Charlotte Square from the southwestRobert Adam's palace-fronted north sideThe central pavilion on the south sideA statue of Prince Albert stands in the centre of Charlotte Square, in front of West Register House
Initially named St. George's Square in James Craig's original plan, it was renamed in 1786 after King George III's Queen and first daughter, to avoid confusion with George Square to the south of the Old Town. Charlotte Square was the last part of the initial phase of the New Town to be "completed" in 1820 (note- the north-west section at Glenfinlas Street was not completed until 1990 due to a long-running boundary dispute). Much of it was to the 1791 design of Robert Adam, who died in 1792, just as building began. İts also the place where the famous general Douglas Haig was born in
In 1939 a very sizable air-raid shelter was created under the south side of the gardens, accessed from the street to the south.
In 2013 the south side was redeveloped in an award-winning scheme by Paul Quinn, creating major new office floorspace behind a restored series of townhouses.
The commission for the sculpture was granted in 1865 to Sir John Steell. The main statue features an equestrian statue of the prince, in field marshal's uniform, dwarfing the four figures around the base. It was unveiled by Queen Victoria herself in 1876.[3] The stone plinth was designed by the architect David Bryce and the four corner figures are by David Watson Stevenson (Science and Learning/Labour), George Clark Stanton (Army and Navy) and William Brodie (Nobility).[4] The statue was originally intended to go in the centre of the eastern edge of the garden, facing down George Street.[5]
This remodelling featured major new tree-planting which took many years to re-establish.
The central open space is a private garden, available to owners of the surrounding properties. For the last three weeks in August each year Charlotte Square gardens are the site of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The railings around the gardens were removed in 1940 as part of the war effort. The current railings date from 1947. Changes to street levels, contours and surfacing to accommodate modern traffic caused controversy in the late 1950s and early '60s.[6]
Buildings
On the north side, No. 5 was the home of John Crichton-Stuart, 4th Marquess of Bute (1881–1947), who bought it in 1903 and gave it to the National Trust for Scotland on his death. It was the Trust headquarters from 1949 to 2000. Bute did much to promote the preservation of the square.
West Register House, formerly St. George's Church, forms the centre of the west side. It was designed by the architect Robert Reid in 1811, broadly to Adam's plan. The church opened in 1814 and was converted to its current use in 1964. It is one of the main buildings of the National Records of Scotland
Residents
From the very inception of Charlotte Square in 1791, it was anticipated it would be one of the top addresses in Edinburgh.[8] As the Victorian era commenced, the square was increasingly occupied by the elite of the middle class: legal and medical professionals. This is reflected in the notable residents listed below. As the 20th century began most buildings were still occupied as residential addresses, although more are offices, solely occupied by guardians.[9]
Robert Reid redesigned no.44 internally, as his own home.
45
Sir Robert William Philip, pioneer in the treatment of tuberculosis[24] was resident from 1898 until his death in 1938, but absent in 1901. Prior to this it had been the home of Dr James Macadam HareFRSE HEICS
Pioneer of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, was born in nearby South Charlotte Street.
^Monuments and monumental inscriptions in Scotland: The Grampian Society, 1871
^Greenwood Tree, "George and Charlotte, The Old Squares", in Thomson, David Cleghorn (ed.), Saltire Review, Vol. 6, No. 22, Autumn 1960, The Saltire Society, Edinburgh, pp. 9 - 14
