Cowgate Port

In the 16th century this was the site of the Cowgate Port, one of the entrances through the city walls. The entrance would have been between the Travelodge and the building on the left (where the silver car is). The road to the north is St Mary's Street, formerly St Mary's Wynd, and a 19th century photograph of the same location can be found here. The spire of St Patrick's Church can be seen in the background of both photographs.

Earl of Morton's House

The 16th century Earl of Morton's House on Blackfriar's Street is now a hostel. It is behind the Scandic Crown Hotel.

Cardinal Beaton's House

Once a desirable location, the 16th century Cardinal Beaton's House or Palace with its octagonal turret sat at the bottom of Blackfriar's Wynd and the Cowgate. However, by the time the top photograph was taken it had become another building in the slums of the Cowgate and was demolished in 1874. The bottom photograph is the same location today, though the Cowgate has been widened, as has Blackfriar's Wynd, which is now Blackfriar's Street. The corner of the building would now be in the middle of the street.

Walk This Way

When Waverley Station was built in the middle of the 19th century, it was a condition that there had to be access between the old town at the Canongate and Calton. Previously this had been with Leith Wynd, which went under the station, then later it was a walkway over the roof of Waverley Station which stretched from Jeffrey Street to Calton Road. This was in use up until at least 1970 and the remains of it can be seen above.

You Gotta Have Faith

This building in the Cowgate used to be a church then become a nightclub called Faith. It used to part of the Gilded Balloon venue but managed to avoid being burnt down like the rest of it. At a Fringe show here I saw Phil Kay being heckled by Johnny Vaughan. Twat.

Signs of the Times

20th and 18th century street signs.

St Patrick's Church

St Patrick's Church in the Cowgate was the primary place of religious worship for the Irish immigrants who lived in the Cowgate in the 19th century.

St James Square

These empty buildings in St James Square were once part of the Scottish Office, built to replace the original 18th century St James Square, demolished in the 1960s. Now these buildings are to be demolished, less than 40 years after they were built. (There's a wire mesh around all the buildings. Is this to prevent people smashing the windows?)

Flodden Wall

This is one of the few remaining parts of Edinburgh's mediaeval wall, known as the Flodden Wall. It's on the corner of The Pleasance and Drummond Street.

House!

Launched in December 1911, this was the Coliseum Cinema in Fountainbridge, which was converted from a skating rink. The cinema closed in 1942 and was a Mecca bingo hall until very recently. Will it go the way of the breweries nearby and be demolished?

James Craig

Edinburgh City Council put up this plaque on this building in Elder Street to commemorate James Craig, the architect who designed Edinburgh's New Town. This was the same city council who knocked down all the buildings in St James Square apart from this one in the 1960s.

Magdalen Chapel

"Hidden in the Cowgate in Edinburgh's Old Town, just to the W beneath George IV Bridge, is the 16th Century Magdalen Chapel. This small chapel was built 1541-4, with a bequest from a Michael MacQueen (or MacQuhane), who had died in 1537, augmented by his wife Janet Rynd, who lies buried within. The couple wanted to build a chapel which would also serve as meeting-place for the Incorporation of Hammermen, an important guild of comprised numerous crafts and professions who had worshipped in a small aisle in St. Giles Kirk since the late 1400s. The Chapel included a hospital or almshouse which looked after the poor and sick. Magdalen Chapel is important for several reasons. Firstly it was the last Roman Catholic chapel to be built in Edinburgh before the Reformation. Secondly, following the Reformation, it became the cradle of Presbyterianism, holding the first assembly of the new Church of Scotland on the 20th December, 1560 including, amongst the 42 assembled, John Knox (c.1513-72). Thirdly, it includes the only examples of Pre-Reformation stained-glass remaining in their original location; four roundels representing the arms of Scotland, of Mary of Guise (Lorraine), of MacQueen and of MacQueen and Rynd together. The steeple was not completed until 1628, and the bell, cast in Flanders, is dated 1632, however the Victorian street facade effectively hides the age of the core. Inside, two walls are almost entirely covered with panels recording bequests which had been made to support the work of the Chapel.
In 1957, a committee was formed to restore the chapel, which involved the Cockburn Association, the University of Edinburgh (who owned the adjacent building through which the Chapel was entered), the Incorporation of Hammermen (who owned the chapel until 1857) and the Protestant Institute of Scotland (who were the owners at the time).
A major restoration was undertaken in 1992-93 at a cost of £305,000 and is now the headquarters of the Scottish Reformation Society, which was formed in 1851. It now receives around 6000 visitors annually (2001)."

From Gazetteer for Scotland.

Snowy Monday

The first real snow this winter.

Mercat Cross

The Mercat Cross in Edinburgh stands near St Giles, though it was originally a little to the east on the High Street (the original site is marked).