North and south bridge Edinburg

[getonwithit]

Did water originally run through Edinburg and was this why these bridges were built or was it because there was such a deep ravine ?

[jno]

that's not very helpful, dorromay.

I think the ravines are left over from glaciers in the Ice Age. Frozen water, I suppose.

[plautus]

"Frozen water, I suppose."

Nah, frozen Irn Bru, Jimmy!

[Flyhalf]

There was a loch where Wavereley Station stands, but it was rather unsanitary, and was drained , I think around the time the New Town was started - I'd have to google that.

[Wharton]

^^Nor Loch

[Mamyalynne]

http://en.wikipedia.o...gh#First_North_Bridge

[Flyhalf]

Indeed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nor_Loch

[Mamyalynne]

More on the South Bridge here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Vaults

[Mamyalynne]

The South Bridge, built to span the Cowgate gorge between High Street and the growing University of Edinburgh on the Southside, was first proposed in 1775, although work did not begin until August 1785.

[gl556tr]

Aren't they on a motherboard...?

[factor-fiction]

^ did you post on the wrong thread here, gl556tr ?

[plowter]

As I recall, the royal burgh of Edinburgh was based on the Royal Mile (from the Castle to Holyrood) and the southside. A new town (Princes Street and the big posh hooses on the northside) was begun in the 17th century.

North and southside refer to the Nor Loch which was the big loch and marshy ground, roughly where Princes Street Gardens and Waverley Station are today.

The Royal Mile is built on the tail of the volcanic crag that formed the base of the castle. North Bridge was built to connect the old and new towns and span the gap between the crag and the flatter ground of the new town.

The bridge was completed in the 19th century and is about 1125 feet long and 70 feet tall, at the highest point.

So yes, the bridge was built to span the ravine between the Royal Mile and Princes Street. Oh, and water has always run through Edinburgh. In fact the Scots invented water.