The Balmoral Hotel and Arthur's Seat at Twilight

Category

Library Item

Item no

14366

Title

The Balmoral Hotel and Arthur's Seat at twilight from the Melville Monument, Edinburgh

Description

Floodlights light up the exterior of the Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh in this twilight shot. The clock tower with the Saltire flag flying from it dominates the scene. The arches of the North Bridge can be seen to the right and rising behind is Arthur's Seat and Salisbury Crags.

Artist / maker

MacLean, Kevin

Date

2008

Type

Digital image

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel stands on the corner of North Bridge and Princes Street. The hotel was designed by William Hamilton Beatie. Its construction took place alongside that of the new North Bridge, and was completed in 1902. Formerly called the North British Hotel, it was owned by the North British Railway Company. It was sold by British Rail in the 1980's, and reopened in 1991 under its new name following extensive refurbishment. Its distinctive clock tower forms an unmistakable part of Edinburgh's skyline. It stands at just under 60 metres, with the clock face itself, designed by Hamilton and Inches, being taller than a double-decker bus.

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.

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Related subjects

Landscape > Land > Hills

Places > Edinburgh areas > Holyrood

Places > Edinburgh areas > New Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Public accommodation facilities > Hotels

Transport > Infrastructure > Steel bridges

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