Merchiston Tower. Near Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

18713

Title

Merchiston Tower. Near Edinburgh

Description

Merchiston Tower sits surrounded by trees and bushes. The square tower has a round castellated turret attached to it.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Date

1829

Size

9.9 x 6.9 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.

Merchiston Castle is a mediaeval tower house located roughly two miles south west of the centre of Edinburgh. The surrounding lands were acquired by the Napier family in 1438, and the castle appears to also date from the mid 15th Century. It was the home of John Napier (1550-1617) the famous mathematician and theologian. From 1833 to 1930 the building was used as Merchiston Castle School. Following extensive refurbishment in the late 1950's and early 1960's it now forms part of Napier University's Merchiston campus.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Roofs

Architecture > Architectural features > Turrets

Architecture > Architectural features > Windows

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Homes > Residential buildings > Towers

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

Places > Edinburgh areas > Merchiston

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Plants > Trees > Trees

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