Scottish Blog

New Town is the central area of Edinburgh, renowned for its architecture and planning.

In the 16th century and earlier, Edinburgh was surrounded by city walls, these obviously limited the size to which it could grow and the number of people it could hold. With the Act of Union and the approaching Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh became a popular destination for a growing Scottish population.
These arrivals pushed the living limits of Edinburgh to its limits and it was decided that the city needs desperately to expand.
The burgh of Edinburgh was expanded to include the fields north of the city. Between the city and the fields lay a heavily polluted lake, upon which draining began in 1765, as a first step to the New Town project. This draining was not fully complete until 1817.

It was decided that New Town should be redesigned in a modern style to both attract and accommodate the modern age thinkers of the time.