Edinburgh Castle from the Vennel

Category

Library Item

Item no

1940

Title

Edinburgh Castle from the Vennel

Description

Edinburgh Castle is in the background for this scene of a narrow downward sloping street, also known as a vennel. Houses are either side of the cobblestone thoroughfare. Stairs lead up to the doorways of some of the slate tiled houses. A handrail is beside the steps. Street lamps are along both sides of the vennel. Washing hangs from a rail outside a window. The sign for the Salvation Army Womens Shelter is just visible.

Artist / maker

Burns, Archibald

Date

1868

Size

15.5 x 11 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

Despite living in the New Town, Robert Louis Stevenson was well acquainted with the shabby charm of Edinburgh's Old Town. The author was known to frequent some of the less respectable establishments in this area, especially during his bohemian university days. This image depicts the tenements, dark closes and narrow wynds characteristic of the Old Town at this time.

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.

The Vennel is a narrow street in Edinburgh leading from West Port near the Grassmarket to Heriot Place near George Heriot's School. 'Vennel' is a Scots word meaning 'steep lane'.

The word cobble has been used here to help with searching, an alternative term is sett. Sett stones describe both the type of stone and the method in which they are used.

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

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Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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