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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 cafe/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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