Around St Andrew Square — a Geoheritage walk in Edinburgh

Lothian and Borders Geoconservation

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(Figure 1) Front cover.

Building stones of the New Town St Andrew Square and nearby streets

(Figure 2) Peterhead Granite cladding in South St Andrew Street.

(Figure 3) Granite gneiss cladding at No. 1 George Street.

The walk described overleaf demonstrates the geology preserved in the largely sandstone masonry of a selection of neoclassical buildings and monuments in the eastern part of Edinburgh’s First New Town constructed in the late 18th and early 19th century. Imported rock types (largely igneous and metamorphic) employed in more recent architecture also feature. Designed by some of Scotland’s and the world’s most famous architects the buildings have a fascinating story to tell about the use of stone.

Edinburgh’s dramatic landscape today owes much to the varied nature of the underlying geology and the geological processes that operated in the past. The rocks were formed some 300 to 360 million years ago, in the period known as the Carboniferous. Hard volcanic rocks stand up as hills (e.g. Arthur’s Seat, Calton Hill and the Castle Rock) while the softer sedimentary rocks such as sandstone, siltstone and mudstone have been largely worn down to form lower ground. During their deposition, the land we call eastern Scotland today was occupied mainly by river deltas depositing great thicknesses of sands and muds. Since Carboniferous time, over millions of years, the land has been eroded by long-gone rivers and repeated weathering. During the Ice Age, which lasted from over 2 million years ago to about 15 thousand years ago, an ice-sheet over 1 km in thickness moved slowly from west to east, covering the Edinburgh area on several occasions and preferentially eroding the softer rocks. This produced a series of west to east trending ridges and valleys which can be seen today.

St Andrew Square is underlain by interbedded early Carboniferous sedimentary rocks. These strata have from time to time been exposed in temporary excavations, the most recent of which was created during the reconstruction of the St James Centre. In the past, sections were observed in the construction of the Scotland Street Tunnel, completed in 1846, and then in 1936 in foundations for the building of the National Bank of Scotland (Route Map locality No. 8) on the east side of the Square.

In 1750 the land lying to the north of today’s Princes Street Gardens (formerly a swampy lake called the North Loch) consisted of open fields, known as Bearford’s (originally Barefoot’s) Parks which culminated in a low ridge known as the Lang Dykes, along which runs the present George Street. To relieve the overcrowded small town of Edinburgh (the Old Town) occupying the ridge descending from the Castle to Holyrood Palace, a pamphlet entitled Proposals for carrying on certain Public Works in the City of Edinburgh was published in 1752. These ambitious proposals included the expansion of Edinburgh to develop a New Town (now part of the UNESCO Edinburgh World Heritage Site) on Bearford’s Parks. James Craig’s Plan, adopted by the Town Council in 1767, detailed the development of a series of parallel streets, the major thoroughfares being named from south to north as Princes Street, George Street and Queen Street. Charlotte Square (originally proposed as St George’s Square) and St Andrew Square were designed at either end of George Street.

Few of the first houses to be built on these streets exist today, Thistle Court (c. 1768 — see No. 25 in this leaflet) being regarded as the earliest surviving. For the early buildings, sandstones were worked locally in small quarries located near the present Waverley Station and in East Princes Street Gardens. Some of the elegant polished ashlar fronts of the 18th century prestigious buildings utilised durable, very fine-grained, blonde sandstone which came from the famous quarries at Craigleith lying to the west of Edinburgh. Nineteenth-century buildings also used Craigleith and other Carboniferous sandstones of river origin from Edinburgh and from farther afield including West Lothian, Fife, Stirlingshire and the north of England. Permian to Triassic red sandstone from Dumfriesshire and Cumbria, formed in desert environments, was introduced in the New Town in the 1890s. There is also a rare early 20th century example in Edinburgh of a marine limestone – Portland Stone (commonly used in London).

The buildings chosen in the itinerary display many additional rock types, many of which have been used as cladding (thin panels) for shop fronts. These can be considered as ‘geological wallpaper’. Obtained from other parts of Britain and overseas, they include sedimentary rocks (e.g. limestone), igneous rocks (e.g. polished granite, gabbro, diorite, and blue syenite), and metamorphic rocks (e.g. gneiss and marble).

