Surrounding the Melville Monument in the centre of St. Andrew Square in central Edinburgh, is St. Andrew Square Garden. Dating from 1770, the garden was an integral part of James Craig's plan for the New Town, however until 2008 it was only accessible to its owners - the residents and businesses located around the Square. A partnership of the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise (Edinburgh and Lothian) has leased the gardens from the proprietors and invested £2.6 million to create a public space with a reflecting pool, new pathways and a modernist glass pavilion housing a cafe. While several mature trees were removed, many remain.
The immense Melville Monument was built in 1823 in memory of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount Melville (1742 - 1811) and new lighting has been provided to highlight the monument at night.
The author Charles Dickens (1812-70) came to Edinburgh in 1834 to attend a charity promenade in the gardens while he was working as a journalist for the Morning Chronicle newspaper. During the First World War American troops camped in the garden, and during the Second World War air-raid shelters were constructed here.
