The Georgian House, Edinburgh
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| Grid reference: | NT246738 |
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| Website: | Georgian House |
The Georgian House is an 18th century townhouse at 7 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh (Midlothian) which stands in the heart of the historic New Town as a fine example of the Georgian residences of the type on which Edinburgh's New Town was founded.
The Georgian House is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, which has restored and furnished it and who open the house as a popular tourist attraction; over 40,000 visitors come each year.
The New Town and Charlotte Square
In 1766 a young unknown architect named James Craig won the competition to design a layout for Edinburgh's first New Town. By this time in the mid-18th century Edinburgh had become extremely overcrowded and the rich and poor alike were living in very close quarters in cramped conditions in the tenements of the mediæval Old Town. The New Town was to be constructed to the north of the Old Town, and the intention was that it would remain a strictly residential development, a privileged enclave for the wealthy away from the squalor found in the Old Town. Today visitors can experience what life was like in the Old Town by visiting Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile, which is a restored tenement building set up as the dwelling of a 17th century merchant.
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Craig's design for the New Town formed a grid-like pattern consisting three principal streets and two large squares with gardens for the residents use. The main thoroughfare was George Street (named after King George III), right at the centre of the development running east to west, this was the only main street to have houses constructed on both sides. Princes Street (named in honour of the King's sons) which ran parallel to George Street was designed as a terrace (meaning that it had houses on only one side) overlooking what was to become Prince's Street Gardens and facing the Old Town lay to the south of the grid. Queen Street (named for Queen Charlotte, who was the wife of George III) ran parallel to George Street on the north side of the New Town, it also had houses on one side only and again gardens were laid out for the use of the residents of the street (these gardens are still private today).
At either end of George Street were the squares, at the east end of the New Town was St Andrew's Square and at the west end was Charlotte Square. The original intention was to name this western square as St George's Square in order that both patron saint's of Scotland and England were represented, however another square on the south side of the Old Town had already been built and named George Square so to avoid any confusion between the two the New Town square was renamed in honour of the Queen. Craig's grid design was enhanced by other streets and lanes in between the main three, including Rose Street and Thistle Street, this patriotic street naming was a celebration of the union of England and Scotland, made more secure by the final defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1745. Three further streets which ran on a north to south axis completed Craig's grid, they were Hannover Street (named after the royal dynasty), Frederick Street (named after the father of George III) and Castle Street, for the views of Edinburgh Castle which the streets position affords.
The New Town was built from St Andrew's Square in the east and continued west. Critics of the development began to complain that the streets were too plain and regimented and that there was a general lack of architectural merit. In response to this Scotland's, foremost architect of the day Robert Adam was asked to draw up elevations for Charlotte Square so that the New Town could be finished off with a flourish of grandeur and elegance. Adam drew up the plans in 1791, however he did not live to see the completion of the square as he died in 1792 just as building work was commencing. The first houses were completed on the north elevation of the square and were ready for occupation by the mid-1790s. No. 7, today's Georgian House, was completed in 1796 and was purchased for £1,800 by John Lamont to serve as his townhouse to be used during the social season.
Occupants of No. 7 Charlotte Square
- 1796-1815: John Lamont of Lamont, born in c. 1741 the eldest of seven children. He became the 18th Chief of the Clan Lamont in 1767 and inherited the Ardlamont Estate in Argyllshire. In 1773, he married Helen Campbell and the couple and the couple had five children together: John, Amelia, Norman, Georgina and Helen Elizabeth. Lamont was comparatively wealthy but extravagant living brought him into financial difficulty. He spent much of his time in London living beyond his means. He sold the house in 1851 and died at Ardlamont the next year.
The Georgian House today has been restored to represent what the house may have looked like uin the days of John Lamont around the turn of the 19th century.
- 1815-1845: Mrs Catherine Farquharson of Invercauld, a widow with two daughters and a son, herself the only survivor of 11 children and heiress of her father's estate. She sold the house in 1845.
- 1845-1889: Charles Neaves bought the house in 1845. A most distinguished criminal lawyer, becoming Solicitor-General in 1852 and a judge in 1853, then five years later a Lord of Judiciary.
- 1889-1927: Dr & Mrs Alexander Whyte lived here for 27 years. Dr Whyte, originally of Kirriemuir, was minister of St George's Free Church, and the couple had altogether eight children. Robert was killed in action in the First World War, Alexander Frederick was an MP, a knight and then the President of the Indian Legislative Assembly.
