Seven unbuilt Edinburgh landmarks that would've radically altered the city
| Author | David McLean |
| Published date | 14 June 2022 |
| Publication title | EdinburghLive (Scotland) |
We take a look at seven ambitious Edinburgh proposals that made it to the drawing board and remained there.
Opera House
In the 1960s, a plan was put forward to construct an opera house that would put Edinburgh on a cultural par with the great cities of the world.
Resembling something out of the Jetsons, the futuristic-looking opera house would have been sited at Castle Terrace, directly facing Edinburgh Castle.
Space was available to construct a 1,600-seater auditorium above a smaller 800-seat theatre, while there would also be a 120-bed hotel, operated by brewers Scottish and Newcastle. Existing buildings along Castle Terrace were even cleared to make way for the new development.
Early cost projections were £4 million, however, this would soon spiral to more than £12 million and the plans were shelved indefinitely.
The embarrassing "hole in the ground" caused by the failure to deliver the opera house, would take until 1991 to be filled, when the Saltire Court office building was constructed.
Princes Street Gardens Lido
In February 1939, the city council discussed the feasibility of creating a 20th century version of the Nor' Loch by building an outdoor pool in West Princes Street Gardens.
If given the go-ahead, the huge bathing facility would have taken up a sizeable chunk of the gardens with "appropriate dressing rooms" built underneath Princes Street.
Ultimately, however, the proposal would fail to make a splash among city councillors, who voted against it by 13 votes to six. The outbreak of war later that year killed the idea completely.
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Sean Connery Filmhouse
Few abandoned plans have had chins wagging more than the 2004 effort to create an Edinburgh film theatre dedicated to the city's most famous son, Sean Connery.
Backed by Sir Sean himself, a design was produced by Richard Murphy Architects, who promised the delivery of an "iconic" new building opposite the Usher Hall on Lothian Road that would serve as a hub for the Scottish film industry.
Had this one gone ahead we'd have had a four-storey rotunda occupying much of Festival Square and blocking out the view of the Sheraton Hotel. Not the worst...
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