West End of New Town Edinburgh in the summer rain

Hello Hello Hivians

Storm Floris has been blowing over our doors this morning, and with it has brought rains and blue skies!

So what better than to show you parts of the West End of Edinburgh in the rain!

I grew up in Edinburgh or Edina as she is sometimes romantically called by Robert Burns and Robert Fergusson amongst others.

Where did Edinburgh get it's name?

Did you know that Edinburgh castle was really more of a troop garrison than an actual castle as such.

The origin of Edinburgh's name comes from Eidyn, a word from the Cumbric language (a Brythonic Celtic language once spoken in the area). The "din" in the original name, Din Eidyn, meant "fort," which was later replaced by the Old English word "burgh," also meaning fort.

I often prefer seeing the castle when it is wet, it gives more of a moody look, what do you think?

Rose Street

One of the most famous streets in Edinburgh is Rose Street that runs parallel to Princes Street, and is sandwiched between the grand Princes and George Streets. It is narrow, pedestrian-friendly lane and not as wide as other streets and not a car thoroughfare.

Rose Street was originally designed in the 18th century as a service street for the more affluent residents of the New Town.

Back when I was a teenager it was almost wall to wall with pubs and used to be called "the Amber Mile." and was one heck of a pub crawl, now though they are far less common.

The Rose Street Brewery

They really should drop the name Brewery as they stopped brewing on the premises ceased in 1999.

It opened in 1983 and was the first microbrewery that I visited and drank a fair amount of pints there in my university days, purely for medicinal purposes of course!

The beautification of Rose Street.

Over the years they try to beautify places. In this case, the original quirky and sometimes uneven cobbles have been replaced with less uneven newer blocks and big planters.

I call this planter ~ The Norman MacCaig planter

The lines on the planter are from the poem "November Night" which was written by Norman MacCaig, a renowned Scottish poet.

Norman Alexander MacCaig (14 November 1910 – 23 January 1996) was a Scottish poet and teacher.

He actually was quite an intriguing character, he was a pacifist and registered as a conscientious objector during the second World War. His pacifist views would see him jailed.

He also described himself as a Zen Calvinist. And if you know his poetry or had to study at school like I did then you can recognise some recognizable ingredients of Calvinism ... i.e a gloomy, estranged, self-reflexive consciousness haunted by guilt and masochism!

November Night by Norman MacCaig

The lines etched onto the planter read:

"The night tinkles like ice in glasses.
Leaves are glued to the pavement with frost.
The brown air fumes at the shop windows,
Tries the doors, and sidles past."

Having grown up in Edinburgh I can totally relate these words to a cold Novemeber night in the city!

This excerpt vividly portrays the harsh, cold, and somewhat desolate atmosphere of a November night.

Thank you gemini for this little English literature lesson ....
The poem uses strong imagery and sensory details, like the "tinkling" sound of ice and the "glued" leaves, to evoke the biting chill and stillness of the night. The "brown air" suggests fog or pollution, contributing to the muted and somewhat oppressive urban landscape described.

We are still walking along Rose Street now and will stop at some interesting places along the way.

First up is this shop, which is not a pub, but as the sign says ...

It Started in the North - Edinburgh's Home of Subculture

Can you recognise the lyrics in the sign in the right window?

I WOULD GO OUT TONIGHT BUT I HAVEN'T GOT A STITCH TO WEAR..

This phrase is a well-known lyric from the song "This Charming Man" by the British band The Smiths, released in 1983.

If you thought the November winter night weather in Scotland was depressing then god help you when you listen to The Smiths 🤣

Old buildings require facelifts and tidying up, when they do this they put up scaffolding and protective sheeting around them. I had a restaurant to visit later, so wanted to check it was still there etc!

Business as usual at Assaggini's!

Her name was Rio!

Name that band... That line is from their hit in 1982.

Dirty Dick's

Another pub that I have sunk more than a few pints in. They used to be lax with their age checking and I drank there in my mid teens.

Can you guess the origin of the name?

It's actually is a nod to a famous London pub of the same name and a historical figure, Richard Bentley.

Legend has it that Richard Bentley, a wealthy 18th-century merchant, became "Dirty Dick". After his fiancée's death he refused to clean himself or his property. The property became a tourist attraction due to its state of disrepair.

