This is the second part of our Edinburgh Film Itinerary
series and focuses on the New Town, from The Caledonian Hotel down
to Stockbridge, Heriot Row, Scotland Street and
ending on Broughton Street. Edinburgh's New Town was
built in stages between 1765 and around 1850, to provide new
accommodation and housing. The strategy was also to prevent an
exodus of wealth down to London.
The first part of the itinerary
features the Old Town, beginning at either Arthur's Seat or
Calton Hill.
Edinburgh is a filmmaker's dream, a city of
stunning architecture, wide open spaces, dramatic changes in light
and majestorial presence. If Edinburgh were a leading lady she
would be Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly or perhaps Anne
Hathaway...
It's been the perfect backdrop and setting for a diverse range
of film and tv productions from One Day, to Burke
and Hare, to Trainspotting, Case Histories,
Rebus and Hallam Foe.
Edinburgh contrasts old with new, urban with rustic, historic
with contemporary, light with dark, sun with rain and bohemian with
a straighter edge.
We've done our best to arrange a walking tour which includes
many of the main locations within Edinburgh's rich filmic
legacy. This isn't an exhaustive list of all the films shot and
locations used in Edinburgh.
The points below don’t need to be followed in exact order just
dip in and out and visit the many shops, attractions, restaurants
and bars along the way...
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The Caledonian, A Waldorf Astoria
Hotel
Driving
Lessons starring Julie Walters, White Out, Hallam Foe, Festival, Death Defying Acts,
Rebus, The Angels’ Share,
Lucia, Looking After Jo Jo and
Single Father
starring David Tennant
Location for several films and TV shows, the Caledonian
Waldorf Astoria (renamed from the Caledonian
Hilton), is one of Edinburgh’s finest
hotels and a good spot to end the tour, or to pause if you intend
to continue on the extended tour. Take the weight off your feet
with a refreshing drink in the bar, which has a selection of more
than 250 whiskies, or take afternoon tea in the
Pompadour restaurant having seen some of Edinburgh’s
finest filming sites.
To extend your Edinburgh filmic tour we continue on into the New
Town. Cross over onto Queensferry Street and take Alva Street onto
William Street.
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William Street
Micawber, North and South,
Man to Man,
Imogene
This is is a popular filming location and with its Georgian
frontage shops it is easily put back in time.
Arkangel &
Felon, at number 4 William Street, Sam Brown at
5, and Frontiers, on Stafford
Street, are clothes boutiques worth a visit. Helen Bateman, at 16
William Street, designs a range of shoes that are
'unique, affordable and wearable'. On Stafford St, there is
also Studio
One, a 'one-stop inspiration emporium for
gifts'. Slightly further away, up on Lothian Road near the
Caledonian Hotel, there is Paper Tiger, for cards and
gifts.
Retrace your steps along Alva Street and make your way
through to Charlotte Square, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site of architecture in the Classical
Georgian style. Popular restaurants, cafes and bars here are
Bread
and Olives, the West Room,
Sygn and
La Petit
Folie.
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Charlotte Square/Randolph Place
New
Town, Shoebox
Zoe, Mausam
and Man to
Man
Location for 2008's New Town, visit the Georgian House
and admire the architecture which forms the north side of the
square, also the location for the First Minister's official
residence, Bute
House.
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Moray Place
One
Day, Jude,
Murder Rooms
(BBC drama), Driving
Lessons, North
and South, Feel
the Force
From there it's downhill to Moray Place, built during the second
phase of the New Town development, from the late 1700s until the
mid 1800s. This grand Georgian circus (officially a 'prodigious
duodecagon'), owned originally by the Earl of Moray, has played
host to a number of films including One Day, Driving
Lessons, North and South,Jude and Murder
Rooms.
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St Bernard's Bridge at Saunders Street
Rebus, Low Winter
Sun
Continue down through the wonderful Doune Terrace, admiring the
views north west on the way and take Gloucester Street to the
main bridge over the Water of Leith, which flows all the way down
to the Port of Leith.
The original 'stock brig', the name is Scots
from Anglic stocc brycg, meaning a timber bridge.
The suburb of Stockbridge continues on from here and
its high street of Raeburn Place contains many good shops and
restaurants. Vintage shopping through high quality charity shops is
popular here.
