James' Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

2519

Title

James' Court, Lawnmarket, Edinburgh

Artist / maker

Jackman, S. G.

Date

1986

Size

21 x 16.3 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The 'closes' of Edinburgh's Old Town are narrow passages branching off at right angles from the main streets. They provide access to the tenement buildings, and often to small shared courtyards. Many closes also act as shortcuts between Old Town's main streets.

Lawnmarket is the section of Edinburgh's Royal Mile running from its junction with Johnston Terrace to where it meets George IV Bridge. Regular markets were held in this area until the late 18th century.

James Court was built between 1723 and 1727 by James Brownhill. It became a fashionable address and residents included the philosopher David Hume and the writer James Boswell. James Court later declined and many of the buildings were destroyed by fire in 1857, but in 1886 Patrick Geddes moved in and worked to regenerate it.

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Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Tenements

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Royal Mile

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Plants > Trees > Trees

Transport > Infrastructure > Cobbled paths

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