From the archives: Scots Whitehall, 19 May, 1933

THE plan for the erection of a Scottish Whitehall on the Regent Terrace site in Edinburgh, details of which appeared in The Scotsman of 5 April, has already aroused considerable discussion.

The object of erecting the buildings on this or another site in the Scottish capital is to centralise the various government departments in Scotland. For the first stage it is proposed to utilise only two-thirds of the thousand-foot frontage of Regent Terrace, but the remaining portion and Carlton Terrace might be made available at a later date. At the eastern extremity of the stretch, the erection of a National Hall (or possibly Parliament Buildings, should they ever be needed), with a commanding tower, visible from sea, has been suggested. On the other hand – and this is a consideration which would apparently weigh with the government – the Calton Jail site is at present available and at the disposal of the authorities.

• archive.scotsman.com