New post office, Waterloo Place

Category

Library Item

Item no

18633

Title

New post office, Waterloo Place

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Date

1829

Size

9.5 x 15.5 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image comes from 'Modern Athens', a book of engravings based on drawings by Thomas Shepherd published in 1829. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Edinburgh was growing rapidly. The popular neoclassical architectural style of the time was inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. Shepherd's engravings celebrate the beauty of Edinburgh and show many notable buildings and streets both within the city, and further afield.

The General Post Office building at the corner of North Bridge and Waterloo Place occupies the site of Shakespeare Square and the Theatre Royal which were cleared to make way for the building in 1859. The GPO building has undergone substantial redevelopment and is now used as office space.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Dogs

Animals > Mammals > Horses

Architecture > Architectural features > Arches

Architecture > Architectural features > Doors and doorways

Architecture > Architectural features > Railings

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Business > Service industry > Post offices

People > Adults > Men

People > Adults > Women

Places > Edinburgh areas > New Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Land > Horse and carriages