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Assembly Rooms, George Street

The 'new' Assembly Rooms for the New Town opened in 1787, replacing older establishments in the West Bow, Assembly Close and George Square. It was here at a dinner in 1827 that Walter Scott, who lived in nearby Castle Street, revealed the identity of the 'Great Unknown', as the anonymous author of the 'Waverley' novels had been dubbed.

"The unexpected newness of the thing, the profusion of original characters, the Scotch language, Scotch scenery, Scotch men and women, the simplicity of the writing, and the graphic force of the descriptions - all struck us with a shock of delight. (...) If the concealment of the authorship of the novels was intended to make mystery heighten their effect, it completely succeeded." -- Henry, Lord Cockburn, Memorials Of His Time, 1856