- George Street, Edinburgh
Situated to the north of
Princes Street , George Street is a major street in the centre ofEdinburgh . Laid out from 1767 as part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, George Street was named in honour of King George III.Geography
George Street lies to the north of central Edinburgh's main thoroughfare
Princes Street , and is one of the principal routes through the heart of the city, connectingCharlotte Square at its west end andSt Andrew Square to the east. It is bisected by many important thoroughfares, such asFrederick Street , Hanover Street andCastle Street , that run in a north-south orientation between Princes Street to the south and Queen Street at the north of the heart of James Craig's New Town. George Street lies at a slightly higher elevation than Princes Street and Queen Street, to both of which it runs parallel. This is due to the fact that much of the New Town is underlain by uneven glacial deposition.Functions
In recent years, George Street has seen a major transformation in its functions. The street functioned as the centre of Edinburgh's financial district housing the premises of banks, insurance brokers and
investment companies. However increasing rents and theagglomeration of financial services at places like the large office development atEdinburgh Park on the western periphery of the city and the Exchange District onbrownfield land immediately adjacent to the western edge of the city centre, have seen its role as Edinburgh's main financial district much diminished. However,Standard Life Investments retain office premises on the street, at its junction withSt Andrew Square . Nowadays George Street is primarily a commercial zone, with buildings housing many shops, boutiques, cafes and bars along its length at street level. Offices still occupy many of the upper parts of the buildings that line the street.Notable Buildings
The street is the site of several notable buildings including the
Assembly Rooms (1787),St Andrew's and St George's Church (1784) and others by David Rhind (1808–83) andDavid Bryce (1803–76) which were previously the headquarters of banks, such as the grand melange of Greek and Roman styles which now houses the Dome bar and night-club (1847). TheChurch of Scotland Offices are located at 121 George Street.The
Northern Lighthouse Board is headquartered in an elegant Georgian townhouse at 84 George Street. From this location it remotely controls over 400lighthouse s,beacon s,buoy s and other shipping aids around the coast ofScotland and theIsle of Man .Night Life
George Street is home to many upmarket pubs, clubs and bars. Some of the attractions include:
*Le Monde (Bar/Club/Hotel)
*The Dome
*Candy Bar
*Bar 38
*Opal Lounge (Hosted theMTV Europe Music Awards after-party).
*Tigerlilyee also
*
Economy of Edinburgh
*Edinburgh Old Town
*Edinburgh Fringe External links
* [http://www.nlb.org.uk Northern Lighthouse Board]
* [http://www.virtualplaces.co.uk New Town Virtual Tour] Take a virtual tour around part of Edinburgh's New Town.
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