EDINBURGH
PULSE
dinburgh is a city of world The principal street was to be George
E
renown where history and culture Street, following the natural ridge to the
meet a fashionable and thriving north of the Old Town. Either side are the
atmosphere. Dating back to the other main streets of Princes Street and
Iron Age, the city sprung up Queen Street which link to a series of
around Edinburgh Castle and perpendicular streets. At the east and west
expanded to encompass 50 outlying towns ends are St. Andrew’s Square and Charlotte
and villages, such as Stockbridge, Leith, Square, the latter designed by Robert
Morningside, Murrayfield and West End. Adam. Bute House, the official residence of
Edinburgh has been Scotland’s capital the First Minister of Scotland, is on the
since the 15th century. The first Scottish north side of Charlotte Square.
Parliament since the Act of Union in 1707 The New Town was so successful that it
convened here on 12 May 1999 and the was extended. The grid pattern was not
new Scottish Parliament building followed maintained, but a more picturesque layout
in 2004, having cost a colossal £430m. was created. Today the New Town is
Today the city is one of Europe’s major considered one of the finest examples of
financial centres and Scotland’s top Georgian architecture and urban planning
tourist destination. in the world, combining elegant
architecture with spacious and comfortable
housing located near pleasant communal
EDINBURGH gardens and attractive views. The original
PROPERTY MARKET OVERVIEW character of the Georgian era New Town,
with its cobbled roads, pillars, and
SUMMARY OF PROPERTIES FOR SALE sandstone block facades is preserved today
IN EDINBURGH thanks to building codes that even stipulate
Total properties for sale: 3,314 wrought iron railings are painted black.
Properties for sale in Edinburgh listed in
the last 14 days: 465 LIFESTYLE AND CULTURE
Average price of properties for sale in Since 2001, Edinburgh has consistently
Edinburgh: £254,246 been voted ‘Favourite UK City’ by
Median price: £180,000 Observer, Conde Naste and Guardian
Average Time on Market (ToM): 121 days readers. In 2007 Edinburgh was voted the
best place to live in the UK by Channel 4’s
THE ‘TOWNS’ OF EDINBURGH Location, Location, Location and in 2008
The City of Edinburgh is split into two was named one of the world’s top ten cities
Towns, the New and the Old. The Old by travel magazine Wanderlust.
Town, dominated by a medieval fortress, The quality of life in the city region is
Edinburgh Castle and the neo-classical endorsed by its residents who registered a
New Town, whose development from the 92 per cent satisfaction rate, the highest of
18th Century had a far-reaching influence any city surveyed in a 2006 MORI poll.
on European urban planning and the Edinburgh became a Unesco World
contrasting historic areas give the city its Heritage Site designation in 1995 and
unique character. attained self-government five years later.
The Old Town has preserved its Property prices soared in the run-up to
medieval plan and many Reformation era devolution and a sellers’ market persists.
buildings. One end is closed by the castle Commerce has also shifted. Twenty
and the main artery, the Royal Mile, leads years ago, offices were mostly in
away from it; minor streets (called closes or townhouses around Charlotte Square.
wynds) lead downhill on either side of the Now, custom-built prestigious high-tech
main spine to The Palace of Holy Rood- offices are all over the city. Houses and flats
house, home to Mary Queen of Scots. for sale are still relatively lacking, so
The New Town was an 18th Century competition is fierce for anything that
solution to the problem of an increasingly comes onto the market.
crowded Old Town. The city had remained The legal process for buying a house
incredibly compact, confined to the ridge in Scotland is different from the rest
running down from the castle. In 1766 a of the UK. In Scotland the vendor sets
competition to design the New Town was an ‘offers over’ price, which is the lowest
Edinburgh, an ancient
city with a rich
won by James Craig, a 22-year-old they are prepared to accept. Once
history and vibrant
architect. The plan that was built created a accepted, the offer is binding, although
contemporary life
rigid, ordered grid, which fitted well with the seller is not obliged to accept any
enlightenment ideas of rationality. offer, even the highest bid.
PROPERTYdrum JULY-AUGUST 2009 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76