(Figure 4) The walk. Map and itinerary. Contains Ordnance Survey data. Crown Copyright 2025

1 St Andrew Square Gardens, Melville Monument

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(Figure 5) 1 Melville Monument, memorial to Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville

(Figure 6) 1. Paving slabs for the diagonal pathways across the garden are made of grey porphyry with ‘floating’ large tabular white orthoclase feldspar crystals up to 5 cms long.

1 St Andrew Square Gardens, Melville Monument, memorial to Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville, 41.5 m high column (1821, designed by William Burn), is built of Carboniferous sandstone from Cullalo, Fife; bronze statue (1828, by Robert Forest). The building consultant was Robert Stevenson (father of the author Robert Louis Stevenson) who 1 built many of Scotland’s famous lighthouses.

The recently laid surrounding sandstone pavement is made of Scoutmoor Sandstone from Yorkshire. Paving slabs for the diagonal pathways across the garden are made of grey porphyry with ‘floating’ large tabular white orthoclase feldspar crystals up to 5 cms long. Originating from Portugal, trade names for this stone include ‘Silver Granite’ and ‘Crystal Azul’. Similar pavement was laid in Festival Square off Lothian Road.

2. Ronnie Rae’s Lion of Scotland, St Andrew Square Gardens

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(Figure 7) 2. Ronnie Rae’s Lion of Scotland, sculpted out of c.450 million year old Corrennie Granite from Aberdeenshire.

2 Also in the gardens is Ronnie Rae’s Lion of Scotland, sculpted out of c.450 million year old Corrennie Granite from Aberdeenshire. This sculpture was carved by hand (without power tools) over a year in 2002 out of a single block (20 tonnes) of quarried stone. It was moved from Holyrood Park to St Andrew Square in 2010. Corrennie Granite is a medium-grained biotite granite with a salmon-red colour making it favoured for decorative use. The granite exhibits an alignment of minerals known as foliation, with streaked out quartz crystals. Examples of use of Corrennie Granite include parts of the Glasgow City Chambers and the Tay Railway Bridge.

3 Harvey Nichols

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(Figure 8) 3 Harvey Nichols (and entrance to Edinburgh Bus Station) medium- to coarse-grained sandstone with quartz pebbles.

3 Harvey Nichols (and entrance to Edinburgh Bus Station), (1999–2002, CDA Architects), Multrees Walk and east side of St Andrew Square, is clad in Catcastle Buff sandstone, from Brinscall Quarry, Blackburn, Lancashire (Dunhouse Quarries). It is a medium- to coarse-grained sandstone with quartz pebbles (Late Carboniferous Millstone Grit Group). The base course (ground floor level) is of wispy carbonaceous sandstone with coal-rich laminae, of unknown source.

4 No. 35 St Andrew Square

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(Figure 9) 4 Column, No. 35 St Andrew Square, North Pavilion of Dundas House.

(Figure 10) 4 No. 35 St Andrew Square, North Pavilion of Dundas House.

4 No. 35 St Andrew Square, North Pavilion of Dundas House, Morgan House (former Royal Bank of Scotland and Barclays Bank, 1769, Robert Adam, built for Andrew Crosbie of Holm) is an original building constructed of Craigleith Sandstone. This compact, fine-grained blonde sandstone is almost entirely composed of the mineral quartz and has no mica. Replacement yellow, cross-bedded sandstone can be seen to the left of the door.

5. The Royal Bank of Scotland, Dundas House

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(Figure 11) 5 The Royal Bank of Scotland, Dundas House is constructed of Hailes Sandstone from Redhall Quarry, west of Edinburgh.

5 In the forecourt The Royal Bank of Scotland, Dundas House (1772–74, a mansion built by Sir William Chambers for Sir Laurence Dundas) is constructed of Hailes Sandstone from Redhall Quarry, west of Edinburgh. Cross-lamination observable in masonry on the south side of the building shows that the sand was river-borne.

