109-599: The Southside Community Centre is a community centre in the Southside , Edinburgh , Scotland , United Kingdom . The centre opened in 1986 and occupies the former Nicolson Street Church , which was completed in 1820. Nicolson Street Church originated in 1747 when Adam Gib led the majority of his congregation out of the Secession Church at Bristo in opposition to the Burgher Oath . For this reason, Robert Small called
218-499: A Category B listed building since 8 September 2003. Secession churches had tended to be plain and the use of Gothic architecture at Nicolson Street was the subject of controversy even before construction began. The Scotsman commented: "so great is the Gothic rage got that it is even proposed to rebuild the meeting-house of Adam Gib with a Babylonish and Prelatical front of Gothic architecture". John Stark, writing in 1825, identified
327-456: A minister , usually used in the context of Presbyterian , Methodist , Baptist and other Christian traditions. Ultimately derived from the Latin mansus , "dwelling", from manere , "to remain", by the 16th century the term meant both a dwelling and, in ecclesiastical contexts, the amount of land needed to support a single family. Many notable Scots have been called "sons (or daughters) of
436-469: A port several miles away (respectively, Leith and Piraeus ). Intellectually, the Scottish Enlightenment , with its humanist and rationalist outlook, was influenced by Ancient Greek philosophy . In 1822, artist Hugh William Williams organized an exhibition that showed his paintings of Athens alongside views of Edinburgh, and the idea of a direct parallel between both cities quickly caught
545-461: A royal charter , c. 1124–1127 , by King David I granting a toft in burgo meo de Edenesburg to the Priory of Dunfermline . The shire of Edinburgh seems to have also been created in the reign of David I, possibly covering all of Lothian at first, but by 1305 the eastern and western parts of Lothian had become Haddingtonshire and Linlithgowshire , leaving Edinburgh as the county town of
654-467: A carved wooden screen. In front of this stood pulpit , which incorporated a niche for a font , and the communion table , which incorporated two plaques from the church's First World War memorial. This arrangement stood on a raised platform, which incorporated a sunken pit for the organ console. The whole arrangement, as well as the flat ceiling and the gallery front, incorporated detailed wood carving and took inspiration from Robert Lorimer 's designs for
763-527: A centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scottish law , literature, philosophy, the sciences and engineering. The University of Edinburgh , founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the best research institutions in the world. The financial centre of Scotland, Edinburgh is the second-largest financial centre in the United Kingdom, the fourth largest in Europe, and
872-523: A population in 2014 of 1,339,380. Like most of Scotland, Edinburgh has a cool temperate maritime climate ( Cfb ) which, despite its northerly latitude, is milder than places which lie at similar latitudes such as Moscow and Labrador . The city's proximity to the sea mitigates any large variations in temperature or extremes of climate. Winter daytime temperatures rarely fall below freezing while summer temperatures are moderate, rarely exceeding 22 °C (72 °F). The highest temperature recorded in
981-750: A population of 912,490 in the same year. Recognised as the capital of Scotland since at least the 15th century, Edinburgh is the seat of the Scottish Government , the Scottish Parliament , the highest courts in Scotland , and the Palace of Holyroodhouse , the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. It is also the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland . The city has long been
1090-612: A series of small summits to the south of the city centre that command expansive views looking northwards over the urban area to the Firth of Forth. Edinburgh is drained by the river named the Water of Leith , which rises at the Colzium Springs in the Pentland Hills and runs for 18 miles (29 km) through the south and west of the city, emptying into the Firth of Forth at Leith. The nearest
1199-576: A shire covering the central part of Lothian, which was called Edinburghshire or Midlothian (the latter name being an informal, but commonly used, alternative until the county's name was legally changed in 1947). Edinburgh was largely under English control from 1291 to 1314 and from 1333 to 1341, during the Wars of Scottish Independence . When the English invaded Scotland in 1298 , Edward I of England chose not to enter Edinburgh but passed by it with his army. In
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#17330942311251308-564: A society church. After Johnston's death in 1871, many members left for suburban churches. David Christie was elected minister in 1897 and proved a popular preacher and lecturer. During his ministry, the church's membership and financial position improved, standing at 754 in 1900. In 1900, the United Presbyterian Church united with the Free Church and Nicolson Street joined the newly formed United Free Church . Some members left with
1417-637: A war band from across the Brittonic world who gathered in Eidyn before a fateful raid; this may describe a historical event around AD 600. In 638, the Gododdin stronghold was besieged by forces loyal to King Oswald of Northumbria , and around this time control of Lothian passed to the Angles . Their influence continued for the next three centuries until around 950, when, during the reign of Indulf , son of Constantine II ,
1526-439: Is affectionately nicknamed Auld Reekie , Scots for Old Smoky , for the views from the country of the smoke-covered Old Town. A note in a collection of the works of the poet, Allan Ramsay , explains, "Auld Reeky...A name the country people give Edinburgh, from the cloud of smoke or reek that is always impending over it." In Walter Scott 's 1820 novel The Abbot , a character observes that "yonder stands Auld Reekie—you may see
