Edinburgh’s buildings and skylines are world famous and instantly recognisable as the Scottish capital’s crowning glory.
But shift your eyes and move off the beaten track a little, and there are some incredible buildings that define Edinburgh’s past and present and illustrate a city in the round.
Architecture critic Robin Ward has paced the streets that connect all corners of the capital to produce his latest work, The Pocket Guide to Edinburgh’s Best Buildings.
While a concise guide, the publication reaches far and wide to illustrate a city’s architectural merit and the places which have both stayed the same and changed as Edinburgh too evolved as its military and maritime history shifted along with its political and civic role.
Traces of the city’s industry and how places of work became new homes - and how new homes once protected the city’s workers - is also beautifully documented. Places of worship - old and new - are illuminated too.
After reading - and walking the streets Mr Ward did - someone might just see Edinburgh in a lovely, deeper light.
-The Pocket Guide to Edinburgh’s Best Buildings by Robin Ward in published by Birlinn and available now.
9. Richard Murphy House, 2B Hart Street, New Town
Architect Richard Murphy once wrote of Edinburgh: "This is a city where many citizens wish that the modern era had never occurred. Modern architecture, it seems to be universally agreed, has spoilt the view." The City of Edinburgh Council approved Murphy’s design after city planners recommended refusal. The house, completed in 2014, subsequently won several architectural awards. | Robin Ward
10. Leith Fort
The fort was built to defend Leith after John Paul Jones, the Scottish-born ‘father’ of the US Navy, led three warships into the Firth of Forth in 1779 during the American War of Independence. He planned to capture and hold the burgh to ransom, but a storm sabotaged the raid and he sailed away, Robin Ward wrote. The fort, an army base until 1956, was redeveloped with council housing. This was, demolished in 2012 and replaced by Port of Leith Housing Association, with the homes inspired by the Victorian ‘colonies’ concept. The original guardhouses, gateway and stone walls still stand on North Fort Street | Robin Ward, North Fort Street
11. Old Parliament House, Parliament Square
Behind a neoclassical façade is this magnificent hall, the first purpose-built debating chamber for the Scottish Parliament and the oldest of its type in the British Isles. Dating to 1639, the oak trussed roof is virtually all that is left of the original Jacobean-style buiding. It was commissioned by Charles I to house the Parliament, Privy Council and Court of Session. After the 1707 Act of Union, the hall was used by the courts and for public functions. | Robin Ward