See new pictures of panoramic view from Edinburgh's St James Quarter ahead of this week's opening

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Award-winning photographer Jon Enoch captured the images of the east end of Princes Street, St Andrew Square, the Old Town and Charlotte Square merging with the Southside from 55 metres above the Capital’s streets.

And top Scottish models showed off some of the clothes on offer from big-name brands like Calvin Klein, Pinko, John Lewis and Next, which will be represented in the development.

The St James Quarter the Capital’s largest development in a generation, has gradually taken shape over the last few years in the space freed up by the demolition of the old St James shopping centre, which closed its doors in October 2016.

It had been due to open in October last year, but was delayed because of the Covid pandemic.

The £1 billion project is made up of 850,000 sq ft of retail space, an Everyman cinema, an enticing mix of new restaurants, cafés and bars, Scotland’s first W Hotel with its distinctive "ribbon" exterior, a luxury Roomzzz aparthotel, 152 premium apartments, nine new public squares and 1,600 car parking spaces.

The new quarter also includes the existing John Lewis store and the developers bill the development as complementing the luxury shopping offer of neighbouring retailer Harvey Nichols, which anchors the premium shopping street of Multrees Walk.

Other traders who will feature in the quarter include Zara, Mango, Rituals, H&M, Kurt Geiger, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, as well as Dune, Bross Bagels and Salerno Pizza,

The quarter will also have Edinburgh’s first Lego store, a boutique Lane7 bowling alley and a Bonnie & Wild foodhall.

For several brands, including & Other Stories, Stradivarius, Pull & Bear and Bershka, the St James Quarter will be their first venture in Scotland.

And within the past week, a further wave of fashion firms were announced for the quarter. The Kooples, Aeronautica Militare and Nordic Outdoor became the latest international brands to be confirmed.

Thursday’s opening is the first phase of the development, with some elements including the new W Hotel not due to open until later.

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