This story is often said to be an inspiration for the character of Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations."

Another literary lesson today!

Moving up now from Rose Street to the grand George St.

Fake flowers? They don't look so grand!

There are various streets that we cross, which all have wonderful views of the castle.

The Alexander Graham Bell

Does that name ring a bell?

It should ...

He was the inventor of the telephone!

Alexander Graham Bell was born not far from here in South Charlotte Street. An interesting fact about him was that his mother and wife were both deaf.

His research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices, which eventually culminated in his being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone, on March 7, 1876.[N 2] Bell considered his invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study. source

What a vista!

Can you guess what the copper dome belongs to?

St George's church dome and cross.

Petunias in the rain, specifically from the 'Surfinia' type

I did say it was raining!

But just look at them, real flowers. That is one thing that Wetherspoon chain of pubs do. Well they do up here anyway, and that is have their pubs in old historic buildings and use real not fake flowers as decorations. It just looks gorgeous and a welcoming environment to have a drink or some food!

West End vista looking towards Princes St and Lothian Road with Charlotte's Square to the right.

St Cuthbert's Parish Church is in the distance.

The church stands on what is believed to be the oldest continuously used site of worship in Edinburgh, with a chapel reportedly founded by St Cuthbert around the 7th century.

No that is not the original building, that was built in 1894, the spire is older though..

10.30 am on the the distinctive spire that dates back to 1775

Follow the arrow or weathervane...

Charlotte's Square and West Register House.

You might be wondering why the House has a fluffing big green copper dome on it as well as a gold cross!

The reason being is that this was originally built as St George's Church in 1811.

It was designed by Robert Adam and later modified by Robert Reid.

In 1964, it was acquired by the government and converted for use by the Scottish Record Office, now known as the National Records of Scotland. It is a Category A listed building and unfortunately not open to the general public, but from the outside we can see an Ionic portico, Corinthian colonnade, and a sizeable green copper dome which is said to be a scaled-down copy of St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

Private gardens and home to the Prince Albert memorial statue

I have not walked on this grass for a long time. The gardens are private and only available to owners of the surrounding properties. For many years in the last three weeks in August each year Charlotte Square gardens was the site of the Edinburgh International Book Festival and that was when I last walked there.

The book festival has since moved across town to the Edinburgh Futures Institute.

The statue is a memorial Prince Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.

The main statue features an equestrian statue of the prince, in field marshal's uniform, dwarfing the four figures around the base. It was unveiled by Queen Victoria herself in 1876.[3] The stone plinth was designed by the architect David Bryce and the four corner figures are by David Watson Stevenson (Science and Learning/Labour), George Clark Stanton (Army and Navy) and William Brodie (Nobility).

ALBERT PRINCE CONSORT

BORN 1819 DIED 1861

One more stop before I finish for today.
We are walking down from Charlotte Square in the direction of Stockbridge and are on the southeast corner of St. Colme Street, close to where it meets North Charlotte Street.

Catherine Sinclair Monument

A grand, Gothic-inspired memorial Erected in the late 1860s that was designed by David Bryce and sculpted by John Rhind.

It is in the style of an Eleanor Cross and looks like a mini Scott Monument. A fitting comparison as Catherine Sinclair was a major financial contributor to the Scott Monument's construction.

Catherine Sinclair (17 April 1800 – 6 August 1864)

Catherine Sinclair was a Scottish novelist and children's writer, who departed from the moralising approach common in that period. She is credited with discovering that the author of the initially anonymous Waverley Novels was Sir Walter Scott.

She came from a very very well to do family! She was born at 9 Charlotte Square on 17 April 1800, the fourth daughter of Lady Diana Macdonald and Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet.

The family lived at 6 Charlotte Square. This is now known as Bute House and where the First Minister of Scotland has residence!

The inscription on the monument pays tribute to her legacy, highlighting her philanthropic work and her most famous book, "Holiday House."

But for me it is her charitable efforts in Edinburgh that should be remembered, which included founding schools, establishing soup kitchens for the poor, and providing the city's first public drinking fountain, a portion of which can still be seen along the Water of Leith walkway today.

We leave today with view of the Catherine Sinclair Monument looking towards Princes Street.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you managed to get out for a walk this week.

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