Unintended Consequences: Building Wealth in 19th Century Edinburgh

In the late 18th and early nineteenth century it was essential for Edinburgh to develop beyond the confines of the cramped and insanitary Old Town.

James Craig’s development of the New Town began in 1767 but for commercial success to take hold it was essential to build more and faster. Much of the land was owned by the great Educational Institutions of George Heriots and the Merchant Company. They were keen to allow feuing to proceed but it came at a price.

Professor Richard Rodger, Emeritus Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Edinburgh, will take us through this exciting period in the commercial and domestic development of our city which resulted in the familiar urban landscape of today.

By The Royal Company of Merchants of Edinburgh