The pedimented Ionic porticoes of the gateway contrasted with the ruggedness of
Calton Hill behind. The extravagant Regent Bridge, also designed by Archibald Elliot, was constructed
over the chasm of Low Calton between 1816 and 1819, doubling as a War Memorial and bridge.
In 1821 a new General Post Office was opened on Regent Road, adjoining Waterloo Place, with an imposing
building in classical style. Despite the striking appearance, its location, adjacent to the Calton
Graveyard, was not ideal and the building soon became too small to serve the rapidly growing postal
services, particularly after the introduction of penny postage in 1840.
From an initial 54 workers in 1821, handling around 30,000 letters per week, the establishment had grown to
300 by 1858 and some operations had been forced to move into other rented buildings nearby.
After complaints were made about working conditions in the GPO building, a Medical Officer concluded
that the Office was "ill constructed, ill ventilated, overcrowded and insalubrious" and plans were
put in motion to design a new, and much larger, GPO headquarters for Edinburgh.
