Donald Anderson: Nicolson Square – one of city’s finest gems and a conservation success
Nicolson Square has always been one of my favourite places in Edinburgh. I loved passing through on my way to and from work at the Royal Infirmary, often stopping at my favourite second-hand bookshop, sadly long gone.
I’ve enjoyed passing it every day of my working life and stopping occasionally ever since.
Its regeneration was promoted partly as the first in a programme to right some of the damage left when iron railings were sacrificed to the Second World War effort.
One building around the square famously became the subject of an extraordinary council row in the 1970s when the Building Control Committee awarded a tender of £13,000 for its demolition while the Planning Committee awarded a £3000 grant for its preservation. Thankfully Planning won.
Nicolson Square became a priority for refurbishment in 2003. The ambition being to help complete the regeneration begun with the Southside’s designation as a conservation area: enhancing the buildings, then restoring the spaces that brought them together.
Railings were faithfully reinstated on the stone coping, giving the garden back its proper setting.
Paths, seating and planting made it more welcoming, while attention to its monuments helped restore a sense of care.
One regret about Nicolson Square’s transformation is the loss of the cherry trees, which fell out of favour with parks staff. I understand those considerations, and the trees planted are lovely, but still miss the lift the cherry blossom gave in springtime.
Nearby St Patrick Square was also refurbished, but by then spending restrictions limited what could be achieved, preventing a faithful renewal of the railings. Nevertheless, it too was transformed.
Graffiti on buildings along its north side does detract from that achievement, but hopefully visitor levy spending can help remove that blight.
Nearly 20years on, the refurbishment remains a fine example of conservation success. It restored historic detail, improved everyday use and strengthened the relationship between the garden and its buildings. Every time I pass, I take delight that Edinburgh invested in a park that is one of the many gems in the crown of one of Britain’s finest parks estates.