- 1927-1966: The Marquesses of Bute. The 4th Marquess of Bute (1881–1947) bought the house in 1927 and added it to his earlier acquisitions of Nos. 5 and 6, so now he owned the middle section of Robert Adam's 'palace front' design. He used his influence to get the other owners of properties on the north side of the square to restore the facade to be more in line with Adam's original design. He removed many Victorian alterations such as dormer windows in the attics, lower drawing room windows and altered front doors. The Marquess did not live in No. 7 and instead let it out to be used as the showrooms and workshops of Whytock and Reid, the antique dealers and cabinet makers.
On the death in 1956 of the 5th Marquess of Bute, Nos 5, 6 and 7 passed through the Land Fund procedures to the National Trust for Scotland in part satisfaction of death duties. After the lease to Whytock and Reid expired in 1972 The Trust decided to restore the basement, ground and first floors of the property as a Georgian Show House, not a museum, but as close as possible to a living house, so that it gives the feeling of a family home.
No. 7 Charlotte Square Today, The Georgian House
The Georgian House is one of the most visited of the National Trust's houses and welcomes over 40,000 visitors each year, from local schoolchildren to sightseers from all over the world. Over 200 local people volunteer at the Georgian House, the vast majority of them as 'room guides', who are there to answer any questions that visitors may have as they walk round the house. Most of the furnishings and fittings in the house date from at the later Georgian period (c1760-1830), but some objects are older still.
When visitors arrive at the property they are greeted at the reception in the Hallway, here the admission tickets are issued and a member of staff or volunteer gives an introduction to the house and points them in the direction they should go to begin the tour of the property. There is no guided tour, visitors are free to walk around the house at their own pace, and in each of the main restored rooms there is a volunteer guide on hand to answer visitors questions.
The Basement
Most visitors to the house choose to begin the tour in the basement. Here there is a short film which introduces the visitors to the history of the New Town, and to the lifestyle of the Lamont family and their servants in around the year 1810. There is also a gift shop on this floor and a touch screen room where visitors can find put more information about life in Georgian Edinburgh. A wine cellar and china closet are also on display here. The Kitchen is found at the rear of the basement and has an adjoining scullery, it is well equipped with items which all date back to the Georgian period and have been acquired for the trust over the years.
The Ground Floor
There are two rooms to be seen on the ground floor. The dining room is at the front of the house, the table is set as it would have been for dinner around 1810. The walls are adorned with many portraits, in the 18th and 19th century this was done so that you could show off about your ancestors as you entertained friends to dinner.
There is a narrow passage between the dining room and the bedroom which contains a flushing toilet of about 1805. The master bedroom overlooks the rear of the house and sits directly above the kitchen. The bed is the dominant feature in the room, it dates from 1774 and was made for Newliston House on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
The First Floor
There are a further two room son this floor. The Drawing Room, and the Parlour. The Drawing Room is at the front of the house overlooking Charlotte Square garden. It is the full width of the house, and it is where the family would have entertained on a more lavish scale. There are many fine paintings on the walls, some by well known artists, a neo-classical revival marble fireplace and an 1802 square piano of which a recording of it being played can be heard in the background in this room. As of 2011 this room has a fitted carpet which represents the fact that these were commonly found in drawing rooms in the 18th century. The new carpet was made to an original design from 1797.
The Parlour is the room where the family would have gathered on a daily basis, as they would have only opened up the drawing room when entertaining on a larger scale. This is the room where tea would have been served and therefore there are tea caddies on the table, there are also two tea tables and there are Minton and Spode tea services in the bureau. The walls are painted the same colour as in the drawing room to reflect the fact that on an evening when large entertainments were held both rooms would be used to accommodate guests. The colour scheme is based on research carried out by the trust into Culzean Castle which was being decorated at the time Charlotte Square was being built.
Second and Third Floors
These two floors have not been restored, as until recently they were used as the flat of the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. Nowadays on the Second Floor there are public toilets, and one of the larger rooms has been opened up as an activity room for young and old where they can handle objects which were common in the Georgian times and guess what they were used for, write with a feather quill pen, and the children can try on some Georgian style clothes.
Visitor Information
The Georgian House is open from the 1st of March to the 30th of November. Opening hours for most of the season are 10am to 5pm, last admission at 4.30pm.
Outside links
- Georgian House – National Trust for Scotland
Coordinates: 55°57′09″N 3°12′29″W / 55.9525°N 3.20806°W