Caledonian Hotel, Edinburgh
From its opening in 1903 until the last train left in September 1965, the magnificent red sandstone hotel built by the Caledonian Railway at the west end of the Scottish capital's famous thoroughfare fronted Edinburgh Princes Street Station.
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Princes Street,
Edinburgh
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From its opening in 1903 until the last train left in September 1965, the magnificent red sandstone hotel built by the Caledonian Railway at the west end of the Scottish capital's famous thoroughfare fronted Edinburgh Princes Street Station.
Trains hauled by locomotives in the Caledonian's distinctive blue livery and later in LMS red left there for English destinations including Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and until World War Two London Euston, for Scottish ones including Glasgow Central via Shotts, Lanark, Oban and Perth and on local routes to Balerno, Barnton and Leith North closed in 1943, 1951 and 1962 respectively.
On closure the Hotel extended to form a triangle on the station site and the railway route became the Western Approach Road. However, the gate used by cars and taxis has been retained and recently restored in Caledonian colours. The station clock is on display, still by tradition a couple of minutes early so that travellers may not miss their trains. A roll of honour recalls the service of Caledonian Railway staff in the Great War, and coats of arms recall the destinations served from the station, while in the portico above the entrance may be seen the image of a locomotive with a characteristic stove-pipe chimney.
The Hotel has changed ownership several times since being sold by British Railways in 1981, latterly becoming a Waldorf Astoria and recently passed into the hands of the Hilton Group. It retains the traditions of Scottish hospitality that have caused many stars of stage and screen to stay here, notably during the Edinburgh International Festival, and shows pride in its origins by offering twice-weekly free tours of its heritage.
Ross,David; The Caledonian - Scotland's Inperial Railway, A History, Stenlake Publishing, 2018