All About Edinburgh
Infirmary Street
Lady Yester Church
Lady Yester, erected the Lady Yester Church in 1647. There was a cemetery around the church and some of the tombstones and tablets still survive embedded into the boundary walls. The church was demolished in 1803.
Blackfriars Monastery Orchard
This is also near to where the murdered body of Mary Queen of Scot's husband, Lord Darnley, was found in 1567. The body was found in the Dominican Gardens under a tree in the orchard.
Blackfriars Monastery
Dominican monastery, founded in 1230 by King Alexander II, a major religious hub until it was destroyed by Protestant Reformers in 1559 over 300 years as a spiritual centre. This building was all but demolished and a High School was built in
High School building constructed in 1777 and opened in 1780 and now part of the University of Edinburgh.
Professor James Pillans was born in Edinburgh in April 1778. Attended the High School the University of Edinburgh,
became Rector at the High School in 1810 till 1863. Died in his house at 43 Inverleith Row March 1864.
It was in this building that James Pillans (1778-1864) promoter of the blackboard and invented coloured chalks.
Inscription on plaque reads:
James Syme 1833 -1869 and Joseph Lister 1869 - 1877 while regius professors of clinical surgery in the University of Edinburgh.
Had charge of wards in this building. Then the Old Surgical Hospital and part of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) initials can be seen today amongst the 18th century graffiti on the wall by the entrance.
13 Infirmary Street
The new church was built in 1804 as the Secession Chapel and opened in December 1805 as a chapel for Secessionist Presbyterians, a nonconformist group that split from the Church of Scotland it then became the Tolbooth Free Church (circa 1850) for a short time before moving to St Andrew's Square in 1858.
9 Infirmary Street
This is an interpretation of early 17th-century Jacobean style (1603-1625) to replace the Lady Yester church, which stood east on the present corner site area and demolished in 1803.
Surgeon's Hall
In 1697, the surgeons of Edinburgh moved from their former meeting place in Dickson's Close to conduct their business in what we now refer to as Old Surgeon's Hall. This building, on the south side of Surgeon's Square, remained the home of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh until 1832, when they moved to new and more prestigious premises in Nicolson Street where there is also a museum.
The Plaque on the Royal College of Surgeons Building reads; 1697 The Edinburgh surgeons moved from their meeting place in Dickson’s Close to this building. Here they conducted their business until they moved to the present Royal College of Surgeons in Nicolson Street in 1832.
The other plaque is to honour Elsie Maud Inglis Graduate of the University.
Royal Infirmary Edinburgh
Original Royal Infirmary Gates
The ornamental gates carved stone gateposts of the infirmary of High School Yards were saved and are now preserved at the entrance to the University Geography building in the adjacent Drummond Street.
Drummond Street is also where a part of the Flodden Wall built in 1513 still stands.
ROYAL INFIRMARY EDINBURGH
On the 06 August 1729 the first voluntary hospital in Scotland opened in what is now Infirmary Street Edinburgh at the top of Robertson’s Close. This became the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in 1736 in the same building that stands behind the old gate in Drummond Street, before moving to Lauriston Place and is now at Little France.
The Royal Infirmary was built in Infirmary Street by William Adam in 1738. This was one of the first infirmaries in the world.
R I E was founded by Alexander Monroe. The Infirmary was further extended with the building of the New Surgical Hospital
(opened in 1852) which is described below. New RIE opened in 1879
How Edinburgh Streets Change over the years
Jamaica Street changes to North College Street and Infirmary Street
Red line is City Wall
Edinburgh University Building
Geography department left the Old High School building, they moved into the linked New Surgical Hospital which faces onto Drummond Street. This building was opened in 1853. It was designed as an extension to the existing Surgical Hospital to meet the demands of increased numbers of patients. Following the removal of the hospitals, the building was refurbished and reopened by Andrew Carnegie, in 1906, as the Department of Natural Philosophy.
Chisholm House Surgeon’s Square Edinburgh
Chisholm House, was originally one of a number of houses in Surgeon’s Square. The Square was close to the old Flodden Wall. Chisholm House was built in in 1764 one of many residence for surgeons which became part of the hospital complex and now the University of Edinburgh. It was used as a hospital from 1803 until 1996. The house is named after George Chisholm, the first lecturer in Geography at Edinburgh University. Another famous name who once lived in the square was Dr Robert Knox, the surgeon that was linked with Burke and Hare.
No 1 Surgeons Square
The building originally No 1 Surgeons Square now A Nursery School was built in 1849, formerly the anatomical lecture room, museum and dissecting room of the surgeon John Lizars. Brother of William Lizars owner of the lands of the old Monastery.