The Pleasure gardens attached to the new town, the subscription gardens, are sometimes referred to as 'pleasure grounds', or simply as 'the New Town Gardens'. Created for the benefit of those living beside them or close by, their contribution to the overall appearance of Edinburgh's Georgian New Town and its later Victorian additions cannot be overemphasised. This extensively and thoroughly researched book is an invaluable and long-awaited companion to Edinburgh's New Town gardens from a broad mix of perspectives, including, gardening, town planning, social customs and the domestic architecture of one of Europe's most celebrated cities. Tracing the history of the gardens from the days of the Enlightenment to the present day, Connie Byrom shows that the Gardens did not evolve in the neat way that maps and plans suggest, but that their inception involved a great deal of time, effort and negotiating skills from a large number of people; and on occasions a fair bit of fighting to preserve their patch of open space for the benefit of the wider community and the lasting adornment of Scotland's capital.
Never before have they been considered together or in relation to the building developments to which they are attached. Lavishly illustrated in black and white and character, The Gardens of the New Town covers all the gardens in the centre of the city from the large public spaces of Princes Street Gardens to the more intimate and secluded gardens of the elegant New Town crescents.