1635-555: Is almost entirely within the City of Edinburgh Council boundary, merging with Musselburgh in East Lothian. Towns within easy reach of the city boundary include Inverkeithing , Haddington , Tranent , Prestonpans , Dalkeith , Bonnyrigg , Loanhead , Penicuik , Broxburn , Livingston and Dunfermline . Edinburgh lies at the heart of the Edinburgh & South East Scotland City region with
1744-492: Is cloudier and somewhat wetter, but differences are minor. Temperature and rainfall records have been kept at the Royal Observatory since 1764. The most recent official population estimates (2020) are 506,520 for the locality (includes Currie ), 530,990 for the Edinburgh settlement (includes Musselburgh ). Manse A manse ( / ˈ m æ n s / ) is a clergy house inhabited by, or formerly inhabited by,
1853-426: Is encircled by a green belt , designated in 1957, which stretches from Dalmeny in the west to Prestongrange in the east. With an average width of 3.2 km (2 mi) the principal objectives of the green belt were to contain the outward expansion of the city and to prevent the agglomeration of urban areas. Expansion affecting the green belt is strictly controlled but developments such as Edinburgh Airport and
1962-477: Is governed by the City of Edinburgh Council , a unitary authority. The City of Edinburgh council area had an estimated population of 514,990 in mid-2021, and includes outlying towns and villages which are not part of Edinburgh proper. The city is in the Lothian region and was historically part of the shire of Midlothian (also called Edinburghshire). "Edin", the root of the city's name, derives from Eidyn ,
2071-537: Is owned and staffed by Edinburgh City Council . It is leased to the South Side Community Association and run by a management committee. The building consists of two general purpose rooms, a café, a large hall, and an office. Rooms are available for hire and the centre is used as a venue during the Edinburgh Fringe . Artist who have performed here include Bill Bailey . As a Fringe venue, the centre
2180-574: Is presently managed by Zoo Venues as Zoo Southside. The current buildings was completed in 1820 to a perpendicular design by James Gillespie Graham . The façade consists of five bays with traceried windows beneath a crenellated parapet . The central door is covered by a hood mould on headstops. The bays are divided by pinnacles , which at the outer bays, rise on buttresses . The central two pinnacles rise on shafts to around 90 ft (27.4m). The pinnacles were removed in 1980 but have since been replaced. The Southside Community Centre has been
2289-570: Is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas . The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth estuary and to the south by the Pentland Hills . Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in mid-2020, making it the second-most populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most populous in the United Kingdom . The wider metropolitan area had
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#17330942311252398-440: Is typical of the old quarters of many Northern European cities. The New Town was an 18th-century solution to the problem of an increasingly crowded city which had been confined to the ridge sloping down from the castle. In 1766 a competition to design a "New Town" was won by James Craig , a 27-year-old architect. The plan was a rigid, ordered grid, which fitted in well with Enlightenment ideas of rationality. The principal street
2507-625: The Athens of the North since the early 19th century. References to Athens, such as Athens of Britain and Modern Athens , had been made as early as the 1760s. The similarities were seen to be topographical but also intellectual. Edinburgh's Castle Rock reminded returning grand tourists of the Athenian Acropolis , as did aspects of the neoclassical architecture and layout of New Town . Both cities had flatter, fertile agricultural land sloping down to
2616-517: The Church of Scotland in 1929. Once a fashionable society church, the congregation faced decline in the post-war years and merged with Buccleuch and Charteris-Pleasance in 1969 to form Kirk o' Field Parish Church. The building was sold to the corporation and, after a period as a furniture saleroom, reopened as the Southside Community Centre in 1986. Managed jointly by the city council and
2725-638: The George Square and Potterrow areas proved highly controversial. Since the 1990s a new "financial district", including the Edinburgh International Conference Centre , has grown mainly on demolished railway property to the west of the castle, stretching into Fountainbridge , a run-down 19th-century industrial suburb which has undergone radical change since the 1980s with the demise of industrial and brewery premises. This ongoing development has enabled Edinburgh to maintain its place as
2834-770: The Romans arrived in Lothian at the end of the 1st century AD, they found a Brittonic Celtic tribe whose name they recorded as the Votadini . The Votadini transitioned into the Gododdin kingdom in the Early Middle Ages , with Eidyn serving as one of the kingdom's districts. During this period, the Castle Rock site, thought to have been the stronghold of Din Eidyn, emerged as the kingdom's major centre. The medieval poem Y Gododdin describes
2943-657: The Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston lie within the zone. Similarly, suburbs such as Juniper Green and Balerno are situated on green belt land. One feature of the Edinburgh green belt is the inclusion of parcels of land within the city which are designated green belt, even though they do not connect with the peripheral ring. Examples of these independent wedges of green belt include Holyrood Park and Corstorphine Hill. Edinburgh includes former towns and villages that retain much of their original character as settlements in existence before they were absorbed into
