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Edinburgh Today St Andrew Square Gardens |
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Private Gardens The gardens in St Andrew Square surrounding the Melville Monument belong to the owners of the buildings surrounding the square. These buildings included, until the late 20th century, the Head Offices of several Scottish insurance companies. The gates to these gardens are normally left locked. |
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To Open to the Public It is expected that these gardens will be developed at a cost of £8m and will then be opened to all. Edinburgh City Centre Management Company has revealed a plan drawn up by Glasgow-based architects, Gillespies. The plan includes; - a new route linking Harvey Nichols (at the NE corner of the square) and Jenners (at the SW corner of the square). - natural stone walkways and new lawns - a continental style coffee bar - a 'reflective pool' (What's that?) - dramatic lighting Edinburgh Evening News 15 November 2005, pp.1,3 |
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Cockburn Association Objections The Edinburgh heritage body, The Cockburn Association, has objected to the proposed layout of St Andrew Square Gardens, claiming that: - the Café/kiosk would make the garden look squalid, and should be scrapped. - the water feature should be scrapped - the proposed paths were too narrow for the expected number of users and did not give good access between George Street and Waverley Station. This objection by The Cockburn Association means that the plans may now have to be passed to The Scottish Executive for a decision. This could delay the plans by several months. Edinburgh Evening News 9 May 2006, p8 |
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Update - June 2006 |
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Private Gardens Edinburgh council is pressing ahead with plans for work to begin on St Andrew Square Gardens in Autumn 2006. The council hopes that the gardens will be opened to the public from summer 2007. Despite objections from heritage bodies, the council is sticking to its original plans, including: - an entrance in each corner of the gardens - new stone paths - a water feature - a refreshment kiosk. - performances by brass bands and string quartets These proposals for the gardens are to be considered by Edinburgh council Planning Committee in June 2006. They will also need the approval of the Scottish Executive. Edinburgh Evening News 9 May 2006, p8 |
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Update - June 2006 |
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Private Gardens Edinburgh council is pressing ahead with plans for work to begin on St Andrew Square Gardens in Autumn 2006. The council hopes that the gardens will be opened to the public from summer 2007. Despite objections from heritage bodies, the council is sticking to its original plans, including: - an entrance in each corner of the gardens - new stone paths - a water feature - a refreshment kiosk. - performances by brass bands and string quartets These proposals for the gardens are to be considered by Edinburgh council Planning Committee in June 2006. They will also need the approval of the Scottish Executive. Edinburgh Evening News 25, 2010 |
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Update 1 - April 2010 |
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Wildlife Photographs The St Andrew Square gardens opened a couple of years ago. They have been a popular attraction and well used. The gardens have recently been hosting an exhibition of 60 giant photographs by wildlife photogapher, Steve Bloom. This exhibition was one of the exhibits in Edinburgh's Science Festival. The festival ran from April 3 to 17, but the photographs will be on display in the gardens from March 12 to May 16, 2010. Peter Stubbs: April 28, 2010 |
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Update 2 - April 2010 |
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Lion Statue The 20-tonne carving of a lion, chiselled from pink granite from Aberdeenshire by Edinburgh-based sculptor, Ronald Rae, has been moved from its home close to the Scottish Parliament (for the last four years) to a new home on the north side of St Andrew Square Gardens. Over the past four years, Ronald Rae has been approached by private individuals, but did not sell the lion to them because he was keen that it should stay in the public arena. Edinburgh Evening News: April 26, 2010, p.17 |
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Fish Statue Here is another sculpture by Ronald Rae. It can be found on the beach, beside the Firth of Forth, between Cramond and Silverknowes, Edinburgh. Peter Stubbs: April 28, 2010 |
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