6 Nos. 37–38, South Pavilion of Dundas House

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(Figure 12) 6 Nos. 37–38, South Pavilion of Dundas House Pillar with wispy bedding, some with excellent Liesegang rings

(Figure 13) 6 Nos. 37–38, South Pavilion of Dundas House, on the south side of the forecourt blonde and fine-grained sandstone.

6 The original Nos. 37–38, South Pavilion of Dundas House, on the south side of the forecourt were built by John Young (1781) with instructions to match No. 35 St Andrew Square 6 (above). James Craig seems to have been the architect. It was altered internally and externally to the rear by William Burn in 1823, by David Bryce in 1851 and again more recently for the British Linen Bank. The sandstone is blonde and fine-grained. Many masonry blocks show wispy bedding, some with excellent Liesegang rings (concentric coloured bands of minerals which were precipitated after the sandstone had been deposited).

7. No.38, former Bank of Scotland

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(Figure 16) 7 The present No.38, former Bank of Scotland cleaned Binny Sandstone (Carboniferous) from West Lothian.

7 The present No.38, former Bank of Scotland (commissioned from Burn and Bryce 1846 by the British Linen Bank), is of cleaned Binny Sandstone (Carboniferous) from West Lothian. Like a fragment of Imperial Rome, the building has six Corinthian columns. Statues on the parapet by A. Handyside Ritchie represent Navigation, Commerce, Manufacture, Science, Art and Agriculture.

8 No. 42, The Edinburgh Grand

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(Figure 15) 8 No. 42, The Edinburgh Grand next door (former Royal Bank of Scotland) Cleaned, brown, speckled, yellow Carboniferous sandstone from Darney, Northumberland, on a base of 475 million year old grey Rubislaw Granite from Aberdeen.

8 No. 42, The Edinburgh Grand next door (former Royal Bank of Scotland, designed as the Head Office of National Bank of Scotland in 1936; Leslie Grahame Thomson was commissioned but Arthur David of Mewès & Davis subsequently appointed), is of cleaned, brown-speckled, yellow Carboniferous sandstone from Darney, Northumberland, on a base of 475 million year old grey Rubislaw Granite from Aberdeen. The latter contains black xenoliths (fragments) of metasedimentary rocks into which the granite was intruded.

9 Guildford Arms

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(Figure 14) 9 Guildford Arms (c.1800, reconstructed 1895–96 by Robert Macfarlane Cameron) and Café Royal Bar. Yellow sandstone, origin unknown, with columns and pilasters of 425 million year old pink Peterhead Granite, Aberdeenshire.

9 Guildford Arms (c.1800, reconstructed 1895–96 by Robert Macfarlane Cameron) and Café Royal Bar (1861, Robert Paterson with many subsequent alterations), Nos. 1, 3 and 17–18 West Register Street, are built of yellow sandstone, origin unknown, with columns and pilasters of 425 million year old pink Peterhead Granite, Aberdeenshire. The granite exhibits many xenoliths of grey Forest of Deer Granite.

10 Nos. 8–10 South St Andrew Street, formerly Hotel Paris

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(Figure 19) 10 Nos. 8–10 South St Andrew Street, are thought to be of buff Blaxter Sandstone (Carboniferous) from Elsdon, Otterburn, Northumberland. Peterhead Granite with Rubislaw Granite forms the base course.

10 Nos. 8–10 South St Andrew Street, formerly Hotel Paris (1900, Cousin, Ormiston and Taylor), are thought to be of buff Blaxter Sandstone (Carboniferous) from Elsdon, Otterburn, Northumberland. Peterhead Granite with Rubislaw Granite forms the base course.

11 South-east corner of St Andrew Square

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(Figure 17) 11 South-east corner of St Andrew Square. Nos. 1–2 St Andrew Square and 16–22 South St Andrew Street. Either Peterhead Granite or Balmoral Red granite (c. 540 million years old) from south-west Finland have been used for the base course.

(Figure 18) 11 South-east corner of St Andrew Square. Nos. 1–2 St Andrew Square and 16–22 South St Andrew Street, former Prudential Assurance office. Permian red sandstone (Dumfriesshire).

