Originally built as a railway station with the hotel added in 1903, the Caley, as this building is affectionately known, was once referred to as a "grand old Glasgow dame come to Edinburgh" on account of its red hue.Originally built as a railway station with the hotel added in 1903, the Caley, as this building is affectionately known, was once referred to as a "grand old Glasgow dame come to Edinburgh" on account of its red hue.
Originally built as a railway station with the hotel added in 1903, the Caley, as this building is affectionately known, was once referred to as a "grand old Glasgow dame come to Edinburgh" on account of its red hue.

Edinburgh buildings: 11 stunning red sandstone buildings erected in the 19th Century that are still standing

Edinburgh saw a surge of red sandstone buildings beig erected towards the end of the nineteenth century – and most of them are still standing today.

Although Glasgow and the west of Scotland was full of them, red sandstone architecture was quite rare in the Capital, as the nearest quarries were located over a hundred kilometres away in the south of Scotland.

That all changed with the expansion of the country’s railway network in the 1890s, which allowed for the transportation of huge quantities of quarried stone from sites in Dumfries and Annan at an affordable cost.

As a result, by the end of the century, Edinburgh would have plenty of red sandstone buildings – among them the Caledonian Hotel, the King’s Theatre, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and Lauriston fire station.

Take a look through our photo gallery to see 11 stunning red sandstone buildings in Edinburgh.

As a result, by the end of the century, Edinburgh would have plenty of red sandstone buildings – among them the Caledonian Hotel, the King’s Theatre, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and Lauriston fire station.

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