Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh

Park between Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town

The popular Princes Street Gardens are a large public park and connect the Old Town to the New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland.

The border of Old and New Town

The boundary of Old Town and New Town is formed by the Princes Street Gardens. These Princes Street Gardens are a well-known Edinburgh park, which is also home to the National Gallery of Scotland. The park exists since 1820, after De Nor Loch was drained. The park is 150,000 square meters in size and is actually divided into two parts by The Mound on which the National Gallery is located.

History of the park

Princes Street Gardens was created by the drainage of Nor Loch, the marshland north of Edinburgh. From the Middle Ages it was believed that witch ducking could take place here to check whether someone was a witch. Waste and corpses were also dumped here, which led to the decision in the nineteenth century to drain the marshland.

^{The green Princes Street Gardens}

^{The Scottish National Gallery}

Reasons to visit the gardens

The Princes Street Gardens are best known for the Christmas market, which is held there every winter. There are stalls throughout the park, but also a large Ferris wheel and an ice skating rink. Also known is the Ross Fountain. In 1872 this structure was displayed in honor of the Great Exhibition of 1862 in London. Major events are also organized in the park on New Year's Eve.

Scottish National Gallery

On top of the Mound is the free museum of neoclassical artworks of European and Scottish origin: the Scottish National Gallery. The National Gallery also contains a number of great foreign artists, such as Jan Steen and Johannes Vermeer. Architect William Henry Playfair designed the building, which has been officially open to the public since 1859. The National Gallery consists of two buildings, the National Gallery Building and the Royal Scottish Academy Building, connected by the Playfair Project, an underground tunnel.

The Scott monument

You can also see the 1844 Scott Monument in honor of Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. The tower is 61 meters high and you can climb it. At various heights you have viewpoints, from where you have a perfect view over the city.

More info Scott Monument

The Floral Clock

Also famous in the Princes Street Gardens is the Floral Clock, one of the few clocks in the world that consists almost entirely of flowers. This clock has been in its current location in the west of the park since the beginning of the last century. The patterns and shapes of the clock do change from time to time, because bright, cheerful flowers characterize the clock in the summer, while frost-resistant, sober flowers adorn the clock in the winter months. The flowers are also adjusted based on events in the city.

^{The Ross Fountain overlooking the castle}

^{The Floral Clock in Edinburgh}

Where are the Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh?