A Birds Eye View of St Giles's Church

Category

Library Item

Item no

7949

Title

A birds eye view of St Giles's Church with the Council Chamber and the remains of the Gold Smith Hall 1796

Description

St. Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh appears in the centre of numerous buildings. Luckenbooths can be seen cloistered around the base of the church, while an open square opens at its South side.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1880

Size

24.8 x 35.5 cm

Type

Lithograph

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image comes from a large volume entitled, “Edinburgh in the olden time: Displayed in a series of 63 original views between the years 1717 and 1828, reproduced in a facsimile from the original drawings”, published by Thomas George Stevenson in 1880.

46 of the images in the volume set come from a collection which belonged to Reverend John Sime. Reverend Sime was Chaplain to Trinity College Hospital and also to Magdalene Asylum in the Canongate. He died on 28 April 1864, bequeathing his whole effects to his wife. Mrs Sime died 3 September 1869 bequeathing her whole property to the Governors of James Gillespie’s Hospital. Publisher, T G Stevenson was asked to arrange the collection of manuscripts, books, prints, engravings, and drawings. It was then that he discovered 46 of the drawings.

At first, Stevenson credited the drawings to Sime, but having found no mention of them in his diaries or letters, he concluded they must have simply been collected by Sime. The originals were china ink drawings and by chance, he then learnt of 17 more “of the same series” which had been found in an old trunk in the possession of Messrs. Seton & MacKenzie, Booksellers on George Street, where they had been kept for 20 years or more.
Unfortunately, Stevenson was unable to ascertain the artist of these works.

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Business > Service industry > Luckenbooths

Business > Service industry > Shops

Homes > Residential buildings > Flats

Homes > Residential buildings > Tenements

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Religion > Religious facilities > Protestant churches

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