Also of interest is Anthony Gormley's 6
Times modern art exhibit which features statues placed in the
Water of Leith.
It's worthwhile taking a break from your tour to
visit Hectors,
the Stockbridge
Tap, the Edinburgh Wine
Merchants, Maxi's
Cafe and also one of the finest butchers in Edinburgh,
George
Bower. Armstrong's,
the fish shop across the road, is also excellent.
If not visiting Stockbridge, take Saunders Street, on
your left up to the adjacent bridge over the Water of Leith, St
Bernard's Bridge, location for Rebus and Low Winter
Sun.
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St Bernard's Crescent
The
Awakening, Mary
Reilly, Great
Expectations, Sword of
Honour, Murder
Rooms
If not visiting Raeburn Place, cross the bridge, past
the Spanish restaurant Rafaels and take Leslie
Place onto St Bernard's Crescent, built in 1924 and featured in
Mary Reilly and Great Expectations amongst
others. View its grand Grecian Doric pillars and glorious three
storey centrepiece.
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St Bernard's Well
Reichenbach
Falls
Make your way back down to the Water of Leith,
which runs through the centre of Edinburgh. Cross over the river
and follow the river bank path south to St Bernard's
Well, scene for Reichenbach Falls.
St Bernard's Well was constructed in 1789, as a spa,
to a design by celebrated Edinburgh landscape painter Alexander
Nasymth.
The template was the Temple of Vesta at Tivoli in
Italy and the waters were claimed to be medicinal with the 'odious
twang of hydrogen gas'. At the centre of an open pillared dome
stands a marble statue of Hygieia, Goddess of Health.
The prime time to visit St. Bernard's Well is an hour or so
after heavy rainfall, when rainwater from the Pentlands cascades
through the channels under the Dean Bridge. The New Town gardens
wrap around the Water of Leith consistent with neo-classical idea
of having a country in the city.
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St Stephen's Place and St Stephen's
Street
North and
South, Mary
Reilly
Retrace your steps back up to the bridge leading into
Stockbridge, the 'stock brig'. Take St Stephen's Street, which also
contains some unique boutiques and restaurants, including the
Saint,
complete with open fire. St Stephen's Place, scene for North
and South, contains the former archway for the old Stockbridge
Market.
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St Stephen's Church
New
Town
Continuing along St Stephen's St, St Stephen's Church at
the bottom of Howe Street was one of the locations for 2008's New
Town. St Stephen's was built in 1827-28 for a cost of £18,975 and
uses Baroque and Grecian styling.
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Heriot Row
New Town
Killers, Imogene McCarthery,
Shallow
Grave
Move east via St Stephen Street, past the St
Vincent, a small, homely bar with pool table, up Howe
Street, past the Ruam Siam
restaurant and A Room in
the Town. Iglu restaurant, just off
Howe Street, on Jamaica Street, is well known for its wild, local
and organic ingredients. Continue on up to Heriot Row,
one of the city’s most striking streets (completed in
1808), which has a open southern view on to Queen Street
Gardens. This street can be seen in both New Town Killers
and Shallow Grave. The eastern side of Heriot Row enjoys a
grand two story elevation whilst the west side was increased to
three stories in 1864.
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Abercromby Place
Imogene
McCarthery, Festival,
Low Winter
Sun, Book of
Blood, Quite Ugly One
Morning
Abercromby Place is an extension to Heriot Row and has been the
location for a number of films including Festival and
Low Winter Sun. The old fashioned, chimney gabled tenement
at no 1, is worth a look.
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Scotland Street
Shallow
Grave
Take Nelson Street onto Drummond Place towards Scotland Street
(begun in 1823 as 'Caledonia Street'). This was the location for
the exterior flat scenes for Danny Boyle's 1994 flick Shallow
Grave. The internal scenes were filmed using a
set. Continue on down London Street to explore the lower end
of Broughton Street, the Cask and Barrel, Crombies, (butcher) the
Olive
Branch, Barony Bar
and the New Town
Deli.
The first part of our Edinburgh film
itinerary features the Old Town.
This is the final stop on your tour of Edinburgh’s film
locations. The city is regularly used as the backdrop for tv
productions and films with help and advice from Edinburgh Film Focus. Coming soon...
more films and ideas of trips to take to filming locations in
Edinburgh and the Lothians.