11 South-east corner of St Andrew Square. Nos. 1–2 St Andrew Square and 16–22 South St Andrew Street, former Prudential Assurance office (1892–5, Alfred Waterhouse & Son) is constructed of Permian red sandstone (Dumfriesshire). This sandstone was formed as desert dune sand at a time when southern Scotland lay a few degrees north of the equator.

The base course is Peterhead Granite. Balmoral Red granite (c. 540 million years old) from south-west Finland has been used at the base of a former entrance to the building on the east side.

12 No. 3 St Andrew Square, Dishoom

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(Figure 21) 12 No. 3 St Andrew Square, Dishoom. Base course of tightly folded grey schist.

(Figure 22) 12 No. 3 St Andrew Square, Dishoom. Lower marble columns, above, original sandstone masony with sandstone columns.

(Figure 23) 12 No. 3 St Andrew Square, Dishoom. Marble column.

12 No. 3 St Andrew Square, Dishoom (designed as an extension of R W Forsyth’s store by Burnet, Son and Dick 1923–5) comprises a base course of tightly folded grey schist with white brecciated marble columns and cladding to the second floor. Above this there is original sandstone masonry with sandstone columns.

13 No. 6 St Andrew Square, a modern building

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(Figure 20) 13 No. 6 St Andrew Square, a modern building with panels of Bavarian Jura Limestone, a pale mottled, beige coloured limestone with numerous belemnite and ammonite fossils.

(Figure 27) 13 No. 6 St Andrew Square, a modern building with panels of Bavarian Jura Limestone.

13 No. 6 St Andrew Square, a modern building (2016, CDA/Hoskins Architects) with panels of Bavarian Jura Limestone, a pale mottled, beige coloured limestone with numerous belemnite and ammonite fossils. This stone was also used recently for cladding of the new Council offices in Market Street. Jura Limestone was formed in tropical lagoons some 140 to 220 million years ago.

14 Former Scottish Widows building 9–10 St Andrew Square

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(Figure 25) 14 Former Scottish Widows building (1962) cladding of Carboniferous Derby Dene limestone (with crinoids and brachiopod fossils) from Matlock, Derbyshire.

(Figure 26) 14 Former Scottish Widows building (1962).

14 Former Scottish Widows building (1962, Basil Spence, Glover & Ferguson) Nos. 9–10 St Andrew Square, has cladding of Carboniferous Derby Dene limestone (with crinoids and brachiopod fossils) from Matlock, Derbyshire, over black Bon Accord gabbro from South Africa. The fossils are best seen (from a distance) in panels at the rear of the building from 5a North Rose Street Lane.

15 Abbotsford Bar, north side of Rose Street

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(Figure 24) 15 Abbotsford Bar, north side of Rose Street 1902.

(Figure 30) 15 Abbotsford Bar, north side of Rose Street 1902. Pin stripe lamination (alternating silt and fine sand laminae)

15 Abbotsford Bar, north side of Rose Street (1902, built by Charles Jenner as a part of his workshops), displays bright red, cross-bedded, desert dune sandstone of Permian age from Gatelawbridge near Thornhill, Dumfriesshire.

16 Amarone Restaurant and Capital Building

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(Figure 28) 16 Bronze sculpture by Alexander Stoddart (unveiled in 2008), of James Clerk Maxwell at the end of George Street.

(Figure 29) 16 Amarone Restaurant and Capital Building, former Guardian Royal Exchange, George Street (south side) (1940, L Grahame Thomson and Frank J Connell), is Heworth Burn sandstone from Tyne and Wear, over gabbro. The east end of building is panelled with silver grey Creetown granite, Galloway, over black Bon Accord gabbro from South Africa.

16 Amarone Restaurant and Capital Building, former Guardian Royal Exchange, George Street (south side) (1940, L Grahame Thomson and Frank J Connell), is Heworth Burn sandstone from Tyne and Wear, over gabbro. The east end of building is panelled with silver grey Creetown granite, Galloway, over black Bon Accord gabbro from South Africa.

