View Towards Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town

Category

Library Item

Item no

14273

Title

View towards Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town from the Melville Monument

Description

A view from the top of the Melville Monument looking towards Edinburgh castle and the Old Town. The Scott Momument and spire of the Highland Tolbooth St John's Church rise above the surrounding buildings.

Artist / maker

Ansell, Andrew J L

Date

2008

Type

Digital image

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The Melville Monument, St Andrew Square, was erected between 1820 and 1823 to the memory of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount Melville, who died in 1811. The monument comprises an imposing Roman column almost 42 metres in height, crowned by a statue of Dundas. The column itself was designed by William Burn, who received advice on its foundations from Robert Stevenson following concerns expressed by local residents as to its stability. The statue is by the sculptor Robert Forrest from a model by the English sculptor Francis Legatt Chantrey. It was only commissioned when construction of the monument was well underway, and was not added until 1827-28.

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.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Spires

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Places > Edinburgh areas > New Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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