Edinburgh's New Town Uncovered

Today marks the anniversary of the death of the First Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, Thomas Chalmers, who died on 30th May, 1847. A statute of Chalmers stands in Edinburgh's New Town stands on George Street at the junction with Castle Street. So what? Chalmers was an Evangelical Minister who was shocked by the unsanitary, overcrowded conditions in the growing industrial towns and cities. He advocated the creation of a strong nationwide network of parishes with elected clergy to tackle these issues.

The stance of men like Chalmers created division in the established Church of Scotland, as listeners to Old & New Towns Edinburgh travel guide will discover. In the days of minimal government intervention in the social and working conditions of the working man, men of the cloth often played an important role in reaching out to the most vulnerable members of society.

James Craig was commissioned to design the New Town development in 1767. The New Town was designed to alleviate overcrowding in the Old Town, but as was generally the case the wealthiest members of society were the first to move to the new development. The Old & New Towns iPod travel guide takes tourists on a journey through time from the famous Castle, via the Grassmarket - site of a cattle market and public executions in the past - over the Mound into the New Town.



The Old & New Towns Edinburgh city guide finishes in Charlotte Square. The photo above shows the First Minister's official Edinburgh residence, Bute House. The Georgian House is next door at Number 7, Charlotte Square. To find out the opening times of the Georgian House and the other attractions en route, check out our Where & When pages.

Visitors to Edinburgh listening to the Old & New Towns Edinburgh downloadable travel guide will discover about the class divisions that existed in the Scottish capital during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. To hear an audio sample from the Old & New Towns mp3 guided tour please click here.

Independent travellers in Edinburgh can get a feel for what life was like above and below stairs in the Georgian House in Charlotte Square.

Each Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour is divided into commentary points. After each commentary point is complete, users receive instructions to enable them to reach their next destination. In addition, each Walk Talk Tour comes complete with a downloadable map so you won't miss a thing!

The Royal Mile & More mp3 guided tour and The Old & New Towns Edinburgh travel guide cost £5.95 each. Customers purchasing the two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount.

Walk Talk Tours represent excellent value for people travelling in groups and parties. For more information please click here.