Landlord Voice Magazine November 2015 - Edinburgh | Page 14

EDINBURGH
THROUGH THE YEARS
1st – 12th centuries - Celts,
Angles and Scots
The first origins of a settlement in
Edinburgh can be traced back to
between the 1st and 7th century AD
and the hill fort of Din Eidyn.

In the late 7th century The
Celtic Tribe is besieged by the Angle
forces of King Oswald and remains
under their control until it fell to the
Scots in the mid-10th century.

The Royal Burgh is founded
in the 12th century by King David
I and by the mid-14th century it is
described by French historian Jean
Froissart as the capital of Scotland.

17th century – Skyscrapers
The city’s skyline is dominated
by buildings of 11 stories or
more as outward expansion
to accommodate a growing
population is restricted by its
defensive walls.

Most of these old buildings
are replaced by the Victorian
buildings seen in today’s Old Town.

18th century – The rich and
the poor
By this time Edinburgh is
increasingly prosperous due to its
significance as a banking centre,

14 | LandlordVoice | November 2015

Trivia Time
Q - Name the Edinburgh pop group who
stayed at the UK number one spot for six
weeks with Bye Bye Baby.

which has been the backbone of its
economy ever since.

But despite this, it is
described in the 18th century as
one of the most over-populated,
and unsanitary towns in Europe.

But the city is improved
and expanded north of the castle
and by the second half of the
century has become the seat of
the Scottish Enlightenment. It
becomes increasingly segregated
from the late-18th century as the
professional classes desert the Old
Town for the more elegant New
Town.

19th - 20th centuries
Edinburgh is overtaken in the
mid-19th century by Glasgow as
Scotland’s biggest city due to its
limited industrialisation, despite the
continuing growth of its traditional
printing, brewing and distilling
industries.

Between the late 19th
century and 20th centuries
improvements are made to the Old
Town which see it transformed into
the Victorian Old Town of today.

Stagnation between the
two world wars in the 1900s sees
it further decline until the slum
clearances of the
1960s and 1970s.

Present day
The Edinburgh of today is
dominated by financial services,
with the city’s financial and
administrative centre ranked as
second-only to London in the UK
and they account for a third of all
commercial office space in the city.

Tourism also plays a major
part in its economy. The city’s
World Heritage Site status makes
it a worldwide destination while
the Edinburgh festivals attract
4.4 million visitors each year and
generate more than £100m for its
economy.

November 2015 | LandlordVoice | 15