Waverley Station and Bridge

Category

Museums & Galleries Item

Item no

18450

Title

Waverley Station and Bridge

Artist / maker

Begbie, Thomas

Date

1857

Size

17.1 x 14.6 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

City Art Centre

Copyright

The Cavaye Collection of Thomas Begbie Prints ; The City of Edinburgh Council Museums & Galleries

Original caption: The waverley bridge showing Princes Street. The building on the right of the bridge used to be the booking hall of Waverley Station and is now the parcels office. It still stands (1943).

Princes Street is one of the main thoroughfares and shopping areas in Edinburgh. It was created as part of James Craig's New Town development and named in honour of George III's sons. With the exception of St John's Church there is no building on the southern side of Princes Street, allowing spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle and Old Town.
Edinburgh Waverley is the second largest mainline railway station in the UK. There were originally three stations on the site, serving three separate railway companies including the Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee Railway whose trains ran through a tunnel underneath Princes Street and New Town to another Station at Scotland Street. In 1866 North British Railway absorbed the other two companies and proceeded to amalgamate the three existing stations. Construction of this single station, much of which remains, was completed in 1874.
The original Waverley Bridge, a stone arch structure, was replaced during the extensive remodelling of the station in the late 1860's and early 1870's. This second bridge was in turn replaced by the current bridge which was completed in 1896. The vegetable market displaced by the construction of the second bridge was replaced by an indoor site designed by Robert Morham. This was demolished in 1974 and replaced by Waverley shopping centre, later called Princes Mall.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Arches

Business > Service industry > Shops

Places > Edinburgh areas > New Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Infrastructure > Railway bridges

Transport > Infrastructure > Railway stations

Transport > Infrastructure > Stone bridges

(55°57′9″N, 3°11′17″W)

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