3052-664: The Scotland Act , which came into force the following year, established a devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive (renamed the Scottish Government since September 2007 ). Both based in Edinburgh, they are responsible for governing Scotland while reserved matters such as defence, foreign affairs and some elements of income tax remain the responsibility of the Parliament of the United Kingdom in London. In 2022, Edinburgh
3161-720: The Scottish National War Memorial . The communion table was moved to Kirk o' Field after Nicolson Street's closure. At the church's conversion to a community centre, the interior was gutted and partitioned. The church's first pipe organ was a two-manual instrument of 1912 by Eustace Ingram . Ingram rebuilt the organ after the 1932 fire. The organ was removed in 1973 and parts of it reused at Carrick Knowe Parish Church. Southside, Edinburgh Edinburgh ( / ˈ ɛ d ɪ n b ər ə / ED -in-bər-ə , Scots: [ˈɛdɪnbʌrə] ; Scottish Gaelic : Dùn Èideann [t̪un ˈeːtʲən̪ˠ] )
3270-722: The South Bridge in the 1780s. The Southside is particularly popular with families (many state and private schools are here), young professionals and students (the central University of Edinburgh campus is based around George Square just north of Marchmont and the Meadows ), and Napier University (with major campuses around Merchiston and Morningside). The area is also well provided with hotel and "bed and breakfast" accommodation for visiting festival-goers. These districts often feature in works of fiction. For example, Church Hill in Morningside,
3379-443: The Southside had depleted Nicolson Street and its neighbouring congregations. The church also stood within an area planned for intensive redevelopment by both the corporation and the university . When the ministry of Buccleuch fell vacant in 1964, that congregation sought union with Nicolson Street but this was blocked by the presbytery . Another attempt at union between the two congregations in 1967 failed, as did ambitious plans
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3488-523: The United Presbyterian Church in 1847. In 1852, Johnston was elected moderator of the denomination's general assembly. In the year of the union, some members of Nicolson Street established a new mission at Duncan Street in Newington . By the end of Johnston's ministry, the Southside was becoming an increasingly working class and industrial neighbourhood and Nicolson Street was losing status as
3597-540: The United Secession Church . Nicolson Street's minister, John Jamieson , had been instrumental in the reunion negotiations and was honoured by being elected moderator of the last Anti-Burgher Synod. Dissatisfaction with the Gothic form of the new church led some members to leave; as did the union, which saw some members join an Anti-Union congregation at Castle Wynd then at Infirmary Street. In 1827, they joined Thomas McCrie's congregation at Davie Street . With
3706-495: The "burh" (fortress), named in the 10th-century Pictish Chronicle as oppidum Eden , was abandoned to the Scots. It thenceforth remained, for the most part, under their jurisdiction. The royal burgh was founded by King David I in the early 12th century on land belonging to the Crown, though the date of its charter is unknown. The first documentary evidence of the medieval burgh is
3815-494: The 1860s began the transformation of the area into the predominantly Victorian Old Town seen today. More improvements followed in the early 20th century as a result of the work of Patrick Geddes , but relative economic stagnation during the two world wars and beyond saw the Old Town deteriorate further before major slum clearance in the 1960s and 1970s began to reverse the process. University building developments which transformed
3924-460: The 18th-century novel The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett one character describes Edinburgh as a "hotbed of genius". Edinburgh was also a major centre for the Scottish book trade. The highly successful London bookseller Andrew Millar was apprenticed there to James McEuen. From the 1770s onwards, the professional and business classes gradually deserted the Old Town in favour of
4033-520: The 19th century and joined by new industries such as rubber works , engineering works and others. By 1821, Edinburgh had been overtaken by Glasgow as Scotland's largest city. The city centre between Princes Street and George Street became a major commercial and shopping district, a development partly stimulated by the arrival of railways in the 1840s. The Old Town became an increasingly dilapidated, overcrowded slum with high mortality rates. Improvements carried out under Lord Provost William Chambers in
4142-617: The Burghers, these represented its wealthiest elements and counted for a third of the financial contributions to church funds. The fact that the majority joined the Anti-Burghers led Robert Small, historian of the United Presbyterian Church , to call Nicolson Street "the mother Secession Church in Edinburgh". After their expulsion from the Bristo buildings, the congregation first met in a tent nearby on Windmill Close on 7 January 1753 and afterwards at
4251-411: The Castle Rock, giving rise to allusions to the seven hills of Rome . Occupying a narrow gap between the Firth of Forth to the north and the Pentland Hills and their outrunners to the south, the city sprawls over a landscape which is the product of early volcanic activity and later periods of intensive glaciation. Igneous activity between 350 and 400 million years ago, coupled with faulting , led to
4360-707: The English in 1544, Edinburgh continued to develop and grow, and was at the centre of events in the 16th-century Scottish Reformation and 17th-century Wars of the Covenant . In 1582, Edinburgh's town council was given a royal charter by King James VI permitting the establishment of a university; founded as Tounis College (Town's College), the institution developed into the University of Edinburgh , which contributed to Edinburgh's central intellectual role in subsequent centuries. In 1603, King James VI of Scotland succeeded to
