The Georgian House, Edinburgh facts for kids
 |
The Georgian House is a beautiful old house from the 1700s. It stands at No. 7 Charlotte Square in the historic New Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The National Trust for Scotland has carefully restored and furnished it. Today, it's a popular place to visit, welcoming over 40,000 people each year.
Contents
Building Edinburgh's New Town
In 1766, a young architect named James Craig won a competition. He was chosen to design Edinburgh's first New Town. Back in the mid-1700s, Edinburgh was very crowded. Rich and poor people lived close together in small tenements in the old Old Town.
The New Town was planned north of the Old Town. It was meant to be a special area just for wealthy families. This way, they could live away from the crowded Old Town. Today, you can visit Gladstone's Land on the Royal Mile. It's a restored tenement building that shows what life was like in the 1600s.
_-_Geographicus_-_Edinburgh-craig-1768.jpg)
Craig's Design for the New Town
Craig's design for the New Town looked like a grid. It had three main streets and two large squares. These squares had gardens for the people living there.
- George Street was the main road, running east to west. It was named after King George III. Houses were built on both sides of this street.
- Princes Street ran next to George Street, to the south. It was named after the King's sons. This street had houses on only one side. These houses looked out over what became Princes Street Gardens and faced the Old Town.
- Queen Street was on the north side, also next to George Street. It was named for Queen Charlotte, King George III's wife. Like Princes Street, it had houses on one side. Gardens were also made for the residents here, and they are still private today.
Squares and Street Names
There were squares at each end of George Street. St Andrew Square was on the east side. Charlotte Square was on the west side. The western square was first going to be called St George's Square. This was to honor the patron saints of Scotland and England. But another square in the Old Town was already called George Square. So, to avoid confusion, the New Town square was renamed for the Queen.
Craig's grid also included smaller streets. These included Rose Street and Thistle Street. These patriotic names showed that Scotland was now fully united with England. This was after the final defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. Three more streets ran north to south: Hannover Street, Frederick Street, and Castle Street. Castle Street offers great views of Edinburgh Castle.
Finishing Charlotte Square
The New Town was built starting from St Andrew's Square and moving west. Some people thought the streets looked too plain. So, Robert Adam, a famous Scottish architect, was asked to design Charlotte Square. He planned the buildings in 1791 to make the New Town end with a grand, elegant look. Sadly, Adam died in 1792, just as building started.
The first houses on the north side of the square were ready by the mid-1790s. No. 7, which is now the Georgian House, was finished in 1796. John Lamont bought it for £1,800. He used it as his city home during the social season, a time when wealthy people came to the city for events.
Who Lived at No. 7 Charlotte Square?
Many different families lived in the Georgian House over the years. Each family left its own mark on the building.
The Lamont Family (1796-1815)
John Lamont of Lamont was born around 1741. He became the 18th Chief of Clan Lamont in 1767. He inherited the Ardlamont Estate. As a member of the landed gentry, he earned money from rents paid by his tenants. In 1773, he married Helen Campbell. They had five children: John, Amelia, Norman, Georgina, and Helen Elizabeth.
John Lamont was wealthy but also had debts. He spent a lot of time in London, trying to get involved in politics. He lived a very expensive lifestyle. A famous artist, Henry Raeburn, even painted his portrait. John Lamont died in 1816, still owing a lot of money. The year before, he had sold No. 7 Charlotte Square for £3,000.
The Georgian House today is set up to look like it did when the Lamont family lived there around 1800. This helps visitors imagine their daily lives.
Mrs Catherine Farquharson (1815-1845)
The second owner was Mrs Catherine Farquharson of Invercauld. She was a widow with three children. Catherine was the only one of 11 children to survive. Because of this, she inherited her father's estate. This usually went to a male heir, so she was a woman with her own money. Records from 1841 show she lived in the house with one relative and eight servants. The house was sold in 1845.
Lord Charles Neaves (1845-1889)
Charles Neaves, Lord Neaves bought the house in 1845. He had a very successful career as a lawyer. In 1852, he became Solicitor-General. Then, in 1853, he became a judge. Five years later, he was made a Lord of Judiciary. In 1851, he and his wife had eight children and six servants. By 1861, they had 10 children and 10 servants, including a butler and a pageboy. In 1881, Mrs Neaves was a widow. Her three unmarried daughters lived with her, along with seven servants.