At the end of George Street, opposite Amarone, is the bronze sculpture by Alexander Stoddart (unveiled in 2008), of James Clerk Maxwell, the world-renowned physicist who developed the Theory of Electromagnetism. Maxwell and his dog Toby sit on a pedestal of grey granite imported from China. Maxwell’s experiments into light are alluded to through Greek mythology in two bronze figurative reliefs. On the south side Newton focuses a beam of light through a prism; on the opposite side Einstein demonstrates how light is governed and pulled by gravity.

17 No. 10 George Street

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(Figure 32) 17 No. 10 George Street, a modern glass-fronted building. The large windows are separated by panels clad with pale yellow, fine-grained, crossbedded sandstone.

17 No. 10 George Street, a modern glass-fronted building. The large windows are separated by panels clad with pale yellow, fine-grained, cross- bedded sandstone; the laminations are emphasised by grey carbonaceous fragments.

18 No. 14 George Street, The Dome

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(Figure 33) 18 No. 14 George Street, The Dome, the former Royal Bank of Scotland. Detail of Binny Sandstone.

(Figure 34) 18 No. 14 George Street, The Dome, the former Royal Bank of Scotland with its Corinthian portico of Binny Sandstone.

18 No. 14 George Street, The Dome, the former Royal Bank of Scotland with its Corinthian portico (1847, David Rhind), was constructed of Binny Sandstone. Each column is made up of 10 stones.

19 Royal Society of Edinburgh and Lakeland

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(Figure 36) 19 Royal Society of Edinburgh and Lakeland, corner of Hanover Street and George Street. The building.

19 Royal Society of Edinburgh and Lakeland, corner of Hanover Street and George Street (1908–9, J M Dick Peddie), is built of fossiliferous Upper Jurassic Portland Stone (pale limestone) from Dorset with a base course of 400 million year old Creetown Granite, Dumfries and Galloway.

The freestone is an oolitic limestone with fragments of marine bivalves and gastropods and is worth studying with a magnifier. Given this lithology, these carbonates were probably deposited on a platiorm in shallow water offshore, similar to the modern Bahama Banks.

20 Statue of King George IV

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(Figure 35) 20 Statue of King George IV. Bronze on an early Permian Cornish granite porphyritic granite from Haytor, Dartmoor.

(Figure 37) 20 Statue of King George IV Detail of the pedestal. Permian porphyritic granite from Haytor, Dartmoor.

20 Statue of King George IV (1831, Sir Francis Chantrey), on the roundabout at the intersection of George and Hanover Street, is in bronze on an early Permian (about 285 million years old) Cornish granite pedestal made of coarsely crystalline porphyritic granite from Haytor, Dartmoor. The statue is best viewed from surrounding pavements or from the central reservation of George Street beside the pedestrian crossing. Do not attempt to cross over to the 20 roundabout.

21 George Street (north side), St Andrew’s and St George’s Church

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(Figure 39) 21 St Andrew’s and St George’s Church.

(Figure 40) 21 St Andrew’s and St George’s Church. Close view of column.

(Figure 41) 21 St Andrew’s and St George’s Church. columns and portico are of Craigleith Sandstone.

21 George Street (north side), St Andrew’s and St George’s Church, (1785, Maj. Andrew Fraser), columns and portico are of Craigleith Sandstone with characteristically wispy laminations and oxidised brown inclusions. The sandstone of the main building with polished ashlar front and the circular sides with droved masonry (exhibiting horizonal parallel chisel marks) reputedly comes from Redhall Quarry, west of Edinburgh.

22 No. 13 George Street, former Royal Insurance Company

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(Figure 38) 22 No. 13 George Street, former Royal Insurance Company. Columns of Dancing Cairns granite from Aberdeen. Darker Rubislaw Granite forms the pedestals.

22 No. 13 George Street, former Royal Insurance Company (1898, W Hamilton Beatie & Sons), now part of Abrdn (No. 23 below), is built of sandstone of unknown source with columns of Dancing Cairns granite from Aberdeen. Darker Rubislaw Granite forms the pedestals.

23 Abrdn (Standard Life Aberdeen plc), No. 1 George Street

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(Figure 42) 23 Abrdn (Standard Life Aberdeen plc), No. 1 George Street on the corner with St Andrew Square.

