Buccleuch Parish, commonly known as the South Side is a district in south Edinburgh built as an expansion to the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

in the 18th century. The area lies between the

and Newington.

Background

Changes in the need to live within the town wall of Edinburgh, in order to trade, were lifted in 1752 in order to permit the building of the

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

to the north of the established city, however, this had the side effect of also allowing expansion on the south side of the city. Unlike the north, where streets were formally planned, on the south this happened on an ad hoc basis, centred on existing roads leading out of the city to neighbouring towns such as

Dalkeith Dalkeith ( ; gd, Dail Cheith, IPA: �t̪alˈçe is a town in Midlothian, Scotland, on the River Esk. It was granted a burgh of barony in 1401 and a burgh of regality in 1540. The settlement of Dalkeith grew southwestwards from its 12th-cent ...

and

Peebles Peebles ( gd, Na Pùballan) is a town in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. It was historically a royal burgh and the county town of Peeblesshire. According to the 2011 census, the population was 8,376 and the estimated population in June 2018 wa ...

. There were already a small number of small rural properties along these routes. Redevelopment was on a taller and more continuous urban street pattern, quickly transforming the character of the area. This likely expansion was quickly recognised by the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

and as early as 1754 the parish of Buccleuch was created as a

quoad sacra A ''quoad sacra'' parish is a parish of the Church of Scotland which does not represent a civil parish. That is, it had ecclesiastical functions but no local government functions. Since the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1929, civil parishes have h ...

church linked to St Cuthbert's Church which represented the outer districts of the city. Whilst the church was formally a "chapel of ease" - reducing the burden on the main church - the distance to St Cuthbert's was such that a new church was easily justified. What is somewhat odd, is that the church was built largely pre-emptively, rather than in reaction to a growing population (as was the norm).''Fasti Ecclesiae Scoticanae''; by Hew Scott The church was built 1755-6 in advance of most of the redevelopment, but was not flamboyant in any way, and took the form of a simple box chapel. Although there was plenty of empty ground around, it limited its graveyard to a small parcel of land, avoiding the need to acquire land from third parties. The graveyard was quickly filled and had to be supplemented by the creation of

East Preston Street Burial Ground East Preston Street Burial Ground is a burial ground in south Edinburgh holding graves from the 19th and 20th century. The graveyard is in the care of the City of Edinburgh Council. It stands at the junction of East Preston Street and Dalkei ...

in 1820.

Street pattern

In general the street form is based on gently winding streets running north to south, with more regular and formalised streets running east-west between the older routes. Older groups, such as Boroughloch Square, existed to the west, where expansion was generally limited by the pre-existing common lands on the

Meadows A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifici ...

. On the east side expansion was limited by the

Holyrood Park Holyrood Park (also called the Queen's Park or King's Park depending on the reigning monarch's gender) is a royal park in central Edinburgh, Scotland about to the east of Edinburgh Castle. It is open to the public. It has an array of hills, loc ...

. The first (or arguably only) formal section is

George Square George Square ( gd, Ceàrnag Sheòrais) is the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It is one of six squares in the city centre, the others being Cathedral Square, St Andrew's Square, St Enoch Square, Royal Exchange Sq ...

which dates from 1766. To its immediate south stands Buccleuch Place, a wide Georgian cul-de-sac dating from 1779. Its somewhat austere exterior belies its internal beauty and its status at the time of construction, being home to many lords and ladies. Two other "squares" bound the west side of the main north/south road: Nicolson Square, which has no formal masterplan, and St Patrick Square, which has a formal composition on two sides. Hill Square to the east hides from public view, but is a small and pleasant Georgian square. Two periods of "slum clearance" have changed the original pattern: the City Architect ( E J MacRae) created stone-built semi-traditional blocks north of East Richmond Street; and the city demolished the dense tenements in

Dumbiedykes Dumbiedykes () is a residential area in the centre of Edinburgh, Scotland. It mainly comprises public housing developments. It is bounded in the north by Holyrood Road, the west by the Pleasance and St Leonard's Street and the east by Holyrood ...

and St Leonards in the early 1960s, replacing them with non-traditional forms.Edinburgh South Side Through Time, Jack Gillon

Buildings of note

*Hermits and Termits, St Leonards (1734) once an isolated country house *Pear Tree House (c.1750) now used as a public house *

Buccleuch Parish Church St Andrew's Orthodox Church is an Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox church located in the Southside, Edinburgh, Southside, Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh’s Orthodox community was founded in 1948 and has, since 2013, occupied the former Buccleu ...

