Principal's House, Old College

Skene, James, 1817, Wash drawing

Category

Library Item

Item no

669

Title

Principal's House, Old College

Description

In the background are many tenement buildings with smoke rising from chimney stacks. In the foreground are two buildings connected by an archway across a thoroughfare. People are walking under the archway. One of the buildings has a sentry box outside it and a pile of cut timbers. The house has steps leading up to a porch, a lamp also sits above the doorway.

Artist / maker

Skene, James

Date

1817

Size

17 x 23 cm.

Type

Wash drawing

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The construction of Old College, according to Robert Adam's designs, began in 1789. Adams' death and the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars led to the project being halted in 1792. It was recommenced in 1817 by William Playfair, and work was largely completed by the mid 1830's. It was not until 1887 that the final finishing touch, a large dome similar to that in Adam's original design, was put to the building by Robert Rowand Anderson. This dome was topped with a bronze statue the following year. The building is still used by the University of Edinburgh.

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Related subjects

Education > Educational facilities > Universities and colleges

Homes > Residential buildings > Houses

Homes > Residential buildings > Tenements

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

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