The Mound

The Mound
The Mound
The MakePovertyHistory demonstration moves down The Mound on 2 July 2005.

The Mound is an artificial hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New Town and Old Town. It was formed by dumping around 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the foundations of the New Town into the drained Nor Loch which forms today's Princes Street Gardens.[1] The Mound was officially opened in 1781. When the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway was extended to Waverley in 1846, tunnels were driven under The Mound to allow access to the west.

The Bank of Scotland headquarters on the Mound

Some of Edinburgh's most notable buildings and institutions have their premises on The Mound, including the National Gallery of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy, the spires of New College, the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, and the elegant domed Headquarters of the Bank of Scotland.

Today The Mound is a busy, if fairly steep, thoroughfare taking traffic to and from Princes Street and the Royal Mile in the Old Town. Due to its raised elevation, the Mound commands expansive views over Princes Street and the New Town of Edinburgh and towards Calton Hill.

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References

Coordinates: 55°57′0.28″N 3°11′44.13″W / 55.9500778°N 3.1955917°W / 55.9500778; -3.1955917