4469-605: The English throne, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England in a personal union known as the Union of the Crowns , though Scotland remained, in all other respects, a separate kingdom. In 1638, King Charles I's attempt to introduce Anglican church forms in Scotland encountered stiff Presbyterian opposition culminating in the conflicts of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms . Subsequent Scottish support for Charles Stuart 's restoration to
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4578-652: The Jacobite "Highland Army" before its march into England. After its eventual defeat at Culloden , there followed a period of reprisals and pacification, largely directed at the rebellious clans . In Edinburgh, the Town Council, keen to emulate London by initiating city improvements and expansion to the north of the castle, reaffirmed its belief in the Union and loyalty to the Hanoverian monarch George III by its choice of names for
4687-424: The North". Robert Louis Stevenson, also a son of the city, wrote that Edinburgh "is what Paris ought to be". The earliest known human habitation in the Edinburgh area was at Cramond , where evidence was found of a Mesolithic camp site dated to c. 8500 BC. Traces of later Bronze Age and Iron Age settlements have been found on Castle Rock, Arthur's Seat , Craiglockhart Hill and the Pentland Hills . When
4796-601: The Old Secession Church on Infirmary Street. In September 1817, part of the cornice collapsed during a service and the meeting-house was condemned as unsafe. The congregation had already been raising funds for repairs since 1815. While a new church was being constructed, the Second Secession Church on Potterrow offered its buildings for afternoon services while the Bristo Burgher Meeting-House
4905-667: The Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles , Greyfriars and the Canongate , and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , which has been managed by Edinburgh World Heritage since 1999. The city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the UK's second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018. Edinburgh
5014-538: The Provost for the time as Sheriff, and by the Bailies for the time as Sheriffsdepute conjunctly and severally; with full power to hold Courts, to punish transgressors not only by banishment but by death, to appoint officers of Court, and to do everything else appertaining to the office of Sheriff; as also to apply to their own proper use the fines and escheats arising out of the exercise of the said office." Despite being burnt by
5123-632: The Second Secession Church nearby in Potterrow. Gib nevertheless maintained one of the strongest congregations of any denomination in the city. Over 2,000 would regularly come to hear him preach. Following Gib's death in 1788, the congregation went seven years without a permanent minister. In 1791, a controversy over whether the session or the congregation could manage seat rents led the Anti-Burgher Synod to rule that, in all cases, sessions had authority in their congregation's management. The following year,
5232-592: The Skinners' Hall in the city. A new site off at Quarry Close, off Crosscauseway, was leased in July that year and a new church was opened on 4 November 1753. The building was, in John Wishart's words, "plain, square, and barn-like". It had no seats apart from in the galleries, which were accessed by external stairs. A manse was built at what is now Gib's Entry: a passage named for its first resident. The church remained in place at
5341-499: The South Side Association, the centre continues to house a range of community facilities and groups. During the Edinburgh Fringe , it is used as a venue under the name Zoo Southside . The building was constructed in 1820 to a perpendicular Gothic design by James Gillespie Graham . It was gutted by fire and reconstructed by John Ross McKay in 1932. The building was gutted and partitioned internally ahead of its reopening as
5450-499: The Southside Community Centre in 1986. It has been a Category B listed building since 8 September 2003. Nicolson Street originated in the Secession congregation founded at Bristo in 1741 with Adam Gib as its minister. The Secession Church soon faced a division over the Burgher Oath of 1690, which required public officials to "profess and allow with all my heart the true religion presently professed within this realm and authorised by
5559-497: The United Kingdom's second largest financial and administrative centre after London. Financial services now account for a third of all commercial office space in the city. The development of Edinburgh Park , a new business and technology park covering 38 acres (15 ha), 4 mi (6 km) west of the city centre, has also contributed to the District Council's strategy for the city's major economic regeneration. In 1998,
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#17330942311255668-533: The adjectival forms Edinburgensis and Edinensis are used in educational and scientific contexts. Edina is a late 18th-century poetical form used by the Scots poets Robert Fergusson and Robert Burns . "Embra" or "Embro" are colloquialisms from the same time, as in Robert Garioch 's Embro to the Ploy . Ben Jonson described it as "Britaine's other eye", and Sir Walter Scott referred to it as "yon Empress of
5777-608: The architectural style of the New Town into the early 19th century. Bute House , the official residence of the First Minister of Scotland , is on the north side of Charlotte Square. The hollow between the Old and New Towns was formerly the Nor Loch , which was created for the town's defence but came to be used by the inhabitants for dumping their sewage . It was drained by the 1820s as part of
5886-483: The area. With the redevelopment, Edinburgh has gained the business of cruise liner companies which now provide cruises to Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands. The coastal suburb of Portobello is characterised by Georgian villas, Victorian tenements, a beach and promenade and cafés, bars, restaurants and independent shops. There are rowing and sailing clubs, a restored Victorian swimming pool, and Victorian Turkish baths . The urban area of Edinburgh
