 1681, a dedicated Assay Master, John Borthwick, was appointed to oversee this task. The incorporation's importance in the life of the city and country was confirmed in 1687 when King James VII granted it a royal charter. The Edinburgh Assay Office is housed in a category B listed building, Goldsmiths Hall in the Broughton Street. It is a former church, built in 1816, which was fully refurbished and opened as the assay office in 1999 by Princess Anne. The assay office primarily tests and hallmarks precious metal. The Hallmarking Act 1973 was passed, then in 2010 palladium became the fourth precious metal to be assayed.

Art Historic Site