Overview
Edinburgh has been the historic capital of Scotland since the rise of the Stuart dynasty in 1370. Because of the virtually impregnable strategic position of the Castle Rock, its associations with Scottish rulers extend far earlier. Geological upheavals—particularly during the Ice Ages—shaped the city’s topography. A glacier moving east split upon meeting the Castle Rock, depositing a vast moraine that pushed toward the sea at Leith. As conditions warmed, part of this moraine gouged out a loch to the north (now Princes Street Gardens), while the rest became the underlying structure of the Royal Mile. Arthur’s Seat, overlooking Holyrood Palace, is an extinct volcano and another reminder of Edinburgh’s geological volatility.
The Old Town grew in the shadow of the castle and retains much of its medieval character in its closes and wynds. The castle itself dates largely from the 14th century, as the Scots demolished all militarily useful structures during the English invasion of 1314—except for St Margaret’s Chapel, which dates to the 12th century. As in later conflicts, failure to hold the castle cost the English the war.
The Royal Mile
Following the ancient sloping moraine from the Castle leads down the Royal Mile to the Palace of Holyrood. Along this stretch stand some of Edinburgh’s most significant buildings. St Giles’ Kirk—often mistakenly called a cathedral—is the mother church of Scottish Presbyterianism. Founded by John Knox in the 16th century, it is principally of 14th–15th century construction. Knox, the fiery Reformation preacher, used St Giles as his chief pulpit, where he published works such as The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women, attacking the rule of Mary of Guise (mother of Mary, Queen of Scots). His campaign succeeded: Scotland formally cut ties with Rome in 1560.
Knox’s house, where he died in 1572, survives as a museum a little further along the Mile. Huntly House (1517) is another museum of local history. The Marquess of Queensberry—who codified the rules of boxing—is commemorated here as well. The Horse Wynd once housed the city’s most famous taverns. Adam Smith, author of The Wealth of Nations and father of modern economics, is buried in nearby Canongate Cemetery. Hogmanay, Edinburgh’s New Year celebration, remains more festive than Christmas for many locals.
The New Town
The New Town was planned and built in the late 18th century when the medieval city became overcrowded. The centrepiece of James Craig’s design is Charlotte Square (1791), created by Robert Adam, Britain’s foremost architect of the era. Adam also designed the Register House at the eastern end of Princes Street. Though the New Town has expanded well beyond the original grid, it has preserved its intended Georgian elegance.
Queen Street forms the northern boundary of Craig’s scheme, overlooking the gardens of Heriot Row. Here, the young Robert Louis Stevenson, afflicted with tuberculosis, played as a child. These experiences helped inspire Treasure Island. Stevenson’s Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde was based on the true story of Deacon Brody, an Edinburgh magistrate by day and a burglar—and ultimately murderer—by night.
Other Famous Residents
The neoclassical Georgian architecture of the New Town, together with the National Gallery and the unfinished monument on Calton Hill, earned Edinburgh the nickname “Athens of the North.” Its 18th–19th century intellectual life included economist Adam Smith, philosopher David Hume, inventor James Watt, engineer Thomas Telford, poet Robert Burns and novelist Sir Walter Scott. Scott’s Waverley novels lend their name to the city’s principal railway station, and he is honoured with a towering Gothic memorial on Princes Street.
The 19th century saw the birth of Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes.
Edinburgh and Medicine
Edinburgh has long had strong ties with the medical profession. The Royal Infirmary, chartered in 1738, was Britain’s first modern hospital and the first to provide free treatment—an early precursor of the NHS. The city’s enthusiasm for anatomical science led to a grim trade in bodies for dissection. Body snatchers Burke and Hare are infamous for murdering victims to sell to medical schools. Hare later bargained information about Burke in exchange for his own freedom, becoming the first person to get off “scot-free.”
Important medical advances emerged from Edinburgh: J.Y. Simpson discovered chloroform and pioneered anaesthesia (inadvertently causing a panic when he and his dinner guests passed out after sampling it in his home laboratory). Lord Lister later revolutionised antiseptic surgery—his work would eventually inspire the name “Listerine.”
Edinburgh is home to two universities: the University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583 as a small “tounis college,” and Heriot-Watt University, a more modern institution.
Edinburgh Today
Contemporary Edinburgh is renowned for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the Edinburgh International Festival. The Tattoo takes place on the Castle Esplanade for four weeks each August. The Festival runs for the last three weeks of August and is widely considered the finest in the UK. The official programme features internationally acclaimed performers and companies.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe—the largest arts festival in the world—operates alongside the main Festival. Anyone may perform if they can secure a venue and register with the Fringe Society. Because performances are not curated or screened, the Fringe is often the most unpredictable and exciting part of the festival. Audiences may discover the next Rowan Atkinson… or sit through two very long hours.
In the 1970s, pressure from the Scottish National Party revived demands for national autonomy. Though some matters—such as education and development—remained under the Scottish Office at the foot of Calton Hill, broader devolution was proposed. A plan for a Scottish Parliament in the former Royal High School building on Calton Hill was narrowly approved in a 1979 referendum but was ultimately shelved. Scotland continues to send 72 MPs to Westminster, which some argue is disproportionate to its population.