I’m not normally an avid reader of architectural volumes.
But this collection of essays which reflects on the intellectual, economic and political contexts which provided the impetus for the expansion of Edinburgh’s New Town can be appreciated for its depth, high-class imagery and superior finish.
The writing is dense, but the book is far from dull and makes a series of original arguments, such as the new plans for the city coinciding with the political rhetoric of the day.
One of the plans included a Union Flag design in alignment with the failure of the 1745/6 Jacobite uprising.
While the New Town represented Neoclassical order and modernity; the Old Town signified disorder, unrest, backwardness and Jacobiteism.
The New Town of Edinburgh: An Architectural Celebration, edited by Clarisse Godard Desmarest, published by Birlinn, £40.
[review rating=”4″ align = “left”]
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