Cowgate
is a street that runs from the Grassmarket in the West to Hollyrood Road in the
East. A major artery in Edinburgh's Old Town, it winds along a low valley
between the High Street and the city's South Side. On Cowgate you experience
Edinburgh's topography from below. From here, the city is revealed in section
as Cowgate runs under South Bridge and George IV Bridge. A nineteenth century
description of Edinburgh's topography highlights its multi-level urban form:
'Spreading over many swelling hills and deep ravines, that in some instances
are spanned by enormous bridges of stone, [Edinburgh] exhibits a striking
peculiarity and boldness in its features that render it totally unlike any
other city in the world…'
Text and video by Richard Anderson