ABOUT THE CITY

About the City with

Peter Bourhill

Royal seal of approval In late June,Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Forfar visited Edinburgh’s St James Quarter for a tour of the new retail-led, lifestyle district that boasts 850,000 sq ft of retail space, and has created 3,000 retail and leisure jobs. Martin Perry, Director of Development at St James Quarter, commented: “Everyone involved has worked incredibly hard over the last 5 years to bring the St James Quarter vision to life and to deliver a world-class destination within the heart of the capital city. A visit from the Royal Household was a great way to top off the phase one opening celebrations.” www.stjamesquarter.com

Nick Peel (Managing Director, St James Quarter), Their Royal Highnesses The Earl and Countess of Forfar, and Martin Perry (Director of Development at St James Quarter)

Floral clock celebrates Botanics’ 350th In late July, work was completed on this year’s design for the world’s oldest Floral Clock, in Edinburgh’s West Princes Street Gardens. For 2021, the hugely popular landmark celebrates the 350th anniversary of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), postponed from 2020 where it was decided - with support from RBGE - to dedicate the floral clock to NHS and key workers, as a message of thanks from the city. A collaboration between the City of Edinburgh Council Parks and Green Spaces and RBGE (who donated many of the plants), saw a team of three gardeners take seven weeks to plant over 35,000 flowers and plants to create the clock, which will be in bloom until October.

New window at Rosslyn Chapel A new stained-glass window has been unveiled in Rosslyn Chapel to mark the 25th anniversary of Rosslyn Chapel Trust, the charity founded in 1995 to oversee its conservation. The window - the first to be installed in 50 years - is the work of renowned ar tist Joe Tilson, RA. The new window continues a tradition of stained-glass commissions at the Chapel, begun in the 1860s by the four th Earl of Rosslyn.The new window has been created by the Scottish Glass Studios in Glasgow, working to Tilson’s design. www.rosslynchapel.com

The Countess of Rosslyn with the new stained glass window (Photo: Rob McDougall)

EdinburghLife September/October 2021 4