Princes Street

Princes Street is one of the main streets in central Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the main shopping street in the capital city. The street is part of Edinburgh's New Town and stretches about 1.2 kilometres from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east.

The street has few buildings on its south side, which gives it beautiful views of the Princes Street Gardens. From there, you can see the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle. Most of the street is for trams, buses, and taxis, but the eastern end allows all kinds of traffic.

History

The street follows an old country lane called the Lang Dykes. It was meant to be named St Giles Street, but King George III did not like this name. Instead, it was named Prince's Street after his son, Prince George, Duke of Rothesay, who later became King George IV. By the late 1830s, the apostrophe was dropped, and it became Princes Street.

The street was built as part of Edinburgh's New Town, designed by architect James Craig. It was laid out around 1770 and was important, sitting on the edge and looking out over Edinburgh Castle and the old city, Edinburgh Old Town. Most of the buildings were later changed from homes to shops. In the 1880s, big hotels like the Caledonian Hotel and North British Hotel were built, and famous shops like Jenners and Forsyth's opened.

In the 1930s, the street had many different styles of buildings. Plans were made to make it look more uniform, but only some changes happened. In 2005, there were disturbances related to the 31st G8 summit. Today, well-known shops such as Boots, H&M, and Marks & Spencer are on Princes Street. Some older stores like Jenners and Debenhams closed in 2021, and new hotels are planned to open.

Princes Street Gardens and south side

When the New Town was built, the dirty water from the Nor Loch was removed. The area became private gardens called Princes Street Gardens. Later, the Edinburgh Council took over the gardens. The street got wider, and a steep slope formed on the north side. You can still see this slope today. These gardens are one of the green spaces in the middle of Edinburgh.

The Gardens have the Ross Bandstand, an open-air theatre. There is also a war memorial for soldiers and a floral clock that changes its design each summer. Two big art galleries, the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland, are near The Mound, close to the Princes Street tram stop. Further along is the Scott Monument, a large monument for Sir Walter Scott, the famous writer of the Waverley Novels. Nearby is Waverley station. Next to the station is the Balmoral Hotel, and the North Bridge passes over the station.

At the west end of Princes Street, St John's Episcopal Church sits above a basement, and St Cuthbert's Church is nearby. Princes Street is still very popular. There is a rule from Parliament that no more buildings can be built on the south side to keep the open view.

Transport

Road

Only the east part of Princes Street lets cars drive on it. The middle part is for trams, buses, taxis, and people riding bikes.

Rail

Edinburgh Waverley railway station is at the east end of Princes Street.

Tram

The Princes Street tram stop is in the middle of the road, west of the Royal Scottish Academy near the foot of the Mound.

Buses

Most bus routes by Lothian Buses go along Princes Street.

Edinburgh Bus Station is about 100 metres north of the street’s east end, in the north-east corner of St Andrew Square.

Connections

Some cities and places are named after Princes Street in Edinburgh. For example, a main street in Dunedin, New Zealand, is called Princes Street.

There is also a musical piece called "Pride of Princes Street" made by James H. Howe in 1970. A long stone path in the Falkland Islands was named "Princes Street" by Charles Darwin. He studied in Edinburgh and thought it looked like the stones on Princes Street.

Popular culture

The 1996 film Trainspotting has a scene where the main character is chased along Princes Street by shop security guards. Another film, The Illusionist from 2010, shows animated scenes of Princes Street as it looked in the late-1950s.

Famous residents

Princes Street was first built as a place for people to live. For the first 70 years, it was home to many well-known individuals. Some of these included:

• Richard Poole (physician)
• John Croall, a famous coach-builder
• Very Rev John Drysdale
• Alexander Cowan's paper shop
• John Grieve, Lord Provost of Edinburgh
• Sir George Home (d.1803) and James Syme
• Robert Scott (engraver), Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee, and William Fraser Tytler
• Robert Bryson & Son, clockmakers
• Henry Erskine (lawyer)
• James Donaldson (publisher)
• Thomas Elder (Lord Provost of Edinburgh)
• Rev Thomas Randall Davidson of Muirhouse
• Hamilton & Inches, a jeweller
• Alexander Handyside Ritchie, a sculptor
• Charles Kirkpatrick Sharpe, an antiquarian
• Robert Liston, a surgeon
• James Maidment, a legal author
• William Bonnar, an artist
• William Forbes Skene

Historic shops

One old shop on Princes Street was at number 58. Alexander Adie worked there as an optician. This place has been a spot where people could get help with their eyesight for a long time.

Long-standing shops

Some shops on Princes Street have been there for a very long time. Romanes & Paterson has been there since 1874. Jenners opened in 1838 but was rebuilt in 1895 and closed in 2022. Sadly, it was damaged by a fire in 2023. There is also a Saxone Shoes store at number 120. Woolworths used to be at 2–7, but it is now an Apple Store.