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Lost Edinburgh
What happened to Edinburgh's once notorious but picturesque Tolbooth Prison? Where was the Black Turnpike, once a dominant building in the town? Why has one of the New Town designer's major layouts been all but obliterated? What else has been lost in Edinburgh?
From Edinburgh's mean beginnings - "wretched accommodation, no comfortable houses, no soft beds," visiting French knights complained in 1341 - it went on to attract some of the world's greatest architects to design and build and shape a unique city. But over the centuries many of those fine buildings have gone. Some were destroyed by invasion and civil strife, some simply collapsed with old age and neglect, and others were swept away in the improvements' of the nineteenth century. Yet more fell to the developers' swathe of destruction in the twentieth century. Much of the medieval architecture vanished in the Old Town, Georgian Squares were attacked, Princes Street ruined, old tenements razed in huge slum clearance drives, and once familiar and much loved buildings vanished. The changing pattern of industry, social habits, health service, housing and road systems all took their toll; not even the city wall was immune. The buildings which stood in the way of what was deemed progress are the heritage of Lost Edinburgh. In this informative and stimulating book. Hamish Coghill sets out to trace many of the lost buildings and find out why they were doomed. Lavishly illustrated, Lost Edinburgh is a fascinating insight into an ever-changing cityscape.
From Edinburgh's mean beginnings - "wretched accommodation, no comfortable houses, no soft beds," visiting French knights complained in 1341 - it went on to attract some of the world's greatest architects to design and build and shape a unique city. But over the centuries many of those fine buildings have gone. Some were destroyed by invasion and civil strife, some simply collapsed with old age and neglect, and others were swept away in the improvements' of the nineteenth century. Yet more fell to the developers' swathe of destruction in the twentieth century. Much of the medieval architecture vanished in the Old Town, Georgian Squares were attacked, Princes Street ruined, old tenements razed in huge slum clearance drives, and once familiar and much loved buildings vanished. The changing pattern of industry, social habits, health service, housing and road systems all took their toll; not even the city wall was immune. The buildings which stood in the way of what was deemed progress are the heritage of Lost Edinburgh. In this informative and stimulating book. Hamish Coghill sets out to trace many of the lost buildings and find out why they were doomed. Lavishly illustrated, Lost Edinburgh is a fascinating insight into an ever-changing cityscape.
Hardcover
First published November 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 10, 2020
Not saying that it's not good, but this isn't my cup of tea. I took quite long time to finish the second half of the book. The narrating tone is another reason I take out one more star.
Edinburgh has gone through loads of change which quite surprised me. Several places had really interesting background story, but I have no idea where they were located. It would be great to include city map from the past, so these lost places can be visually traced.
Edinburgh has gone through loads of change which quite surprised me. Several places had really interesting background story, but I have no idea where they were located. It would be great to include city map from the past, so these lost places can be visually traced.
May 13, 2022
As much as I love Edinburgh and all the information this book has, I wish it had more maps, pictures and drawings to really illustrate what it describes. With so many street names, dates and other information you would need to look up to get an idea of what was going on, it ultimately falls a bit flat. Nevertheless I still enjoyed it and it is good to use as a starting point for some research.
October 13, 2022
I bought this when I visited Edinburgh a few months back and had fallen in love with the city. Reading this reminded me what I love about the city and taught me so much about how it had changed and the journey it took to get there. It is very well written and the writing style had me hooked. I was not bored once while reading this.
January 2, 2020
Interesting run through edinburgh history
May 2, 2015
وذابت ثلوج أدنبره
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews