George Square used to be the largest residential square in
Edinburgh, and infact the UK. Then a few decades later, University
Edinburgh made the questionable decision to knock down the
beautiful old buildings and replace them with concrete
monstrosities. Interesting decision eh?
Edinburgh University Library N55° 56.543 W003° 11.311
Sorry to start you off here at what could possibly be the
ugliest building on the square! This building was designed by J.
Hardie Glover and Andrew Merrylees, of Sir Basil Spence, Glover and
Ferguson, Edinburgh. Designs were begun in November 1963, and the
demolition of the existing buildings a year later. The main
contract was started in March 1965 and completed in June 1967. The
building was commissioned and taken over by the University in
August, and the library service opened in September 1967, on
schedule. The cost of the building, including furniture and
equipment, was £2,101,555. The building was formally opened on 1
March 1968 by the Chancellor of the University, HRH The Prince
Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Library has eight floors, with the
gross total area of 298,081 sq.ft., of which 215,126 sq.ft. is
useable area. It is built on a 27 ft. structural module, with a 9
ft. planning module. Ceiling heights are 8 ft., and the whole of
the floor area is load-bearing. Balmforth 3 ft. shelving is used
throughout the building, which can accommodate ca. 2 million books,
2,500 users and over 100 staff. All of this sounds rather
impressive, but sad to say when I was a student I found it woefully
lacking in books, study space and appropriate lighting. One big
plus about studying in it was that you didn’t have to look at the
outside of the building….
There is a plaque which commemorates Clement Litil,
1A30-1A80.
George Square Gardens N55° 56.588 W003° 11.314
These gardens are the home to the first permanent paved
labyrinth in Scotland. The labyrinth is an ancient archetypal
pattern, dating back more than 4000 years, found in many cultures
around the world. Unlike a maze, which challenges the mind with
blind alleys, dead ends and choices to be made, labyrinths have
only one winding path, leading you from the outer edge into the
centre and back out again. With its diameter of around 15m,
Edinburgh’s takes around 20-30 minutes to walk. The Labyrinth is
made out of granite and pebbles, and is laid into the ground so
that it is accessible for wheelchair users. A finger labyrinth near
the entrance allows anyone, including people with visual
impairments, to trace the pattern of the main path. If you do this
on a day when the gardens are open (weekdays) I really recommend
taking the time to wander round the labyrinth. The gates are open
until B600.
David Hume Tower N55° 56.603 W003°11.180 This tower takes
its name from the fabulous philosopher David Hume. He valued reason
over faith and published works arguing against the existence of
God. Although these works were published anonymously it was well
known that he was the author. As a result Edinburgh made the
questionable decision not to appoint him Chair of Philosophy. To
add insult to injury they then decided to name this utter
monstrosity of a building after him. He was named by Immanuel Kant
as the cause of his awakening from his dogmatic slumber and Jeremy
Benthem also cited him as an inspiration.
Count the number of floors including the ground (Y), and then
find the plaque and note the dates: 1X11 – 1XX6
C=Y-X
William Robertson N55° 56.622 W003°11.254
William Robertson was a historian and anthropologist, educated
at Dalkeith High School and then Edinburgh University. Like Hume,
he too has the dubious honour of a concrete lump of a building
being named after him. He was born on the 19th September 1721 at
the manse of Borthwick in Midlothian to a Rev. William Robertson,
and then fathered (guessed it yet?) William Robertson 1753 along
with two other sons later on. At twenty-two was ordained minister
of Gladsmuir. He volunteered for the defense of Edinburgh against
the rebels in 1745. From 1751 he took a prominent part in the
general assembly, and soon became leader of the "Moderates." From
1761 to his death he was joint minister with Dr. Erskine of
Greyfriars, Edinburgh. In 1761 he became a royal chaplain, in 1762
principal of Edinburgh University, and in 1764 king's
historiographer In 1769 he published his History of Charles
V which was widely praised, Voltaire was said to be a huge fan.
This building is at D0 George Square.
The final cache is hidden at N55°
5(D+B).A(C-1)7 W003°
BB.3(C+B)(A-2)
Thanks to Big Wolf for his help with the teething problems of
the cache!