Edinburgh from the Braid Hills

Category

Library Item

Item no

689

Title

Edinburgh from the Braid Hills

Description

A view of a Edinburgh from the Braid Hills. The prominent features are Arthur's Seat and the Castle Rock, silhouettes of other tall buildings are visible. Hills and a river lie beyond the city. In the foreground a shepherd and his dog are tending a flock of sheep.

Artist / maker

Skene, James

Date

1827

Size

14 x 34 cm.

Type

Watercolour

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

The Braid Hills lie south of Edinburgh, between Blackford Hill and the Pentlands. Today most of their area is taken up with golf courses.

View a map of the Braid Hills

The city of Edinburgh is built around seven hills, mostly volcanic in origin. It is bordered to its north by the Firth of Forth, and to its south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh has been Scotland's capital since the mid fifteenth century, but evidence of human habitation on the site stretches back some 7000 years. The central city is made up of the Old Town area immediately surrounding the Castle and the Royal Mile, and the New Town to the north, an important example of eighteenth and nineteenth century neoclassical town planning. These central areas were designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Other more modern developments, from the nineteenth century to the present, radiate from this central area incorporating many older villages. Edinburgh attracts more tourists than any other city in the UK except London, especially during the annual festivals in August.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Animals > Mammals > Dogs

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Landscape > Land > Hills

Landscape > Land > Rock formations

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Plants > Trees > Trees

Read how our collections have inspired people taking part in events, visits and community groups. Use the slider or navigation arrows to see more responses.