historical development in hospitality

 Coaching Inns                          THE WHITE HORSE INN  

Where nowadays people are mainly travelling by plane or train, for a very long time these choices weren't available and therefore people were going away or from Edinburgh in different ways. 

Before the rise of railways in the 1830s and 1840s, most of the poor people couldn't afford to ever leave their hometown. Edinburgh was confined by city walls, and most of the poor never crossed those walls. (Expert walking tour, 2020) 

Apart from who couldn't afford to travel, in the 17 th century there was a rise of stagecoach services across the country, and people who could afford or needed to travel would use to move around the country. 

In 1610, the first public coach in Britain was connecting Edinburgh and Leith. Leith used to be a completely separated town in the north of Edinburgh city. 

In 1658, a monthly public coach service would run from London to Edinburgh, connecting the two capitals. The price for this trip was £4, which is equivalent to £400 of our modern currency. 

As travelling could take more than 12 hours, the coach would stop to rest the horses, travelling "by stages" and this is the reason why they were called "Stagecoaches". 

While Glasgow service to London would last only 10 days, the monthly service that connected Edinburgh to London still would have taken more than 13 days. 

Once the travellers would arrive in Edinburgh, they could accommodate in one of the coaching inns mostly found in the area of Glassmarket. But one of the most popular coaching inns in Edinburgh, was definitely the White Horse Inn close to the Royal Mile, today called White Horse Close. (EWH, 2022)

The White Horse Inn was so popular mainly because of its location. It offered access to a water supply for the horses, and it was very close to the start of the main route connecting Edinburgh to London, The Great North Road. Nowadays, the start of this famous route is London Road, which is still the most direct route between the two Capitals. 

 

Edinburgh expert Walking Tour Blog (2020) Edinburgh's coaching inns. Available at Edinburgh Expert Walking Tours - Blog (Accessed on 24th October 2022)

Edinburgh World Heritage (2022) White Horse Close. Available at White Horse Close | Edinburgh World Heritage (ewh.org.uk) (Accessed on 24th October 2022)

 

 

Railway hotels                   THE CALEDONIAN HOTEL 

 

Princes Street Station has been for almost 100 years, the main railway station which stood at the west end of Princes Street. The constructions began in 1899.  

It was an extension traversing most of Princes Street, created by the Caledonian Railway Company. The station had seven large platforms and a luxurious hotel to accommodate passengers. Even if the station was demolished in 1965, its hotel The Caledonian remains, even if it is no longer in railway ownership. 

It was the 1899, when they beg a n to build a grand railway hotel above the three main entrances of the station. The Hotel was designed by two Edinburgh architects, Peddie and Washington Browne, and it was commonly known as The Caledonian Hotel. The Hotel featured a selection of 205 unique guestrooms, with gold painted ceilings, marble columns and a huge staircase at the entrance. Like the railway station, the Hotel was built in red sandstone. 

The Hotel was known as "The Caley", and soon became one of the most popular Hotel in Edinburgh. In 1923, "The Pompadour" restaurant was opened, which helped its reputation to continue to bloom during the years, becoming one of the most popular fine dining establishments. It was so elegant and exclusive, that it attracted celebrities from all over the world. 

Even when the railway station wasn't active anymore in 1965, the Hotel continue with its popularity. For example, in 1992 it was the site of an important European Council meeting. (HistoricHotels.org, 2022)

When Hilton Hotels acquired the Caledonian in 2000, they started a period of renovations, and Hilton relaunched the Caledonian as the "Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh-The Caledonian" in 2014. 

Nowadays this historic hotel is a member of Historic Hotels Worldwide and it continue to be an international luxury hotel. 

Historichotels (2022) Waldorf Astroria Edinburgh- The Caledonian 2022. Available at History | Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh — The Caledonian (historichotels.org) (accessed on 24th October 2022)

Wikipedia (2022) Edinburgh Princes Street railway station. Available at Edinburgh Princes Street railway station - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (accessed on 24th October 2022)