23 Abrdn (Standard Life Aberdeen plc), No. 1 George Street on the corner with St Andrew Square (1897–1901, J

M Dick Peddie & George Washington Browne), is built of rusticated Carboniferous sandstone ashlar, probably from Stainton, County Durham. Next to the original building in George Street is the Phase 3 Extension (1975, Michael Laird & Partners) with sloping cladding of granite gneiss of large white feldspar crystals in a matrix of quartz, black biotite and ruby-red garnet. This rock bears a resemblance to the Pre- Cambrian Passeirer Gneiss from the South Tyrol region of Italy. Similar panels of black garnet-rich gneiss are also seen in the St Andrew Square side of the Phase 3 building.

24 Scottish Life building, 19 St Andrew Square

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(Figure 43) 24 Scottish Life building, 19 St Andrew Square. columns of Larvikite, a blue syenite from Norway.

24 Scottish Life building (1962, Gordon & Fry), 19 St Andrew Square, has superb columns of larvikite, a blue syenite from Norway, which frame the entrance to St Andrew Square. The building is clad in Upper Carboniferous sandstone from Springwell, Gateshead and Johnsons Wellfield, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

25 Thistle Court, Thistle Lane

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(Figure 45) 25 Thistle Court (1768), Thistle Lane.

(Figure 46) 25 Thistle Court (1768), Thistle Lane.

25 Thistle Court (1768), Thistle Lane, comprising two facing pairs of small houses, is reputedly the first to have been built in the New Town. It is rubble-constructed, that is with masonry of wholly or partly rough stones of varying shape and size, built 16 of local pink and yellow sandstones. Sandstone dressings around the windows of Nos. 3–4 (now an electrical transformer station) have been recently replaced. The grounds are private but locally derived sandstones and occasional basalt can be closely examined in the rubble-constructed boundary wall in Thistle Lane. The lane itself is laid with setts (cobbles) of silver-grey granites from Aberdeenshire with local black basalt and dolerite.

26 Buildings on the north side of St Andrew Square

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(Figure 44) 26 Buildings on the north side of St Andrew Square.

(Figure 47) 26 Buildings on the north side of St Andrew Square.

26 Buildings on the north side of St Andrew Square exhibit contrasting styles of walling methods from west to east. The walls of the upper floors of Nos. 21 and 22 (1775, John Young) are of coursed rubble, likely to be from Bearford’s Parks, once covered by stucco (render). These houses were built as main door flats with separate entrance and stair to other floors. The west gable of No. 21 is in droved ashlar. Between 1845–48 both houses were refaced at ground floor with ashlar of possibly Binny Sandstone. No. 21, refaced in 1845, has a Doric porch also possibly made of Binny Sandstone. No. 22 (1848, David Bryce) has a Greek Corinthian porch added in 1854 by Peddie and Kinnear. The houses were extensively restored (without their stucco facing) by Covell Matthews Partnership in 1976–80. Nos. 23–26 (1770–72) are assumed to be by William Chambers. No. 23 was altered by David Bryce in 1846. The polished ashlar is a fine-grained greyish yellow sandstone which appears to be similar to Craigleith Sandstone but it is micaceous. No. 24 has an ashlar sandstone front and Roman Doric porch (1970, Dick Peddie and McKay). The stone is possibly Carboniferous sandstone from Stainton, Co. Durham. No. 25 was remodelled in 1964. Its Ionic porch, replacing the original Chambers doorpiece, was constructed possibly out of sandstone from Springwell, Gateshead. No. 26 is in random rubble of local origin. The porch dates from 1840.

Some masonry blocks are massive, bedded with occasional rip-up clasts of mudstone (fragments derived from a pre-existing bed of mud). Wavy slump bedding is visible low down on the south-east corner. Good examples of cross-bedding are displayed on the north side in the street between this building and the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.

27 Former Scottish Equitable Assurance Building, Nos. 27–28 St Andrew Square

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(Figure 48) 27 Former Scottish Equitable Assurance Building, Nos. 27–28 St Andrew Square.

27 Former Scottish Equitable Assurance Building, Nos. 27–28 St Andrew Square (the original houses were replaced in 1899, J M Dick Peddie and George Washington Browne, with reconstruction in 1982 by Michael Laird), is of pink fine-grained sandstone from Doddington, Wooler.

