Edinburgh National Trust

Most people probably associate the National Trust with grand country mansions, surrounded by extensive grounds. Or perhaps a historic castle with sweeping views across the landscape. There's plenty of that in the portfolio, but the organisation also maintain properties in the heart of our biggest cities.

The Georgian House is the Trust's prize asset in Edinburgh's New Town. The wide boulevards and terraced stone villas were constructed for the professional classes between 1770 and 1820. Until then, people from all walks of life lived in the medieval and increasingly overcrowded Old Town. 18th-century Edinburgh was one of the few major cities where poor and wealthy citizens inhabited largely the same space. Conditions were unsanitary and the agreed solution was expansion beyond the Nor Loch - which functioned as a cesspit. It was drained as part of the development programme and Princes Street Gardens now occupy most of the site. Those who could afford to, moved into the spacious new apartments arranged in geometric street patterns. The National Trust attraction is located on the elegant Charlotte Square. Next door is Bute House, official residence of Scotland's First Minister. This side of the quad was completed in 1796 and the first family to occupy the Georgian House (No. 7) was the Lamonts. They spent nearly two decades living here and the interior has been restored to reflect the fashions of this particular point in history i.e. the turn of the 19th century. The rooms were tastefully decorated but not extravagant. The Lamont finances were reportedly stretched at times. Gas lighting and the first toilet were installed by the second owner, Catherine Farquharson. She also had a wash house built out the back. Fine views of the distant Forth Estuary can be enjoyed today from the upper north-facing floors. When the property was built, there would have been only farmland between Charlotte Square and the shoreline. I was working my way through the self-guided tour in a top-down manner. Charles Neaves - an advocate and judge - occupied the property with his wife and 11 children for over 40 years during the reign of Queen Victoria. Considerable modifications were made in order to accommodate the larger household, such as an attic extension and extra servant quarters. A pivotal figure in the history Charlotte Square was John Crichton Stuart, the 4th Marquess of Bute. He purchased No. 5 in 1903 as a family townhouse and by the mid-20s had snapped up two adjacent properties (the present-day Georgian House and Bute House). Committed to preserving the architectural significance of the area, Stuart removed many of the Victorian additions. He let out No.7 to an antique dealer and cabinet maker. On the death of the 5th Marquess in 1956, the family passed the three Charlotte Square Properties to the National Trust. The 7th Marquess (also John Crichton-Stuart) raced on the Formula 1 circuit as Johnny Dumfries in the 1980s.

The commercial lease on No.7 expired in 1973 and the building was transformed into the Georgian House visited by 40,000 people annually today. The uppermost floor contained an apartment used by the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland until 1999. The quarters now form the beginning of the house tour. A film depicting the history of the New Town is shown to guests upon arrival. The cooking range in the kitchen dates from the 1790s and was salvaged from a nearby property. It fits into a fireplace added in the late Victorian era. Next door, Bute House is still owned by the Trust and leased to the Scottish Government. Before the reconstituting of the Edinburgh Parliament, the living space was made available to the Secretary of State for Scotland. A pro-Palestine demonstration was taking place outside the political residence as I walked back towards Princes Street. I was bound for the Old Town, where the National Trust have another city-centre venue. I headed up The Mound - an artificial slope built to connect historic Edinburgh with the modern quarter. Earth extracted from the New Town foundations was dumped into the Nor Loch to form the access road. Once on the Royal Mile, I sought out Gladstone's Land, a tall tenement linked to the history of commerce in the Capital. The property has hosted a wide range of business activity, from spirit dealers to shoemakers, bakers to boarding-house keepers, and drapers to dairymen. Thomas Gladstone purchased the property in 1617. To attract wealthy tenants, he extended the building to the front, adding intricate and fashionable painted wooden ceilings in the new rooms he created. These overhead gems were later concealed beneath plaster and remained hidden until the 1930s, when the National Trust acquired the house and uncovered the stunning artwork during renovations. The local authority had declared parts of Gladstone's Land as unfit for human habitation. The modern complex incorporates a café and ice-cream parlour at ground-floor level and tickets for the upper floors are purchased here. I gained free entry with my membership card. Once again, the tour began at the top and I climbed the spiral staircase to the first of three displays - a boarding house for working-class men in the early 20th century. I perused the list of rules and conditions on the wall. The daily fee included one meal. Strictly prohibited were gambling, swearing, drunkenness and fighting. Doors were locked at 10pm and pets were not welcome. I descended to the mid-18th-century drapery, which offered a wide selection of quality cloth. Visitors are encouraged to touch the exhibits and explore the nooks and crannies. The final stop was very impressive. An ornate four-poster bed dominated the room in which the Riddoch family lived. The five children slept on mattresses pulled out from underneath. The Riddochs traded expensive foodstuffs and other imported items out of two ground floor shops. They ran a tavern in the cellar and lived on the fourth floor of the six storey building.

The Old Town was hemmed in between Castle Rock and the Nor Loch. The city walls acted as a further barrier towards expansion and - as a result - many tall precarious buildings were constructed. An economic downturn set in as the wealthy residents decamped to the New Town from the tail-end of the 18th century onwards. While Gladstone's Land retained an air of respectability, it housed workers of lesser skilled trades such as porters, labourers, and rubber workers alongside the skilled craftsmen who did remain. The property also became increasingly subdivided, with smaller apartments rented out at cheaper rates. In 1934, the entire building was scheduled for demolition until it was rescued by the Trust, who paid £760. Restoration work was carried out between 1935 and 1938, creating apartments, a shop, and a suite of showrooms. By 1980, additional conservation projects enabled the building to open as a public museum. Four holiday apartments are available to rent and are tastefully furnished, although access is via the narrow staircase, which may not suit everyone. The listed status of the building restricts the amount of structural changes that can be made. The selected the next available dates on the website and was quoted £348 for a two-night stay, plus a refundable deposit of £200. I guess I'll stick with the Travel Lodge or Premier Inn.