5995-486: The beginning of three centuries of Germanic influence in south east Scotland that laid the foundations for the development of Scots , before the town was ultimately subsumed in 954 by the kingdom known to the English as Scotland. As the language shifted from Cumbric to Northumbrian Old English and then Scots , the Brittonic din in Din Eidyn was replaced by burh , producing Edinburgh . In Scottish Gaelic din becomes dùn , producing modern Dùn Èideann . The city
6104-444: The centre was the site of local political activity, hosting meetings of the Anti- Poll Tax Alliance and as a distribution base for surplus dairy products . The centre also became the site of a children's play-scheme, which used the Meadows for games. The initial plans for the building included a sports centre. This proved impossible; however, the centre supported the creation of the Crags Sports Centre as an alternative. The building
6213-420: The church as "a square meeting-house masked by a pretentious Gothic façade". After fire gutted the church in 1932, the interior was reconstructed under John Ross McKay. McKay removed the side galleries while reconstructing a larger gallery over the entry. The interior now centred on a central niche . The organ , which had formerly stood over the pulpit , was recessed in this niche over the vestries and behind
6322-400: The church constructed halls for dual use by the congregation and by the Anti-Burgher Synod. The buildings were also used as the Synod's theological college. While divisions between Burghers and Anti-Burghers were dying down in this period, the controversy within the Anti-Burghers between conservative Auld Lichts and progressive New Lichts was growing. In 1806, some Auld Licht members left to join
6431-414: The church to try and change the locks. The issue had to be settled by the Court of Session , which, finding the congregation had not been a body corporate at the time it purchased its lands at Bristo, ruled that the buildings were legally the property of two Burgher trustees. The Anti-Burgher congregation was thus expelled in January 1753. Despite the fact that only one tenth of the congregation remained with
6540-423: The city between October and April. Located slightly north of the city centre, the weather station at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has been an official weather station for the Met Office since 1956. The Met Office operates its own weather station at Gogarbank on the city's western outskirts, near Edinburgh Airport . This slightly inland station has a slightly wider temperature span between seasons,
6649-423: The city was 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) on 25 July 2019 at Gogarbank, beating the previous record of 31 °C (88 °F) on 4 August 1975 at Edinburgh Airport. The lowest temperature recorded in recent years was −14.6 °C (5.7 °F) during December 2010 at Gogarbank. Given Edinburgh's position between the coast and hills, it is renowned as "the windy city", with the prevailing wind direction coming from
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#17330942311256758-473: The city's northward expansion. Craig's original plan included an ornamental canal on the site of the loch, but this idea was abandoned. Soil excavated while laying the foundations of buildings in the New Town was dumped on the site of the loch to create the slope connecting the Old and New Towns known as The Mound . In the middle of the 19th century the National Gallery of Scotland and Royal Scottish Academy Building were built on The Mound, and tunnels for
6867-433: The congregation "the mother Secession Church in Edinburgh". Their first permanent meeting place was a simple building off Crosscauseway. This was replaced by the current building on the same site during the ministry of lexicographer John Jamieson . A succession of denominational unions saw the congregation join the United Secession Church in 1820, the United Presbyterian Church in 1847, the United Free Church in 1900, and
6976-479: The congregation rejoined the denomination from which it had split almost two centuries prior. In 1932, fire gutted the church, necessitating the complete reconstruction of its interior. The interwar years would prove a high point for the congregation's membership, which stood at 1,041 in 1930, declining to 617 by 1960. With the departure of John Nelson Hall as minister in 1956, union was proposed between Nicolson Street and College on South College Street. Nicolson Street
7085-427: The construction of Nicolson Street in the 1760s; however, its primary entrance having been via Crosscauseway, the building now presented its rear to the new street. In 1766, some members of the congregation founded an Anti-Burgher congregation in Leith despite opposition from Gib. Gib's refusal to lift the bread to break it during communion services led to some other members of the congregation to depart and set up
7194-415: The creation of tough basalt volcanic plugs , which predominate over much of the area. One such example is the Castle Rock which forced the advancing ice sheet to divide, sheltering the softer rock and forming a 1 mi-long (1.6 km) tail of material to the east, thus creating a distinctive crag and tail formation. Glacial erosion on the north side of the crag gouged a deep valley later filled by
7303-567: The crest of a ridge from it terminating at Holyrood Palace. Minor streets (called closes or wynds ) lie on either side of the main spine forming a herringbone pattern. Due to space restrictions imposed by the narrowness of this landform, the Old Town became home to some of the earliest "high rise" residential buildings. Multi-storey dwellings known as lands were the norm from the 16th century onwards with ten and eleven storeys being typical and one even reaching fourteen or fifteen storeys. Numerous vaults below street level were inhabited to accommodate
7412-416: The departure of Christie's successor Campbell Macleroy in 1909. Under Macleroy's successor George Wyllie Howie, however, the congregation tripled. Howie also oversaw the establishment of a women's guild of friendship, a men's club, and Scout and Guide troops. The halls were also extended and a pipe organ installed during his ministry. In 1929, the United Free Church united with the Church of Scotland and
