Waverley Mall

Waverley market roof (left)

The old Waverley Market occupied the same place as the current Waverley Mall. The location is in the City Centre, on a plot bordered by Waverley Bridge, Princes Street , the Balmoral Hotel and Edinburgh Waverley railway station.

Before construction of the railways in Edinburgh, a fruit and vegetable market was located under North Bridge. When the present Waverley station was constructed, this fruit and vegetable market was moved to what is now Waverley Mall in 1869.[1] By then the market primarily traded in fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The market was roofed in 1874[1] by Hanna, Donald & Wilson. The iron and steel roof was built up till street level. It hoisted a roof garden, and was very suitable to all kinds of entertainment. In the 1950s most of the vegetable traders moved to warehouses in Market Street, The lower level of Waverley Market then came in heavy use for fairs, circuses, menageries, exhibitions, etc. By the early 1970s however, the roof garden was no longer maintained.[2] In 1973 Waverley Market and its roof were demolished.

Waverley Mall succeeded Waverley Market. It was once home to independent retailers, but now houses mainly high street chain stores, as well as a large food court.

Designed in the early 1980s, Waverley Mall was built with its roof at the street level of Princes Street, with a landscaped plaza at that level, in order to preserve the view from Princes Street across to Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town. It opened as Waverley Market in November 1984, the name referencing the food market that once occupied the site. An official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 25 July 1985.[3]

In the centre's early years the atria were adorned by luxuriant planting and water features, with shoppers descending on escalators from Princes Street through a canopy of trees to the underground plaza.[4]

Major refurbishment in the early 1990s coincided with a change of name to Waverley Shopping Centre. A prominent and popular aspect of the mall introduced at this time was the large water feature which dominated the main atrium and incorporated the 11 ft high Herons Dream sculpture.[5][6] This was removed during refurbishment in the early 2000s when the centre adopted its Princes Mall name.

The mall suffered a decline in popularity in the early 2000s with 12 of the retail units empty at one stage. Major new lettings to fashion retailers CULT and AB10 may indicate the reversal of this decline helped by the improvements carried out by Network Rail to the Waverley Steps access to Waverley Station by the installation of new stairs and escalators, with a glazed roof, and lifts.

Edinburgh's main tourist information centre was located within the same development. It is accessed through a separate entrance on top of the mall.[7]

In March 2016, following a £4 million renovation, the mall, rebranded Waverley Mall, was officially reopened.[8]

The mall is currently owned by Tradehold. The Edinburgh City Council has given approval for a further redevelopment, which will see the rooftop area of the mall being developed adding 3,000m2 to the existing 8,000m2.

• Waverley Mall website