Buildings on the West End of the Old Town

Category

Library Item

Item no

3073

Title

Buildings on the west end of the ridge of the Old Town, United Free Church College, Bank of Scotland and National Gallery

Description

Amongst the buildings on the Mound in the Old Town of Edinburgh are the neo-classical National Gallery, the Bank of Scotland with its domed roofs and the Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland with its two towers. In the foreground are the trees of Princes Street Gardens.

Artist / maker

Chrystal, Francis M.

Date

1912

Size

16.6 x 21.5 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

'Old Town' is the general name given to the original mediaeval centre of Edinburgh. It consists principally of the Royal Mile and the streets and closes leading from it, including those previously part of the separate burgh of Canongate. 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.

Assembly Hall is situated on Mound Place, just off the Mound in Edinburgh. It is part of a group of buildings constructed for the Free Church of Scotland during the mid-nineteenth century. The building has been used to house the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland since 1929, and also played temporary host to the revived Scottish Parliament between 1999 and 2004. Its rear entrance is on Castlehill.

The Bank of Scotland headquarters is situated at the top of the Mound in Edinburgh. It was designed by Robert Reid and Richard Crichton and built between 1802 and 1806. It was substantially enlarged in the 1860's.

The National Gallery is situated at the foot of the Mound immediately behind the Royal Scottish Academy. W. H. Playfair was the architect for both buildings. The National Gallery's foundation stone was laid by Prince Albert in 1850 and construction was completed in 1854, 28 years after the Academy. It houses Scotland's largest and most important collection of paintings and sculpture from the Renaissance through to the late 19th century. The building is now linked underground to the Royal Scottish Academy.

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Related subjects

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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Buildings on the west end of the Old Town