Waverley Steps is a stair link of unique character linking

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

Waverley station Edinburgh Waverley railway station (also known simply as Waverley; gd, Waverley Dhùn Èideann) is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. It is the north ...

, an essential pedestrian route in the centre of Edinburgh.

History

The staircase was opened in 1902 as part of the adjacent development of the

North British Hotel The Balmoral Hotel, originally built as the North British (Railway Station) Hotel, is a luxury hotel and landmark in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the heart of the city at the east end of Princes Street, the main shopping street beneath ...

, which at that time belonged to the

North British Railway Company The North British Railway was a British railway company, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1844, with the intention of linking with English railways at Berwick. The line opened in 1846, and from the outset the company followe ...

together with its flagship station,

. The dramatic flight of steps are flanked by original 1902 shops on the east and Waverley Market on the west. Waverley Market was originally a curious Victorian multi-level structure occupying an awkward stone quarry on the edge of Princes Street. The original market was demolished in 1974 having become structurally unstable, and redeveloped a decade later as a multi-level underground shopping mall. It has been remodelled several times thereafter in an effort to increase its popularity, but with very limited success. In 2010

Network Rail Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...

removed the original staircase, in order to add both an escalator and lift (to the south), and critically covering this external area with a glass canopy. The new system opened in 2012. This was primarily to address disabled access requirements. From 2012 the steps have been secured at the north end (onto Princes Street) if the railway station is closed.

BFI film

The BFI 30 minute documentary "Waverley Steps (A Visit to Edinburgh)" was made in 1948 directed by

John Eldridge John Eldridge may refer to: * John Eldridge (politician) (1872–1954), Australian politician * John Eldridge (British Army officer) (1898–1985) * John Eldridge (sociologist), British sociologist * John Eldridge Jr. (1903–1942), United States ...

and created by Greenpark Productions. Stylistically in borrows on the

German expressionism German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...

of the 1920s. It "stars" N K Stroyberg, a Dane living in Edinburgh, who plays a Danish sailor arriving in

Leith Docks Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

who explores the city for a day. The storyline covers a Sunday in Edinburgh. We initially see the '' Flying Scotsman'' travelling fast: the train then changes to the "Merlin" (no.27), arriving in the afternoon, and the railway fireman getting off at Dalry, and returning to his young wife in a tenement on the north side of Calton Road via Kings Stables Road. We see inside and outside several buildings: St Cuthbert's,

St Giles Cathedral St Giles' Cathedral ( gd, Cathair-eaglais Naomh Giles), or the High Kirk of Edinburgh, is a parish church of the Church of Scotland in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. The current building was begun in the 14th century and extended ...

and

Dundas House Dundas House is a Neoclassical building in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at 36 St Andrew Square, in the city's first New Town. The building was completed in 1774 as a private town house for Sir Lawrence Dundas by the architect Sir Will ...

. There is also a glimpse inside the blacksmith's workshop on Coalhill in

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

(demolished 1991). The film contains documentary footage of the original

Edinburgh Trams Edinburgh Trams is a tramway in Edinburgh, Scotland, operated by Edinburgh Trams Ltd. It is a line between St Andrew Square in the New Town and Edinburgh Airport, with 15 stops. Construction began in June 2008, and after encountering delays ...

Leith Walk Leith Walk is one of the longest streets in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is the main road connecting the centre of the city to Leith. Forming most of the A900 road, it slopes downwards from Picardy Place at the south-western end of the street to the ...

(closed 7 years later) and many streets:

Ramsay Gardens Ramsay Garden is a block of sixteen private apartment buildings in the Castlehill area of Edinburgh, Scotland. They stand out for their red ashlar and white harled exteriors, and for their prominent position, most visible from Princes Street. ...

, Commercial Street, Moray Place,

George IV Bridge George IV Bridge is an elevated street in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is home to a number of the city's important public buildings. History A bridge connecting the Royal Mile to the south was first suggested as early as 1817, but was first p ...

, Jeffrey Street, and Calton Road.

References

External links

* {{coord, 55.952811, -3.190015, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Streets in Edinburgh