The most dramatic event in Edinburgh during his tenure were the Burke and Hare murders (1828). In architectural terms his most important act was the Edinburgh Improvement Act of 1827 which conceived the Victoria Street connection from the Grassmarket, connecting to a new north-south road, George IV Bridge, which then connects the Royal Mile to Greyfriars Kirk and The Meadows. Victoria Street is a masterpiece of town planning. The 1827 Act also included a new western approach to the Royal Mile, climbing around the south side of Edinburgh Castle and now known as Johnston Terrace. The western connection in the plan, from Johnston Terrace to the west end of the Grassmarket, was never built.