Princes Street, as viewed facing west from the Scott Monument

Princes Street and the Castle at twilight

Princes Street is the main shopping street in Edinburgh city centre, although it was originally designed to be a residential street. It is the southmost street of Edinburgh's New Town. It is roughly a mile (1.6 km) in length, reaching from Lothian Road in the West to Leith Street in the East. The street is mostly closed to private cars, with public transport given priority. The street has virtually no buildings on the south side, allowing views of the Old Town and the castle and the valley between. Princes Street. ... Princes Street. ... Scott Monument (alternate view) The Scott Monument is a victorian gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. ... Princes Street and the Castle Rock at twilight. ... Princes Street and the Castle Rock at twilight. ... Edinburgh (pronounced ), Dùn Èideann () in Scottish Gaelic, is the second-largest city in Scotland and its capital city. ... A mile is a unit of distance (or, in physics terminology, length) currently defined as 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards, or 63,360 inches. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Edinburgh Castle and NorLoch, around 1780 by Alexander Nasmyth Edinburgh Castle is an ancient stronghold on the Castle Rock in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, has been in use by assorted military forces since prehistoric times and only transferred from the Ministry of Defence recently. ...

Historical

Princes Street was originally to be named St. Giles Street after the patron saint of the City of Edinburgh. However, King George III knew of a slum neighbourhood called St. Giles in London and objected. It was subsequently named Princes Street after his sons, the Duke of Rothesay (later King George IV) and Frederick, Duke of York. In several forms of Christianity, but especially in Roman Catholicism, a patron saint has special affinity for a trade or group. ... George III (George William Frederick) (4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain, and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... Banner of the Duke of Rothesay, the quarterings represent the Great Steward of Scotland and the Lord of the Isles. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ... His Royal Highness The Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany (Frederick Augustus) (16 August 1763 - 5 January 1827) was a member of the British Royal Family, the second eldest child, and second son of King George III. From 1820 until his own death in 1827, he was the heir...

During the construction of the New Town, the polluted waters of the Nor'Loch were drained, and the area was converted into public gardens called Princes Street Gardens. The gardens are one of the greenspaces in the heart of Edinburgh. Princes Street Gardens is in Edinburgh, Scotland in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle which was once the sewage system, called the Nor Loch, for the city whos population lived in what modern times would call highrise flats (apartments). ...

The wider George Street (parallel to Princes Street) was originally intended to be the main commercial street and major thoroughfare, but its' neighbour to the south overtook due to its' breathtaking views over the Gardens and to the Old Town.

Shopping

Several UK high street brands are located along Princes Street. Marks & Spencer, Bhs and Debenhams department stores can be found, along with House of Fraser, located at the West End. Historically, the world-famous Jenners department store has been an Edinburgh institution, surving the disappearance of local department stores (PTs, RW Forsyths etc). However, House of Fraser purchased the 'World's Oldest Independent Department Store' store in 2005. It remains to be seen whether it remains a Jenners store or fully becomes part of House of Fraser. Marks and Spencer plc (known also as M&S and sometimes colloquially as Marks and Sparks or Markss) is a British retailer. ... BHS may refer to Bhs - the company British honours system the ISO 3-letter country code for the Bahamas Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Black Hand Studios, creator of the Anti-Cheat device Renguard This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists... Debenhams Ltd is a chain of department stores based in the United Kingdom. ... House of Fraser is a British department store group with around 50 stores across the country. ... Jenners Jenners Department Store, near the Scott Monument on Princes Street in Edinburgh, was the worlds oldest independent department store, having existed on the same site since 1838. ... House of Fraser is a British department store group with around 50 stores across the country. ...

Shops like USC, Gap, Clarks, Next and Boots are also available on the street. However, there has been controversy over the buildings of the later 20th century on Princes Street, the M&S buildings providing good examples. Some claim that the 1960s architecture spoils Princes Street, and that they should be ripped out, however others enjoy the mix of styles and see them as good examples of 1960s architecture. Another problem has been that upper floors are often used for storage, rather than as office, retail or living space. Plans are currently underway to revitalise the street so that it can compete with Glasgow.

Princes Street Gardens & South Side

The gardens contain the Ross Band Stand (an amphitheatre), the a war memorial and a floral clock, among other attractions. Buildings that feature are two of the National Galleries, the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland at the foot of The Mound. Further along is the Scott Monument, an intricate building dedicated to the Scotsman who wrote the "Waverley" novels. Consequently, Waverley station, is named after the movel. Neighbouring the station is the grand Balmoral Hotel. The name amphitheatre (alternatively amphitheater) is given to a public building of the Classical period (being particularly associated with ancient Rome) which was used for spectator sports, games and displays. ... Categories: Stub | Edinburgh ... Categories: United Kingdom-related stubs | Art museums and galleries in the UK | Edinburgh ... Scott Monument (alternate view) The Scott Monument is a victorian gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. ... Waverley Station, from the Scott Monument. ... Balmoral Hotel with the North Bridge in the foreground The Balmoral Hotel is a luxury five star hotel and landmark in Edinburgh, Scotland which has won many awards. ...

Princes Street remains popular despite the fact that it has now fallen from its' status as the most expensive place to rent shop space (out of London). Princes Street may be one of the only streets in the UK to have an order of parliament placed to prevent any further building on the south side to preserve the views!

The New Zealand city of Dunedin is named after Edinburgh, and many of its streets are also named for Edinburgh's streets. Princes Street is the name of the southern end of Dunedin's main street (north of the city centre it becomes George Street). Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, located in coastal Otago. ... George Street is the main street of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. ...