7521-415: The early 20th century. In 1834 alone, the congregation raised a Sunday school and a congregational library, which house 2,000 volumes by 1850. In 1858, Nicolson Street appointed David Kennedy as precentor ; though the congregation did not adopt the practice of singing hymns until 1862. Johnston had been instrumental in the negotiations to unite the United Secession Church with the Relief Church to form
7630-434: The expanding city of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Many areas, such as Dalry , contain residences that are multi-occupancy buildings known as tenements , although the more southern and western parts of the city have traditionally been less built-up with a greater number of detached and semi-detached villas. The historic centre of Edinburgh is divided in two by the broad green swathe of Princes Street Gardens . To
7739-422: The fact that the social classes shared the same urban space, even inhabiting the same tenement buildings; although here a form of social segregation did prevail, whereby shopkeepers and tradesmen tended to occupy the cheaper-to-rent cellars and garrets, while the more well-to-do professional classes occupied the more expensive middle storeys. During the Jacobite rising of 1745 , Edinburgh was briefly occupied by
7848-405: The first year alone. During Johnston's ministry the church established a school in its halls, which continued until 1858. The congregation also supported foreign and domestic missions, including a mission on Potterrow; raised collections for the abolition of slavery; and founded a savings bank and two friendly societies . In 1833, the congregation founded a missionary society, which continued until
7957-454: The headstops of the main door as saints and commented: "This simple circumstance of itself bespeaks a wonderful change in the tone of thinking of the present and last age". Stark also quotes an elderly disciple of Gib, who, when asked what the congregation's founder would have made of the heads, replied: "that he would not believe his ain een". Dissatisafaction with the Gothich form of the new church
8066-598: The influx of incomers, particularly Irish immigrants , during the Industrial Revolution . The street has several fine public buildings such as St Giles' Cathedral, the City Chambers and the Law Courts . Other places of historical interest nearby are Greyfriars Kirkyard and Mary King's Close . The Grassmarket , running deep below the castle is connected by the steep double terraced Victoria Street. The street layout
8175-692: The laws thereof". One faction – the Anti-Burghers – held that subscription to this oath was sinful while another – the Burghers – believed it was not. At a meeting in Bristo of the Synod on 9 April 1747, members divided in a schism known as "The Breach". During the meeting, Gib led out a faction opposed to the oath out of the meeting-house and into the adjoining manse . For a year, the two factions worshipped together in Bristo but relations were tense: each used its own collection plate and members of each faction broke into
8284-531: The manse", and the term is a recurring point of reference within Scottish media and culture. For example, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown was described as a "son of the manse" as he is the son of a Presbyterian minister. When selling a former manse, the Church of Scotland always requires that the property should not be called "The Manse" by the new owners, but "The Old Manse" or some other acceptable variation. The intended result
8393-527: The middle of the 14th century, the French chronicler Jean Froissart described it as the capital of Scotland (c. 1365), and James III (1451–88) referred to it in the 15th century as "the principal burgh of our kingdom". In 1482 James III "granted and perpetually confirmed to the said Provost, Bailies, Clerk, Council, and Community, and their successors, the office of Sheriff within the Burgh for ever, to be exercised by
8502-606: The modern-day skyscraper. Most of these old structures were replaced by the predominantly Victorian buildings seen in today's Old Town. In 1611 an act of parliament created the High Constables of Edinburgh to keep order in the city, thought to be the oldest statutory police force in the world. Following the Treaty of Union in 1706, the Parliaments of England and Scotland passed Acts of Union in 1706 and 1707 respectively, uniting
8611-482: The more elegant "one-family" residences of the New Town, a migration that changed the city's social character. According to the foremost historian of this development, "Unity of social feeling was one of the most valuable heritages of old Edinburgh, and its disappearance was widely and properly lamented." Despite an enduring myth to the contrary, Edinburgh became an industrial centre with its traditional industries of printing, brewing and distilling continuing to grow in
8720-578: The name Kirk o' Field and met in the Charteris-Pleasance buildings on the Pleasance . The following ministers served Bristo Secession Church (1741–1753); Quarry's Close Anti-Burgher Secession Church (1753–1820); Nicolson Street United Secession Church (1820–1847); Nicolson Street United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900); Nicolson Street United Free Church (1900–1929); and Nicolson Street Church of Scotland (1929–1969). At its closure, Nicolson Street Church
8829-524: The name for the region in Cumbric , the Brittonic Celtic language formerly spoken there. The name's meaning is unknown. The district of Eidyn was centred on the stronghold of Din Eidyn, the dun or hillfort of Eidyn. This stronghold is believed to have been located at Castle Rock , now the site of Edinburgh Castle . A siege of Din Eidyn by Oswald , king of the Angles of Northumbria in 638 marked
8938-468: The now drained Nor Loch . These features, along with another hollow on the rock's south side, formed an ideal natural strongpoint upon which Edinburgh Castle was built. Similarly, Arthur's Seat is the remains of a volcano dating from the Carboniferous period , which was eroded by a glacier moving west to east during the ice age. Erosive action such as plucking and abrasion exposed the rocky crags to
