View from Castle slopes

Category

Library Item

Item no

3520

Title

View from Castle slopes

Description

A view over Edinburgh from the slopes of the Castle Rock. On the Mound lie the classical buildings of the National Gallery and Royal Scottish Academy. Behind them rises the tall edifice of the Scott Monument. In the foreground a footbridge crosses the railway tracks in Princes Street Gardens.

Artist / maker

Keith, Thomas

Date

1856

Size

25 x 28 cm

Type

Paper negative

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.

The Scott Monument was built as a memorial to the writer Sir Walter Scott. Construction took place between 1840-1846 on the George Kemp design. Two hundred and eighty seven steps take you to the top, offering views along Edinburgh's Princes Street.

Calton Hill is situated at the east end of Princes Street in Edinburgh. It rises to a height of 108 metres and is another of the city's hills created by volcanic activity. Several monuments stand on the hill. Most prominent amongst these are the Nelson Monument, built in the shape of a telescope, and the unfinished National Monument, modelled on the Parthenon in Athens.

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Related images

Related subjects

Architecture > Monuments > Memorial monuments

Landscape > Landscape architectural facilities > Gardens

Places > Edinburgh areas > Calton Hill

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Sport and leisure > Culture > Galleries

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