(1756) recently reconsecrated as a church for the

Greek Orthodox Church The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also call ...

* Archers' Hall (1777) *Nicolson Street Church (1820) by

James Gillespie Graham James Gillespie Graham (11 June 1776 – 11 March 1855) was a Scottish architect, prominent in the early 19th century. Life Graham was born in Dunblane on 11 June 1776. He was the son of Malcolm Gillespie, a solicitor. He was christened as J ...

now used as Southside Community Centre *

Queen's Hall The Queen's Hall was a concert hall in Langham Place, London, opened in 1893. Designed by the architect Thomas Knightley, it had room for an audience of about 2,500 people. It became London's principal concert venue. From 1895 until 1941, it ...

(1823) by Robert Brown (Scottish architect) *

Surgeon's Hall Surgeons' Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, is the headquarters of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). It houses the Surgeons' Hall Museum, and the library and archive of the RCSEd. The present Surgeons' Hall was designed by William ...

(1832) by

William Henry Playfair William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks. Life Playfair was born on 15 ...

*Buccleuch Greyfriars Free Church (1856) whose spectacular stone spire dominates the area *

Summerhall Summerhall is an arts complex and events venue in Edinburgh, Scotland. Formerly home to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies of the University of Edinburgh, it is now a major Edinburgh Festival Fringe visual and performing arts venue. ...

, home to Royal Dick Veterinary College (1909 onwards) now in entertainment use *

Edinburgh Central Mosque Edinburgh Central Mosque (officially known as the King Fahd Mosque and Islamic Centre of Edinburgh) is located on Potterrow near the University of Edinburgh central area and the National Museum of Scotland. The mosque and Islamic centre was des ...

(1998)

Notable residents

* Very Rev Charles Brown - 15 Buccleuch Place *Rev

Patrick Clason Patrick Clason (13 October 1789 – 30 July 1867) was a Scottish minister who served as Moderator of the General Assembly to the Free Church of Scotland in 1848/49. Life He was born on 13 October 1789 in the manse at Dalziel near the Rive ...

- 23 Buccleuch Place *Very Rev

William Henry Goold William Henry Goold (15 December 1815 – 29 June 1897) was a Scottish minister of both the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland, Reformed Presbyterian Church and the Free Church of Scotland (1843–1900), Free Church of Scotland. He wa ...

- 28 Buccleuch Place * Richard Huie - 16 Nicolson Street *

James Jamieson (dentist) James Dalgleish Hamilton Jamieson FRSE FDSE (10 September 1875 – 21 September 1966) was a Scottish dentist and author. Life He was born on 10 September 1875 at 52 Rankeillor Street, a ground floor and basement flat in Edinburgh’s South Si ...

- 52 Rankeillor Street *

Francis Jeffrey Francis Jeffrey, Lord Jeffrey (23 October 1773 – 26 January 1850) was a Scottish judge and literary critic. Life He was born at 7 Charles Street near Potterow in south Edinburgh, the son of George Jeffrey, a clerk in the Court of Session ...

- 18 Buccleuch Place * Josiah Livingston -26 Buccleuch Place and later 1 Buccleuch Place *

John Paterson (architect) John Paterson (died 1832) was a Scottish architect who trained with Robert Adam (1728–1792) whom he assisted with his work on Edinburgh University Old College and Seton House Castle. Life He was the second son of George Paterson (d. 1789) ...

- 24 Buccleuch Place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Buccleuch Areas of Edinburgh