Edinburgh

Category

Library Item

Item no

1879

Title

Edinburgh

Description

Edinburgh Castle and the buildings which make up the Royal Mile are the background for this scene. The tower and spire of St Giles Cathedral are clearly visible. The foreground shows men playing golf. Some men are holding their clubs while others are preparing to strike golf balls. Many styles of hats are being worn, wide brimmed, top hats, and mop caps. Some of the men have waistcoats while others are wearing frock-coats. The women are wearing full-length dresses.

Artist / maker

Nicholson, F.

Engraver

Walker, J.

Date

1798

Size

13.5 x 17.7 cm

Type

Engraving

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Edinburgh Castle is perhaps the city's most famous landmark. It stands on top of the remaining core of an extinct volcano. Excavations suggest the site was inhabited by Bronze Age man as early as 900 BC, and was fortified by Iron Age man roughly 2000 years ago. The oldest part of the present day Castle is St Margaret's Chapel, built in the early 12th century. The Castle holds the Honours of Scotland and more recently has welcomed back the Stone of Scone otherwise known as the Stone of Destiny.

'Old Town' is the general name given to the original mediaeval centre of Edinburgh. It consists principally of the Royal Mile and Canongate, and the various closes off these streets. It also includes the Cowgate and the Grassmarket. The restricted size of the Old Town necessitated the construction of multi-storey 'lands' from the 1500's onwards, many of which still exist today. Eventually chronic overcrowding led to expansion of the city northwards past the Nor' Loch and southwards beyond the Flodden Wall. The Old Town area has now been classed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Find out more about visiting Edinburgh Castle at Historic Environment Scotland.

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Related images

Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Sports and recreation facilities > Golf courses

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