It's being dismantled now, but while it lasted the Big Wheel in Princes Street Gardens afforded spectacular and unusual views over the city.
We have no idea what goes on in the private, top-floor fortalice above Jenners (right), but would quite like it as a personal, city-centre pied-à-ciel of our own.
Jenners was designed by W. Hamilton Beattie, 1892–5, the same architect responsible for the North British Railway Hotel (now the Balmoral), the Cowan Building (W. Register Street) and some rather splendid Broughton tenements at 1–5 Elm Row (see Breaking news, 29.2.12).
Looking towards Calton Hill (below), the absent Forsyth's Globe Finial can clearly not be seen (Issues 206, 213–14). Further away, work proceeds under a white crane on the new hotel, office and retail development at 10–14 Princes Street (Breaking news, 27.4.11). Rumours persist that an Apple Store is earmarked for this site.
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George Meikle Kemp's Sir Walter Scott Monument (below) was originally intended for Charlotte Square, but work began on the present site in 1840. The foundations are on rock 16m below the current level of Princes Street.
The statues – of Scott's literary characters – were created by 25 artists in the years between the monument's inauguration in 1846 and completion in 1882. The photo below includes an unknown living figure who was either shouting obscenities at the photographer, or extending festive greetings in a thoroughly un-British manner, or had been locked in and was calling for help. Infused with the spirit of Christmas, we ignored him. When we returned after Hogmanay, he appeared to have gone.
A scene from Cloud Atlas, due for release later this year, was filmed hereabouts in October 2011.
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