Before and after.   
In 1820 the new Princes Street Gardens were established when the marshes around the former Nor Loch which had separated the old town of Edinburgh from the New Town had been finally drained.  Since then they have been a place of beauty and relaxation for locals and visitors in the city centre. No longer.  It is over two months since the Council started to repair the awful damage to the eastern gardens after most of the damage has been caused by Underbelly with their various “Winter Wonderland” fairground activities and Christmas Market. Most probably between next November and the New Year further damage will happen again.  Despite the Council vowing to restore the gardens to their former glory the destruction will start again in fewer than eight months and the council will again be accused of putting profit before heritage. The muddy scene today contrasts with the extra which I blipped in 2016 and it seems unlikely that it will look like this again by early summer.