9047-555: The popular imagination. When plans were drawn up in the early 19th century to architecturally develop Calton Hill , the design of the National Monument directly copied Athens' Parthenon . Tom Stoppard 's character Archie of Jumpers said, perhaps playing on Reykjavík meaning "smoky bay", that the "Reykjavík of the South" would be more appropriate. The city has also been known by several Latin names , such as Edinburgum , while
9156-482: The procurement process necessary for the centre. Edinburgh City Council insisted the new venue be named the Southside Community Education Centre while the South Side Association preferred Southside Community Centre. The difference was overcome by having two separate signs, one on either side of the entry, each with the different name. This situation continues to the present. In its early years,
9265-512: The railway line between Haymarket and Waverley stations were driven through it. The Southside is a residential part of the city, which includes the districts of St Leonards , Marchmont , Morningside , Newington , Sciennes , the Grange and Blackford . The Southside is broadly analogous to the area covered formerly by the Burgh Muir , and was developed as a residential area after the opening of
9374-413: The river gets to the city centre is at Dean Village on the north-western edge of the New Town, where a deep gorge is spanned by Thomas Telford 's Dean Bridge , built in 1832 for the road to Queensferry . The Water of Leith Walkway is a mixed-use trail that follows the course of the river for 19.6 km (12.2 mi) from Balerno to Leith. Excepting the shoreline of the Firth of Forth, Edinburgh
9483-432: The same year for a six-way union between Nicolson Street, Buccleuch, Charteris-Pleasance , Newington and St Leonard's , St Paul's Newington , and St Margaret's, Dumbiedykes . The following year, a five-way union, excluding St Paul's Newington, also fell through. Eventually, a three-way union with Buccleuch and Charteris-Pleasance was agreed and a service of union was held on 7 September 1969. The united congregation adopted
9592-403: The second half of the century, the city was at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment , when thinkers like David Hume, Adam Smith, James Hutton and Joseph Black were familiar figures in its streets. Edinburgh became a major intellectual centre, earning it the nickname "Athens of the North" because of its many neo-classical buildings and reputation for learning, recalling ancient Athens. In
9701-431: The smoke hover over her at twenty miles' distance". In 1898, Thomas Carlyle comments on the phenomenon: "Smoke cloud hangs over old Edinburgh, for, ever since Aeneas Silvius 's time and earlier, the people have the art, very strange to Aeneas, of burning a certain sort of black stones, and Edinburgh with its chimneys is called 'Auld Reekie' by the country people". The 19th-century historian Robert Chambers asserted that
9810-427: The sobriquet could not be traced before the reign of Charles II in the late 17th century. He attributed the name to a Fife laird, Durham of Largo, who regulated the bedtime of his children by the smoke rising above Edinburgh from the fires of the tenements. "It's time now bairns, to tak' the beuks, and gang to our beds, for yonder's Auld Reekie, I see, putting on her nicht -cap!". Edinburgh has been popularly called
9919-532: The south, the view is dominated by Edinburgh Castle, built high on Castle Rock, and the long sweep of the Old Town descending towards Holyrood Palace. To the north lie Princes Street and the New Town. The West End includes the financial district, with insurance and banking offices as well as the Edinburgh International Conference Centre. Edinburgh's Old and New Towns were listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 in recognition of
10028-536: The south-west, which is often associated with warm, unstable air from the North Atlantic Current that can give rise to rainfall – although considerably less than cities to the west, such as Glasgow. Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Winds from an easterly direction are usually drier but considerably colder, and may be accompanied by haar , a persistent coastal fog. Vigorous Atlantic depressions, known as European windstorms , can affect
10137-548: The southern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city centre is 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 mi (4.0 km) southwest of the shoreline of Leith and 26 mi (42 km) inland, as the crow flies, from the east coast of Scotland and the North Sea at Dunbar . While the early burgh grew up near the prominent Castle Rock, the modern city is often said to be built on seven hills , namely Calton Hill , Corstorphine Hill , Craiglockhart Hill, Braid Hill , Blackford Hill , Arthur's Seat and
10246-451: The streets of the New Town: for example, Rose Street and Thistle Street; and for the royal family, George Street , Queen Street , Hanover Street, Frederick Street and Princes Street (in honour of George's two sons). The consistently geometric layout of the plan for the extension of Edinburgh was the result of a major competition in urban planning staged by the Town Council in 1766. In
10355-455: The synod also allowed for the creation of a new congregation in Edinburgh. Yet, when that congregation was barred from calling Frederick McFarlane as its minister, McFarlane briefly set up as an independent preacher in the Bristo . These factors had much diminished the congregation by the time it appointed a full-time minister, John Banks, in 1794. During John Jamieson 's ministry from 1797 to 1829,
10464-740: The thirteenth largest internationally. The city is a cultural centre, and is the home of institutions including the National Museum of Scotland , the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery . The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe , the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle ,