Reverend Alexander Whyte (1889-1927)
In 1889, Rev Alexander Whyte and his wife moved into No. 7. This was their home for 27 years. He was the minister of St. George's Free Church. They had eight children. Their son Robert died in the First World War. Another son, Alexander Frederick, became a Member of Parliament (MP) and was knighted. He also became the President of the Indian Legislative Assembly.
Dr Whyte was born in 1836. He first worked as a shoemaker, then became a school teacher. He saved enough money to study at Aberdeen University. Then he went to New College, Edinburgh, to study religion. In 1880, he became minister of Free St George's. He married Jane Barbour in 1880. Nine years later, they moved to No. 7 Charlotte Square. He died in 1921. Mrs Whyte stayed in the house until 1927.
In 1913, `Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, stayed at No. 7 Charlotte Square. This was during his visit to the United Kingdom.
The Bute Family (1927-1966)
The Bute Family were the fifth owners of No. 7 Charlotte Square. The 4th Marquess of Bute (1881–1947) bought the house in 1927. He already owned Nos. 5 and 6. This meant he owned the middle part of Robert Adam's grand design. He encouraged other owners on the north side of the square to restore their buildings. He wanted them to look more like Adam's original plans. He removed many changes made in the Victorian era, like dormer windows and altered front doors. The Marquess did not live in No. 7. Instead, he rented it out to Whytock and Reid, who were antique dealers and cabinet makers.
When the 5th Marquess of Bute died in 1956, Nos. 5, 6, and 7 went to the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). This was part of a payment for death duties. After Whytock and Reid's lease ended in 1973, the NTS decided to restore the basement, ground, and first floors of No. 7. They wanted it to feel like a real family home from the Georgian period, not just a museum. The restoration was designed by Schomberg Scott.
The Georgian House Today
The Georgian House is one of the most popular places to visit for the NTS. Over 40,000 people come each year, from local schoolchildren to visitors from all over the world. More than 200 local people volunteer at the house. Most of them are "room guides" who answer visitors' questions. Most of the furniture and items in the house are from the later Georgian period (around 1760-1830). Some objects are even older.
When you arrive, staff or volunteers greet you in the Hallway. They give you tickets and an introduction to the house. You can walk around at your own pace. In each main room, a volunteer guide is there to help.
The Basement
The Kitchen is at the back of the basement. It has a scullery next to it. It's filled with items from the Georgian period. There's also a Servants Room and a wine cellar. On this floor, you'll also find a gift shop and a china closet.
The Ground Floor
There are two rooms on the ground floor. The dining room is at the front of the house. The table is set as it would have been for dinner around 1810. The walls have many portraits. In the 1700s and 1800s, people showed off their ancestors' portraits when they had friends over for dinner.
A narrow passage connects the dining room to the bedroom. It has a flushing toilet from around 1805. The master bedroom looks out over the back of the house, right above the kitchen. The bed is the most important piece in the room. It dates from 1774 and was made for Newliston House, near Edinburgh.
The First Floor
This floor has two more rooms: the Drawing Room and the Parlour. The Drawing Room is at the front, looking over Charlotte Square garden. It spans the full width of the house. This is where the family would have hosted large parties. It has many beautiful paintings, some by famous artists. There's also a marble fireplace and a square piano from 1802. You can hear a recording of the piano playing in this room. Since 2011, this room has a fitted carpet. This shows that carpets were common in drawing rooms in the 1700s. The new carpet was made using an original design from 1797.
The Parlour was the room where the family gathered every day. They only used the drawing room for bigger events. Tea would have been served here, so you'll see tea caddies on the table. There are also two tea tables and Minton and Spode tea sets in the bureau. The walls are painted the same color as the drawing room. This is because both rooms would be used for guests during large evening parties. The colors are based on research into Culzean Castle, which was being decorated when Charlotte Square was built.
Second and Third Floors
Many visitors start their tour on the second floor. Here, a short film tells the story of the New Town. It also shows what life was like for the Lamont family and their servants around 1810. These two floors have not been restored. Until recently, they were used as the flat for the Moderator of the Church of Scotland.
Today, the Second Floor has public toilets. One of the larger rooms is an activity room for all ages. Here, you can touch objects from Georgian times and guess what they were used for. You can also try writing with a feather quill pen. Children can even try on some Georgian-style clothes!
Visiting the Georgian House
The Georgian House is open from March 1st to November 30th. Opening hours for most of the season are 10 AM to 5 PM. The last entry is at 4:30 PM.
