Main Street Bypassed

During — and due to — redevelopment in the 1960s and 70s, Lindsay Road was extended along the old seafront to meet Pier Place, so by-passing Annfield and Main Street.  Stone walling and plant boxes were built and trees planted to define the north boundary of the square thus creating the attractive edge we have today.

In 1968, however, the Edinburgh City fathers changed the name of St ANDREW’S Square (after the church on Pier Place) to Fishmarket Square to prevent its original name being confused with  Edinburgh New Town’s St ANDREW Square of the end of George Street.  (It would appear that the City Fathers feared that Newhaveners couldn’t cope with an apostrophe!)

Redevelopment

In the days when Newhaven’s prime thoroughfare was Main Street, full of shops and houses and bustling with people, this square was called St Andrew’s Square.   New blocks of council house tenements were built in their place but in designs not sensitive to the original character of Newhaven (as illustrated in the picture below).  The public uproar resulting from this insensitive development resulted in a resolve to attempt a more sensitive treatment and refurbishment of the buildings on the north side of Main Street with their forestairs and lanes between to ensure the original character of old Newhaven would be retained.