#new town
Statues on the former Linen Bank, St. Andrew Square Edinburgh.
The building itself was designed by the eminent Scottish architect David Bryce and built between 1846-51. The statues are the work of Alexander Handyside Ritchie, a Musselburgh sculptor who had a studio at Mound Place and lived on Princes Street.
Canmore the online catalogue to Scotland’s archaeology, buildings, and industrial and maritime heritage, and part of Historic Environment Scotland/Historic Scotland describe the statues as such;
The bottom of the building is clad in ugly scaffolding just now, hence only the top half captured,
Navigation: female figure with an anchor by her left side and a stick(?) in her right hand.
Commerce: male figure with book in left hand and a large parcel tied with rope by his left foot.
Manufacture: a female figure with spindle(?) in left hand and a distaff in right hand.
Architecture: a female figure with a tablet of stone in her left hand.
Science: bearded male figure with a kind of bolt(?) in his right hand, his left hand holding a parchment on his left hip. At his right foot is an anvil and a hammer.
Agriculture: Female figure with wheat sheaf in right hand and a circle of wheat stalks in her left hand. Around her head are ears of whea0t.
They represent Navigation, Commerce, Manufacture, Science, Art and Agriculture.
And below the statues as;
On a frieze running below the figures are 6 putti. Each putto is directly below each figure and has further attributes:-
Navigation: putto with trident and sea creature.
Commerce: putto with globe and map.
The building housed The Bank of Scotland for some years and is now owned by Gleneagles Hotels and is being converted into a 33-room boutique hotel, called “Gleneagles Townhouse” There will also be a restaurant and bar in the hotel, and a rooftop terrace with views over the square.
https://gleneagles.com/townhouse/
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St. Andrew’s and St. George’s West Church.
Built to an unusual oval design by Major Andrew Fraser of the Royal Engineers, opened in 1784 as St. Andrew’s Church, this was the first church in Edinburgh’s New Town.
Two churches, one St Andrew’s (for Scotland) and the other St George’s (for England), were planned as principal elements in the New Town and originally intended to face each other down the length of George Street, but Laurence Dundas acquired the intended plot in St Andrew’s Square first and built his town house, relegating the church to its present position. St Georges is now West Register House, with it’s fine green dome, which I used hide away in when I worked there in the late 80′s.
I’ve been inside this church a few times, it has a fine corniced ceiling and a mezzanine type gallery for parishioners to sit. I used to pop in when they had one of their regular book sale days, all the proceeds of the sales o to Christian Aid. They also have a community café downstairs in the Undercroft.
If you’re in Edinburgh during May it really is worth a wee look in, even if it’s just to have a nose about the place.
The house Dundas had built is at 36 St Andrew Square and has been the Head Office of RBS since 1825.
Check out the church website below.
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