The Grass Market, Looking West, Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

18670

Title

The Grass Market, looking west, Edinburgh

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Engraver

Tombleson, W

Date

1829

Size

9.3 x 15.0 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.

The Grassmarket is an open area situated below Edinburgh Castle at the west end of the Cowgate. It was, for many centuries, an important venue for commercial and social activity in the Old Town. A weekly market was held here from the 15th to the early 20th century. It was also the site of many public executions. The Grassmarket continues to be a popular area for socialising, with a large number of pubs and restaurants.

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Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Horses

Business > Service industry > Markets

Homes > Residential buildings > Tenements

Places > Edinburgh areas > Grassmarket

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Transport > Land > Horse and carts

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