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George Street
Edinburgh’s famous George Street is a vibrant and popular shopping, business and tourist area right at the heart of the Scottish capital which is often endorsed as ‘the Bond Street of the north’. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site this Georgian New Town area was first dreamt up in the mid-18th century by James Craig after he won a competition to design a new part to the city. After a series of plans and building work the street finally came into existence a century later in the mid-1800s. The street started out life as mainly a residential area to ease the load on nearby estates but during the 19th and 20th centuries demand grew for banks and insurance companies, and then subsequently shops and so a new emphasis was created.
Today, the Street proves a hotspot for a wide-ranging demographic due to its numerous shops, restaurants, businesses and sights. St Andrew Square and St George Square provide the bookends to George Street which also sees statues of King George IV, William Pitt and Thomas Chalmers dotted along it. Also at either end are the ever-popular George Hotel and the Roxburghe Hotel, while adding to the diversity of accommodation part-way along the Street are Le Monde, The Tiger Lilly, which includes a club and bar, and Rick’s, which also doubles up as a restaurant. Adding a sense of grandeur to the Street there are several impressive structures that fit in well with the nature of the architecture and provide an attraction for Edinburgh’s tourists. At one end is St Andrew’s and St George’s Church, while there is also The Royal Society of Edinburgh, The Assembly Rooms, The Church of Scotland and the Northern Lights Board.
The George Street Association has developed since 1952 to represent those who live and work on the Street, and there are certainly a number of interests to look after with a multitude of shops and businesses lining the pavements. There are clothing stores, jewellers, stationers and florists, as well as various food places, hairdresser, banks, solicitors and accountants. Just some of the names along the Street are: Slater Menswear, Phase Eight, Hamilton and Inches, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds TSB. The George Street offers much in the way of nightlife and daytime eating; there are bars and clubs such as Tempus Bar, Rick’s Bar and the Tiger Lilly, as well as various restaurants such as Opal Lounge, Centotre, Henderson’s and the Consort.
The George Street combines a large variety of different types and styles of world class places to eat, stay and shop. It boasts fantastic architecture and monuments and it has much history and fame behind it. The George Street is an opportunity not to be missed when visiting Scotland’s capital city.