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View of Edinburgh from the south
Cye, Thomas, 1850, Watercolour
Item
of 180
View of Edinburgh from the south
View of Edinburgh from the south
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Category
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Item no
10960
Title
View of Edinburgh from the south
Description
Towering above the trees dotted in this open landscape is Edinburgh Castle and the buildings of the Old Town. Salisbury Crags and the hill of Arthur's Seat can also be seen.
Artist / maker
Cye, Thomas
Date
1850
Size
17.6 x 34.2 cm
Type
Watercolour
Location
Edinburgh and Scottish Collection
Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags form an unmistakable part of Edinburgh's skyline. Rising 247 metres above sea level Arthur's Seat is one of five visible volcanic vents left over from volcanic activity in the area 354 million years ago. The peak's name is possibly a corruption of the gaellic Ard-na-saith, meaning height of arrows, indicating a past usage as a practice place for archery. It is also known as the Lion's Head. Salisbury Crags are an igneous sill, composed of cooled magma during the period of volcanic activity and later shaped by glacial erosion. The steep cliffs of the crags provided natural defence for early human inhabitants. Traces of a stone rampart dating from the early part of the first millennium BC have been found there. More recently James Hutton's studies of the Crags led to the release in 1788 of his 'Theory of the Earth', the work which established him in the eyes of many as the father of modern geology.
Edinburgh Castle is perhaps the city's most famous landmark. It stands on top of the remaining core of an extinct volcano. Excavations suggest the site was inhabited by Bronze Age man as early as 900 BC, and was fortified by Iron Age man roughly 2000 years ago. The oldest part of the present day Castle is St Margaret's Chapel, built in the early 12th century. The Castle holds the Honours of Scotland and more recently has welcomed back the Stone of Scone otherwise known as the Stone of Destiny.
Find out more about visiting Edinburgh Castle at
Historic Environment Scotland
.
Exhibitions with this item
The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage
Panoramas of Edinburgh
Other views of this item
Related images
Related subjects
Homes
>
Residential buildings
>
Castles and palaces
Landscape
>
Land
>
Hills
Places
>
Scotland
>
Edinburgh
Plants
>
Trees
>
Trees
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