10573-494: The throne of England resulted in Edinburgh's occupation by Oliver Cromwell 's Commonwealth of England forces – the New Model Army – in 1650. In the 17th century, Edinburgh's boundaries were still defined by the city's defensive town walls . As a result, the city's growing population was accommodated by increasing the height of the houses. Buildings of 11 storeys or more were common, and have been described as forerunners of
10682-533: The two kingdoms in the Kingdom of Great Britain effective from 1 May 1707. As a consequence, the Parliament of Scotland merged with the Parliament of England to form the Parliament of Great Britain , which sat at Westminster in London. The Union was opposed by many Scots, resulting in riots in the city. By the first half of the 18th century, Edinburgh was described as one of Europe's most densely populated, overcrowded and unsanitary towns. Visitors were struck by
10791-423: The union, the church became one of several Secession congregations in Edinburgh and many members left to join congregations nearer their homes. This loss was compounded by Jamieson's frequent absences for lexicographic work and by difficulties in appointing an assistant minister. With the appointment of George Johnston in 1831, the situation improved: the congregation's roll, which had declined to about 500, doubled in
10900-467: The unique character of the Old Town with its medieval street layout and the planned Georgian New Town, including the adjoining Dean Village and Calton Hill areas. There are over 4,500 listed buildings within the city, a higher proportion relative to area than any other city in the United Kingdom. The castle is perched on top of a rocky crag (the remnant of an extinct volcano) and the Royal Mile runs down
11009-551: The west before leaving a tail of deposited glacial material swept to the east. This process formed the distinctive Salisbury Crags , a series of teschenite cliffs between Arthur's Seat and the location of the early burgh. The residential areas of Marchmont and Bruntsfield are built along a series of drumlin ridges south of the city centre, which were deposited as the glacier receded. Other prominent landforms such as Calton Hill and Corstorphine Hill are also products of glacial erosion. The Braid Hills and Blackford Hill are
11118-510: Was a matter of great resentment when the two burghs merged in 1920 into the City of Edinburgh. Even today the parliamentary seat is known as "Edinburgh North and Leith". The loss of traditional industries and commerce (the last shipyard closed in 1983) resulted in economic decline. The Edinburgh Waterfront development has transformed old dockland areas from Leith to Granton into residential areas with shopping and leisure facilities and helped rejuvenate
11227-464: Was affected by the 2022 Scotland bin strikes . In 2023, Edinburgh became the first capital city in Europe to sign the global Plant Based Treaty , which was introduced at COP26 in 2021 in Glasgow. Green Party councillor Steve Burgess introduced the treaty. The Scottish Countryside Alliance and other farming groups called the treaty "anti-farming". Situated in Scotland's Central Belt , Edinburgh lies on
11336-529: Was among the reasons that some members left Nicolson Street to join a new congregation at Castle Wynd. Despite this controversy, George Hay cited Nicolson Street as a "typical example" of Secession churches' tendencies to be "a gaunt galleried rectangle with such architectural treatment as funds would permit confined to the street façade ". He noted that, in this approach, it is similar to James Gillespie Graham 's earlier design for St Mary's Roman Catholic Chapel . Andrew Landale Drummond, writing in 1934, described
11445-578: Was sold to the corporation for use as a community centre; though it was initially used as a furniture saleroom. The community centre is the result of a long campaign by the South Side Association for a permanent meeting place. Prior to the centre's opening, the association had worked across a variety of venues in the Southside. The centre was opened in December 1986 by George Foulkes MP, who, as chair of Lothian Regional Council 's Education Committee had supported
11554-429: Was supportive but College blocked the move. Nicolson Street received around a hundred members from College when that congregation was transported to Muirhouse in 1960. Nicolson Street also took up College's social club. This supplemented a strong roster of church groups, which included a women's guild , a Boys' Brigade troop, missionary societies, and rambling and bowling clubs. By the 1960s, population decline in
11663-557: Was the home of Muriel Spark 's Miss Jean Brodie, and Ian Rankin 's Inspector Rebus lives in Marchmont and works in St Leonards. Leith was historically the port of Edinburgh, an arrangement of unknown date that was confirmed by the royal charter Robert the Bruce granted to the city in 1329. The port developed a separate identity from Edinburgh, which to some extent it still retains, and it
11772-576: Was to be George Street , running along the natural ridge to the north of what became known as the "Old Town". To either side of it are two other main streets: Princes Street and Queen Street. Princes Street has become Edinburgh's main shopping street and now has few of its Georgian buildings in their original state. The three main streets are connected by a series of streets running perpendicular to them. The east and west ends of George Street are terminated by St Andrew Square and Charlotte Square respectively. The latter, designed by Robert Adam , influenced
11881-490: Was used for evening services. A Gothic design by James Gillespie Graham was chosen and a plot of land was purchased so the new building could face onto Nicolson Street . The new church opened for worship on 19 March 1820. The building cost £6,000 and could accommodate 1,170 worshippers. During this period, the church was known as Dr Jamieson's Meeting-House . The same year, the Burgher and Anti-Burgher factions united to form
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