56 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Sights 57
Georgian House
NTS; http://www.nts.org.uk/Property/Georgian-House/; 7 Charlotte
Sq; adult/child £7/5.50; 10am-6pm Jul & Aug, 10am-5pm Apr-
Jun & Sep-Oct, 11am-4pm Mar & Nov; buses 36, 47
The National Trust for Scotland’s Georgian House has been
beautifully restored and furnished to show how Edinburgh’s
wealthy elite lived at the end of the 18th century. The walls are
decorated with paintings by Allan Ramsay, Sir Henry Raeburn
and Sir Joshua Reynolds, and there’s a fully equipped 18th-
century kitchen complete with china closet and wine cellar.
The venue is not wheelchair-accessible. However, a Braille
guidebook and large-print information are available, along with
a guided touch tour (book in advance) and a subtitled video with
an induction loop.
Mansfield Place Church
http://www.mansfieldtraquair.org.uk; Mansfield Pl; 1-4pm 2nd Sun of
the month Jan-Nov, 11am-1pm most days Aug; bus 8
In complete contrast to the austerity of most of Edinburgh’s
religious buildings, this 19th-century, neo-Romanesque church
at the foot of Broughton St contains a remarkable series of
Renaissance-style frescos painted in the 1890s by Irish-born
artist Phoebe Anna Traquair (1852–1936). The murals have been
restored and are on view to the public (check the website for
any changes to viewing times). It’s wheelchair-accessible, with a
wheelchair-accessible toilet on the lower floor, accessed via a lift.
Princes Street Gardens
Princes St; dawn-dusk; all Princes St buses
These beautiful gardens lie in a valley that was once occupied by
the Nor’ Loch (North Loch), a boggy depression that was drained
in the early 19th century. At the gate beside The Mound is the
Floral Clock, a working clock laid out in flowers; it was first creat-
ed in 1903 and the design changes every year.
In the middle of the western part of the gardens is the Ross
Bandstand, a venue for open-air concerts in summer and at Hog-
manay, and the stage for the famous Fireworks Concert during
the Edinburgh Festival.
The gardens are split in the middle by The Mound – around two
million cart-loads of earth dug out from foundations during the
construction of the New Town and dumped here to provide a road
link across the valley to the Old Town. It was completed in 1830.
There are good public transport connections, with a tram
stop nearby, a bus stop right outside the gates and Waverley
Station just across the road. Wheelchair users should use the
Waverley Bridge entrance since the entrance from Princes St to
the East Gardens is not accessible.
A lift takes you down to the garden cafe at the National Galler-
ies, where there is plenty of space and tables outside to admire
the views. Going back up you can use the paths, although man-
ual wheelchair users are advised to take the lift since the paths
are steep. The Galleries have an accessible toilet, and there are
others not far away at St Andrew Sq, Waverley Station and the
Waverley Shopping Centre.
All of the pods in the Festival Wheel are wheelchair-accessible
for manual wheelchair users using a portable ramp; if you are a
power chair user you will need to confirm with the booking office
regarding the weight and size of your chair.Royal Scottish Academy
0131-225 6671; http://www.royalscottishacademy.org; The Mound;
fee for special exhibitions; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun;
Princes St busesThis Greek Doric temple, with its northern pediment crowned by
a seated figure of Queen Victoria, is the home of the Royal Scot-
tish Academy. Designed by William Playfair and built between
1823 and 1836, the RSA took over the building in 1910. The galler-
ies display a collection of paintings, sculptures and architectural
drawings by academy members dating from 1831, and they also
host temporary exhibitions throughout the year.
The RSA and the Scottish National Gallery are linked via an
underground mall – the Weston Link – which gives them twice
the temporary exhibition space of the Prado in Madrid and three
times that of the Royal Academy in London, as well as housing
cloakrooms, a lecture theatre and a restaurant.
Access for wheelchairs is to the rear of the building, between
the RSA and the National Gallery. The Gardens Entrance is ac-
cessible via lift from both the National Gallery and the rear of the
Academy.Scottish National Gallery
http://www.nationalgalleries.org; The Mound; fee for special exhibi-
tions; 10am-5pm Fri-Wed, to 7pm Thu; Princes St busesDesigned by William Playfair, this imposing classical building with
its Ionic porticoes dates from the 1850s. Its octagonal rooms, lit