Victorian Edinburgh

Content of Course

1. Becoming the ‘capital city’: what did this mean for Edinburgh?

2. Edinburgh in the Victorian Age: an overview.

3. Building the dream cityscape? The architecture and ‘improvement’ schemes.

4. Mine Own Romantic Town? Edinburgh’s writers and their influence on the world.

5. Edinburgh’s political elites: who ran the city?

6. Edinburgh and Queen Victoria: the three visits.

7. The darker side of Edinburgh: poverty, immigration and crime.

8. A madman’s dream? Edinburgh’s artists and galleries.

9. An age of heroes? Edinburgh’s statues and monuments.

10. Edinburgh institutions: university, churches and financial and printing prowess.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course it is intended that students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the complex nature of the Victorian period in Edinburgh, and place that city in the broader context of Scotland, Britain and Europe at the time;

• Demonstrate an ability to analyse the rich array of primary sources for nineteenth-century history, and to handle critically the secondary sources;

• Demonstrate, through oral contribution in classes, and through the assessment where applicable, an ability to conduct research and to structure ideas;

• Demonstrate, through oral contribution in classes and through the assessment where applicable, an ability to organize their own learning and to manage their workload.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• D. Daiches, 1967. Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.

• M. Fry, 2011. Edinburgh. London: Macmillan.

• C. McKean, 1991. Edinburgh. London: Century

Recommended:

• J. Crawford, L. Ferguson, K. Watson, 2010. Victorian Scotland. Edinburgh: RCAHMS.

• B. Edwards et al, 2005. Edinburgh: The Making of a Capital City. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• W. Knox, 1999. Industrial Nation: Work, Culture and Society in Scotland, 1800-Present. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• J. McCaffrey, 1998. Scotland in the Nineteenth Century. London: Macmillan.

• G. Morton and T. Griffiths, eds., 2010. A History of Everyday Life in Scotland, 1800 to 1900. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.

• T. Royle, 1980. Precipitous City: The Story of Literary Edinburgh. Edinburgh: Mainstream.

• R.J Morris and R. Rodger eds., 1993. The Victorian city : a reader in British urban history, 1820-1914. London: Longman.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.