28 Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street

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(Figure 50) 28 Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street. With statue of James Hutton.

(Figure 51) 28 Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street. Sandstone window tracery supported by granite pillars.

28 Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Queen Street (1890, Sir Robert Rowand Anderson) is one of the earliest to use gaudy, red Triassic sandstone in the city. It is from Corsehill, Annan and Moat, near Longtown, Cumbria. The building has been repaired in recent years with Corsehill sandstone. There are grey, coarse-grained granite pillars supporting the tracery of the first-floor windows at the side and front. The statue of James Hution (sculpted by David Watson Stevenson), along with other notable Scots, carved out of Corsehill sandstone, appears at the north-east corner of the Gallery. Note a hammer in his right hand and a rock sample in his lett. The pavement outside is of Upper Carboniferous Hillhouse Edge Sandstone, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire (Grahams Quarries). To the west of the building Findlay Court is paved with Caithness flagstone and an ornamental pattern of slivers of ‘horonised’ microgranite (felsite) and slate pebbles. Horonising was a traditional method of employing remnants, which would otherwise be regarded as waste, of larger stones used as setts. Good examples of historic horonised pavements made of slivers of local basalt and dolerite can be seen in other parts of Edinburgh.

29 Paton Building, Nos. 1–3 York Place and 15–19 North St Andrew Street

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(Figure 49) 29 Paton Building, Nos. 1–3 York Place and 15–19 North St Andrew Street. Building resurfaced with Clashach sandstone from near Elgin.

29 Paton Building, Nos. 1–3 York Place and 15–19 North St Andrew Street (1824, David Paton), was refaced with warm coloured Triassic sandstone from Clashach near Elgin (as for the cladding of the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street).

Location & facilities

Dating back to 1770 and designed by James Craig as an integral part of his New Town Plan, St Andrew Square is in the heart of the New Town of the City of Edinburgh. On-street car parking is very limited. There are many local bus routes in Princes Street to the south of the square and in George Street to the west. Edinburgh Trams operate through Princes Street and the east side of St Andrew Square. The nearest public toilets are situated within Edinburgh Bus Station and Waverley Railway Station.

Safety

The walk described in this leaflet follows pavements and paths that may be uneven in places and busy through much of the year. The itinerary necessitates crossing a few busy city streets. The statue (Locality 20) is best viewed from surrounding pavements. Do not attempt to cross over to the roundabout.

Access and conservation

The itinerary falls entirely within the UNESCO Edinburgh World Heritage Site. For further information about Edinburgh World Heritage and the city’s history and culture visit https://ewh.org.uk/. Maps and trails are available from this website as free downloads. Details of Listed Buildings and Monuments in St Andrew Square and George Street are available on the Canmore website https://canmore.org.uk/ and the British Listed Buildings website https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/. St Andrew Square Garden is a privately owned Garden that had previously only been accessible to its owners (surrounding residents and businesses). The gardens were made open to the public in 2008 and are managed by Essential Edinburgh (https://www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk/). There are no geological exposures. Although the itinerary follows a normally accessible route, reference to buildings, property or land does not imply any public right of access.

Find out more about Edinburgh’s geology

This booklet is one of more than 20 geology and landscape publications about local sites available from Lothian and Borders GeoConservation as free downloads from https://www.edinburghgeolsoc.org/publications/geoconservation-leaflets/https://www.edinburghgeolsoc.org/publications/geoconservation-leaflets/.

Books including Lothian Geology and Building Stones of Edinburgh give more detail and are available from the Edinburgh Geological Society at https://www.edinburghgeolsoc.org/publications/.

Acknowledgements

Written by Andrew McMillan and members of Lothian and Borders GeoConservation. Images: Andrew McMillan, Mike Browne. Designed by Barry Tymon. We are grateful to the late Professor Gordon Walkden, University of Aberdeen, for information on the sources of granite used in several of the buildings. Produced by Lothian and Borders GeoConservaton, a commitee of the Edinburgh Geological Society, a charity registered in Scotland Charity No: SC008011.

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