New St Andrew's House was built as part of the St James Centre development, on the site of the eighteenth century St James Square which was demolished in 1965. The new building was completed in 1970 and occupied for the first time in 1974 by the former Scottish Office. It was closed during 1995-96 and remained empty, partly due to the asbestos which had been used in its construction. As a concrete building in the Brutalist style, with cliff face elevations and unattractive fenestration, it faced substantial public opposition when it was first built, and continued to be a somewhat controversial development. It was demolished along with the neighbouring St James Centre and Thistle Hotel. John Lewis being the only part of the St James Centre to continue trading throughout the demolition and construction of the new development, designed by Allan Murray Architects. The retail centre, which opened on 24 June 2021, has more than 80 shops, a food hall, a variety of restaurants and a cinema. There is also a 12 storey W hotel with its controversial 'ribbon' design, an aparthotel and 152 apartments. The Dunard Centre concert hall, designed by Sir David Chipperfield, will link the St James Quarter with St Andrew Square.
At the top of this neoclassical column stands a statue of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811). He was the Scottish Lord Advocate, an MP for Edinburgh and Midlothian, and the First Lord of the Admiralty. Dundas was a contentious figure, provoking controversies that resonate to this day. While Home Secretary in 1792, and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. Slave trading by British ships was not abolished until 1807. As a result of this delay, more than half a million enslaved Africans crossed the Atlantic. Dundas also curbed democratic dissent in Scotland, and both defended and expanded British empire, imposing colonial rule on indigenous peoples. He was impeached in the United Kingdom for misappropriation of public money, and, although acquitted, he never held public office again. Despite this, the monument before you was funded by voluntary contributions from British naval officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines and was erected in 1821, with the statue placed on top in 1827.
In 2020 a plaque was installed beside the monument, dedicated to the memory of the more than half-a-million Africans whose enslavement was a consequence of Henry Dundas’ actions.
The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries