Marchmont is a mainly residential area of Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies roughly one mile to the south of the Old Town, separated from it by The Meadows and Bruntsfield Links. To the west it is bounded by Bruntsfield; to the south-southwest by Greenhill and then Morningside; to the south-southeast by The Grange; and to the east by Sciennes. The area is characterised by four- and five-storey tenements blocks built in the Scots Baronial style. Most of the area was developed in the 1870s and 1880s and there has been little change to its structure since then. Marchmont remains popular with older residents, young professionals and students. It was designated as a Conservation Area in 1987 along with Bruntsfield and the Meadows. History The area was developed as a planned middle-class suburb by Sir George Warrender, the owner of Bruntsfield House and the surrounding estate (which was also known as the Warrender Park) in the middle of the 19th century. This was at a time of rapid population growth in Edinburgh, stimulating a significant increase in the demand for housing. The original feuing plan laid out by architect David Bryce in 1869 called for mainly terraced villas, with a number of large, detached villas on Marchmont Road. However, this was superseded by a more comprehensive plan prepared by the firm of John Watherston & Sons. This proposed that all buildings were to be four- or five-storey tenements, some with commercial premises on the ground floor frontages. Most of the buildings were completed in the 1870s and 1880s. The first tenements to go up were mostly in pink sandstone in the Scots Baronial style; these are by architects such as Edward Calvert. The later buildings, which were often in blonde sandstone and in a plainer, more uniform style, include works by Hippolyte Blanc, John Charles Hay and Thomas P. Marwick. Key buildings such as churches are mainly by the then city architect, Robert Morham. Originally, the area was not allowed to have any premises selling alcohol, although that is no longer the case. Street names As was the usual practice at the time, the area's street names were derived from members of the developer's family or places associated with them. Sir George Warrender's wife, Helen, was the daughter of the 5th Earl of Marchmont, hence the name of the district. Thirlestane Street and Lauderdale Street were named in honour of Sir George's