Edinburgh Castle from Princes St [Street]

Category

Library Item

Item no

7810

Title

Edinburgh Castle from Princes St [Street]

Description

A seated man looks out from a bench in Princes Street Gardens at the paths, trees and landmarks before him. Nearby is the stone balustrade of steps joining levels of the garden. On the upper ground are the art galleries of the Royal Scottish Academy and the National Gallery of Scotland, above these buildings is Edinburgh Castle. The twin towers of New College are towards the top of the Mound.

Artist / maker

Wilson, George Washington

Date

1880

Size

11 x 17 cm

Type

Photograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

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.

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.

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 > Towers

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Activities > Sitting

Sport and leisure > Culture > Galleries

Transport > Infrastructure > Trails and paths

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