CIVIL ARCHITECTURE. 



561 



Hi*orr. 



Town* 



Register 

 Office. 



StAn- 

 drew'i 



Church. 



to Mr Arnot's excellent book. But, previous to quit- 

 ting the ancient part of the city, we cannot help ex- 

 pressing our regret, that any style of architecture later 

 than the castellated dwelling has been admitted within 

 precincts. The smooth regularity of outline, pro- 



Historv. 



its 



jecting or open colonnades, corridors, and spacious Vene- 

 tian windows, invented in a more southern climate, are 

 little in character with the irregular but magnificent 

 features of an ancient British city. We are aware, that, 

 in regard to the appropriation of private property, all 

 direct interference is inadmissible ; but, in public build- 

 ings, the proper character might have been preserved, 

 and, by the aid of judicious architects, the style of even 

 private buildings mii(ht have been preserved sufficiently 

 correct. The local boundary of the ancient city is, 

 however, perfectly distinct, and in one evidently wholly 

 new there is less impropriety in a change of style. Even 

 here we doubt if the Greek er Roman modes be the 

 most appropriate ; but these having been generally adopt- 

 ed, we shall, in the present hasty remarks, consider them 

 as subject to those regulations and practices. 



In the New Town, the first building in point of time 

 or consideration is the Register Office, which contains 

 the public records of the kingdom. It is situated front- 

 ing the bridge which connects the new with the old 

 city. It would have appeared to greater advantage if 

 removed farther back, upon the more elevated ground 

 which is immediately behind it. Mr Robert Adam 

 made the design, and it was begun on the 27th June 

 1774. This building, both externally and internally, 

 reflects great credit on the architect. The original de- 

 sign, as given in the works of Robert and James Adam, 

 has in the centre a magnificent circular saloon, covered 

 and lighted by a dome. This saloon is surrounded by 

 small apartments, and the whole of these inclosed by 

 buildings in the shape of a parallelogram. By this in- 

 genious contrivance, the admission to all the apartments, 

 and affording light to the whole, is perfectly accomplish- 

 ed. Only a part of this masterly plan has been execu- 

 ted, but even this composes an apparently complete 

 building. That the external features have also been the 

 result of much attention, is evident from the chasteness 

 of the details. A greater degree of magnificence, we 

 will venture to say, might have been obtained by keep- 

 ing the basement of the principal front lower, adding to 

 the magnitude of the order, and continuing a full colon- 

 nade for the whole distance between the breaks at the 

 extremities of the building ; also continuing a range of 

 pilasters, with full entablature, along each end ; having 

 no Venetian windows, nor semicircular arches, in the 

 principal front ; making fewer windows, and those near- 

 ly double their present size, in the upper range ; having 

 no pediment in the centre, nor small cupolas at the ex- 

 tremities ; and by rendering most part of the roof visible. 

 The terrace in the front has a good effect ; but one di- 

 rect broad flight of steps up to it, would have been pre- 

 ferable to the present small circular ones. 

 The public building next 



English spire, rising from a lofty, plain, square tower. 



It is, however, superior to most of the sort in Scotland, '"Y"" 1 



and is ornamental to the town. Indeed, any fabric, even 



of inferior merit, which rises above, and interrupts the 



uniformity of straight roofs, is here advantageous. 



On the south side of George's Street, nearly opposite phyicias 

 the last-mentioned edifice, stands the Physicians Hall : Hall, 

 the principal features of which compose the most chaste 

 design of any public building in the New Town. The 

 basement is kept sufficiently low. There is a noble 

 straight flight of steps in the front. The portico has a 

 bold projection ; and the columns rise up to the entabla- 

 ture which forms the upper member of the building ; 

 and this entablature is continued round the ends. The 

 pediments over the windows might have been spared ; 

 and attics have always, but more especially in a public 

 building, a mean appearance. The general effect, as a 

 piece of street architecture, is much injured by the rude 

 gable ends of the houses on each side : They ought to 

 have been made in character with it. At present, this 

 fine building appears to have been accidentally pushed 

 back from its proper situation. It was designed by Mr 

 Craig, the architect who made the plan of the New 

 Town . 



To the east, George's Street is terminated by St An- St An- 

 drew's Square ; and on the eastern side of this square drew'* 

 there stands a fine house built by Sir Lawrence Dundas, !>< l uare ' 

 from a design by Sir William Chambers. It is placed 

 considerably back from the line of the other buildings ; 

 and a house on each side is made to have, in front, the 

 appearance of forming wings to it ; but, as they stand in 

 a line with the other houses in that side of the square, 

 the space which intervenes between them and the main, 

 or centre house, being only inclosed by a low rubble 

 wall, the apparent connection is destroyed. The large 

 Ionic columns, upon the front of the wings, are too 

 bold for the feeble Corinthian pilasters of the central 

 building, and these are, besides, raised upon too high 

 a basement. It would lessen the clumsiness of the Ionic 

 columns if they were fluted. They stand very properly 

 upon a plinth j and there are pilasters at the angles of 

 the wings ; but the columns are advanced before the line 

 of the pilastres, and an attic story is placed over them. 



To the westward, George's Street is terminated by Charlotte 

 Charlotte Square. Its buildings are more uniformly de- Square, 

 aigned, and more highly ornamented, than those of the 

 other square ; but we have to regret a too frequent re- 

 petition of unmeaning projections and recesses, also of 

 semicircular and glaring Venetian windows. A church, 

 now building on the western side, is yet too little advan- 

 ced for us to judge what effect will be produced. We 

 are glad to see provision made for a portico of consider- 

 able magnitude, placed within a moderate distance of the 

 surface of the ground. 



The general plan of this new town is regular and con- General 

 vcnient, and there is a proper subordination of streets. Remarks* 

 In this northern climate, and exposed situation, perhaps 

 it would be an improvement if the cross streets on each 

 side of George's Street had not been opposite to each 



public building next in importance is St An- 

 drew's Church, situated in the north side of George's 



Street. The body of this church being elliptical, does other, and if the length and uniformity of the principal 

 not harmonise with the square portico with which it is streets had, in some instances been interrupted. We are 



united. The double row of small window), in the body 

 of the church, we hold to be quite incompatible with 

 the true character of a lacred edifice ; and its being with- 

 out either pilasters, or even a full entablature, increases 

 the meanness of its appearance. The steeple being com- 

 posed of Roman architecture and a Gothic spire, ig 

 much inferior to the simply plain but finely tapering 



TOt. VI. PART IT. 



i interrupted. 



surprised, that it has never occurred to architects em- 

 ployed in laying out new towns, that monotony ought 

 studiously to be avoided. The New Town of Edin- 

 burgh is greatly injured by it. Here the streets are spa- 

 cious, and the houses excellent ; but the uniformity is 

 tiresome, and the repeated sameness of all the divisions 

 resembles a panorama of square battalions. To any per- 

 4s 



