The Register Office, Princes Street

Category

Library Item

Item no

18668

Title

The Register Office, Princes Street

Description

Register Office at the east end of Princes Street, Edinburgh is a grand building, with twin clock towers, and a facade with corinthian columns in its centre. There is a large dome on top of the building. The entrance to Register House is set back from the pavement with a wall. Princes Street is busy with people, and an empty horse and cart waits on the road.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Engraver

McClatchie, A

Date

1829

Size

10.7 x 15.3 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image comes from 'Modern Athens', a book of engravings based on drawings by Thomas Shepherd published in 1829. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries Edinburgh was growing rapidly. The popular neoclassical architectural style of the time was inspired by the ancient Greeks and Romans, and Edinburgh was nicknamed 'Athens of the North'. Shepherd's engravings celebrate the beauty of Edinburgh and show many notable buildings and streets both within the city, and further afield.

Register House is situated at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh. It was designed by Robert Adam as a repository for Scotland's public records. Building work began in 1774 and three sides of the quadrangle were completed by the first years of the 19th century. The north side of the quadrangle was added by Robert Reid in the 1820s and early 1830s. A statue of the Duke of Wellington was erected in front of the building in 1852.

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Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Dogs

Animals > Mammals > Horses

Architecture > Architectural features > Arches

Architecture > Architectural features > Clocks and clock towers

Architecture > Architectural features > Doors and doorways

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Clothing and dress > Accessories > Hats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Coats

Clothing and dress > Garments > Dresses

People > Adults > Men

People > Adults > Women

People > Children > Boys

People > Children > Girls

Places > Edinburgh areas > New Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Land > Horse and carriages

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