Ruins of Roslyn [Rosslyn] Castle. Near Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

18714

Title

Ruins of Roslyn [Rosslyn] Castle. Near Edinburgh

Description

The ruins of Rosslyn Castle sit behind large boulders and trees.

Artist / maker

Shepherd, Thomas Hosmer

Engraver

Radclyffe, W

Date

1829

Size

9.6 x 6.8 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.

Rosslyn Castle is situated roughly half a mile north of the village of Roslin, Midlothian. It stands in an imposing and picturesque position above the River North Esk. The castle was built in the first half of the 14th century by Sir Henry St Clair, following the Scottish victory at Roslin in 1303. The castle underwent numerous changes over the subsequent centuries, including the repair of substantial fire damage in the mid 15th century. Damage caused by Cromwell's troops in 1651 effectively ended the building's military utility. Only a portion of the castle's structure was restored as a country house. This section is still occupied today.

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Related subjects

Architecture > Architectural features > Arches

Homes > Derelict buildings and excavation sites > Ruins

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Landscape > Land > Rocks

Places > Scotland > Midlothian

Plants > Trees > Trees