Guidelines Internetion @ l WFTGA Newsletter March / April 2017 www . wftga . org
UK SCOTLAND ITGD 2017
From Rosalind Newlands
The Edinburgh and SE Scotland Branch of the Scottish Tourist Guides Association were presented this year with a unique opportunity to put together a bespoke walking tour to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Edinburgh ’ s New Town , which along with the Old Town , is a UNESCO World Heritage site .
James Craig won a competition in 1766 to plan a visionary ‘ new town ’ for Edinburgh . It would be residential and would attract people of wealth to the City . It was also planned to show loyalty to the Hanoverian King down in London and let it be known that Edinburgh was no backwater .
James Craig ’ s plan was a first ! A planned grid system with three parallel streets , wide and spacious , with a square at either end of the middle or main street named after the King , George 3rd . Intersecting streets were named after the Hanoverian Royal Family and included the emblems of Scotland and England – the Thistle and the Rose . The plan was granted Royal Assent and building began in 1767 , 250 years ago . The grid plan was very successful , although its use from residential to commercial slowly changed , and further residential extensions were added throughout the 19th century to enlarge Edinburgh ’ s New Town . Nowadays it is a very sought-after part of town to work and live in amid its architectural elegance .
One or two major tourism organisations in Edinburgh ( ETAG and Essential Edinburgh ) decided to celebrate the 250th anniversary with a lumiere event , whereby several of the original buildings of Edinburgh ’ s first New Town would be lit up with special projections giving a glimpse of what life was like for the Georgians of the late 18th century . The local branch of the STGA was able to collaborate with these organisations to devise a walk that would link these key buildings . The walks were to be known as a walking tour of Edinburgh ’ s Georgian Shadows and guides were to represent the original ‘ link boys ’, urchins who would guide residents of the New Town from their houses to other buildings by using a flaming torch . We ’ re using lanterns !
The project was launched on Thursday 23rd February in the week of International Tourist Guide Day and our walks began on the 24th February . The walks were designed to talk about the architecture , the social life of the early Georgians and the plan behind the New Town . They took place in the evenings , lasting around 75 minutes when we could admire all the special lighting projections .
We ran 18 walks until the 25th March for 900 bookings , many from local residents interested in finding out more about their city . Not only have we attracted many more bookings than expected , but also we have raised the
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