The inside story of Scotland's capital

EDINBURGH is known the world over as a beautiful city. From its ancient beginnings, to its Georgian splendour, its Greco-Roman inspired status symbols and its historic and architecturally significant institutions of learning – the city has an iconic skyline. But what about behind those spectacular façades? Who among us wouldn't want to get a peek inside spaces that are usually out of bounds?

• David Torrance wanted to explore and uncover the Edinburgh that has remained hidden behind closed doors

For David Torrance this was the challenge. It wasn't so much about getting into spaces which are private, although some are, but more about taking some time to look inside places that often city-dwellers simply walk by, oblivious to what's hidden inside.

The Edinburgh-based writer knew from a stint of living in London that getting under the skin of a place offers a unique insight into its character. He couldn't believe that in bookshops whose shelves bowed with titles on Edinburgh's architecture, its lost or even unbuilt buildings, there was nothing which did the same for Scotland's capital city. The result is a collaboration with photographer Steven Richmond and many visits to some of Edinburgh's most celebrated spaces as well a few hidden treasures.

• In pictures: The inside story of Edinburgh's great buildings

"So many buildings are either not accessible to the public or people simply don't know about them," says Torrance. "I wanted to take a look at some of the spaces that people don't know so well. The international view of Edinburgh is of beautiful Georgian terraces and all the nice bits. There's a lot more to the city than that. But in so many cases you can't look inside."

Of course, the way a city looks says much about its inhabitants – what they do, what they think of themselves and, most importantly, what they want others to think of them. Wander around the Old and New Towns and all around evidence of the city's intellectual and commercial history, as well as its aspirations, is staring you in the face. But what about behind closed doors?

Edinburgh is a city that lends itself to the exploration of the difference between public and private. It's why Stevenson used his knowledge of the split personality of his home city – divided between the old and the new, the prim and presentable set against the unsettling underbelly – to inform The Strange Tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. "Few places, if any, offer a more barbaric display of contrasts to the eye," was Stevenson's comment. And the same might be said of the interiors Torrance includes.

"The interior that inspired the book was the dining room of the New Club on Princes Street," he says. "It has the original panelling and some of the paintings from the original building which was demolished in the 1960s. It always fascinated me that the interior had been transplanted into that modern, concrete interior."

For Torrance it hints at the links across history – buildings that appear modern but in some way maintain a link to the past. He had a similar interest in the shops such as the barbershop in Raeburn Place and the opticians on Forrest Road, which have maintained the same interior and fittings for decades. "It's fascinating that buildings which are in constant use manage to retain their original design and construction." His favourite space is the candlelit meeting room of the Speculative Society, which he believes was last photographed in the 60s: "That's the ultimate in hidden interiors. Only a very select group of people get to see that and it was also one of the most atmospheric, with no electric light." Here, we produce a selection of special places from the book.

• Inside Edinburgh: Discovering the Classic Interiors of Edinburgh by David Torrance, photographs by Steven Richmond, is published next month by Birlinn.HIDDEN GEMS DOTTED AROUND THE CITY:

Drumsheugh Baths Club, Belford Road

Designed by John J Burnet in 1882, this is the oldest private swimming club in Edinburgh. The main bath, which is 70ft (21m) in length, has an open timber roof, seven Moorish arches on cast-iron columns and a mezzanine gallery for access to the diving board.

17 Heriot Row

The Georgian precision and opulence of the New Town streets is well matched in the homes' interiors. No 17 Heriot Row was the home of engineer Thomas Stevenson and his son Robert Louis Stevenson from 1857 to 1880. Still a family home, the house is rented out for meetings and conferences.

The Advocates' Library, Parliament House

Widely regarded as the ?nest working law library in the UK, this place of learning was formally inaugurated in 1689. The Faculty of Advocates donated its whole non-law collection (comprising 750,000 books, pamphlets, manuscripts, maps and sheet music) to the new National Library of Scotland in 1925. Faculty members can still study the remaining legal texts under William Playfair's ?ne gold-panelled ceiling.

The Speculative Society, Old College

Founded in 1764, The Speculative Society is dedicated to public speaking and literary composition. Forming part of the Robert Adam-designed Old College at the University of Edinburgh, the 'Spec Halls' were ?tted out by William Playfair in 1817–18. Largely unchanged since, the meeting room features a lectern designed for the society by the cabinet-maker William Trotter, also known for his work at the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Ernest C Goll, Raeburn Place

This Stockbridge barbershop is a perfect little time capsule. With simple, elegant Art Deco design you can practically smell the Brylcreem from the photograph. Hardly changed since it opened in the 1930s, it sits inconspicuously on Raeburn Place and harks back to a time before driers and straighteners, highlights and extensions.

St John's Episcopal Church, Princes Street

How many times have you walked past this church nestled at the west end of Princes Street? Designed by William Burn and built in 1818, aspects of the church were inspired by King Henry VII's chapel in Westminster Abbey. The originally plain windows were filled with stained glass between 1857 and 1861 by Edinburgh firm Ballantine & Allan.

The Dome, George Street

Many of the city's grand spaces have been reclaimed from former corporate existences and transformed into entertainment venues. None has achieved this more successfully than The Dome. The Greco-Roman building was originally the head office of the Commercial Bank of Scotland before it was occupied by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Designed by David Rhind in the 1840s, the building boasts Devonshire marble columns and a marble mosaic floor.The Mansfield Traquair Centre, Mansfield Place

The murals which earned this building the title "Edinburgh's Sistine Chapel" took Phoebe Anna Traquair eight years to create. A series of religious scenes, inspired by William Blake, they were commissioned in 1892 when the building was a Catholic Apostolic church. The work was completed in 1901 and painstakingly restored a century later.

The Scotsman Hotel, North Bridge

Transformation hasn't only been focused on the city's former financial institutions. Dunn & Findlay's Scotsman Buildings are now a hotel. The mahogany-panelled public office space is now a brasserie. Rumour has it that there remains some original graffiti from Scotsman journalists squirrelled away in inconspicuous places.

The Oxford Bar, Young Street

Edinburgh has plenty of opulent drinking spots replete with ornate plasterwork, glistening tiles and brasses you can see your face in. But there's another type of pub too, probably best typified by the Oxford Bar. Now best known as a certain fictional Edinburgh detective's local, it's been a writers' pub since early 20th century. Scottish Renaissance writer Sydney Goodsir Smith immortalised the pub with his "Carotid Cornucopius", a tour of Edinburgh's drinking dens, in which he described it as "Wullie Roose's Coxfork in Bung Strait".