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Burt's Close, Grassmarket
Channing, William, 1850, Pencil work
Burt's Close, Grassmarket
Burt's Close, Grassmarket
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Item no
19182
Title
Burt's Close, Grassmarket
Artist / maker
Channing, William
Date
1850
Size
25.2 x 17.4 cm
Type
Pencil work
Location
Edinburgh and Scottish Collection
Burt's Close was situated on the south side of the Grassmarket near the corner of Candlemaker row. It was entirely demolished by the Improvement Act of 1866.
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.
William Channing's drawings and paintings from the bound volume of his 'Sketches in Edinburgh', give an artist's impression of tenement life in the mid 19th century. His drawings are glimpses into the past down the narrow Closes and alleyways of the Old Town. We see higgledy-piggledy houses and tenements towering skywards, laundry hanging from windows across the walkways and local characters talking in the streets.
Channing's delightful sketches are particularly valued for their representation of the architectural elements and details of buildings and closes now much changed or long since disappeared.
Exhibitions with this item
Wm. Channing's sketches in Edinburgh (1)
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The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries The image library for the collections of Edinburgh Libraries and Museums and Galleries