View of North Bridge and Edinburgh Castle

Category

Library Item

Item no

7206

Title

View of Old Calton Burial Ground, Princes Street, North Bridge and Edinburgh Castle

Description

A view over central Edinburgh with many famous city landmarks. The Old Calton Burial Ground and the Governor's House of the Calton Gaol can be seen in the foreground. Behind them the North Bridge towers over Waverley Station. Edinburgh Castle presides over the Old Town to its left and the New Town on the right.

Artist / maker

MacLean, Kevin

Date

2007

Size

25.4 x 19 cm

Type

Digital image

Location

Edinburgh and Scottish Collection

This image has been chosen for the Edinburgh - Past and Present Exhibition by Rory Bremner, Satirical Impressionist - "This iconic view from Calton Hill lays out Edinburgh's history before you: from St Giles' Cathedral and the cheek-by-jowl tenements of the old town to William Playfair's grand National Gallery at the foot of the Mound and the northern fringes of James Craig's New Town. And above it all, brooding and majestic, the Castle" Rory Bremner.

The main part of the Old Calton Burial Ground stands immediately to south of Waterloo Place. The cemetery was bisected by the construction of that road in 1820, and the bodies disturbed by the work were moved to a new site a little way to the east. The Old Calton Burial Ground has several notable structures within it. The Emancipation Monument stands in memory of those Scottish-American soldiers fought for the Union during the American Civil War. There is also a monument to the celebrated philosopher David Hume. A large obelisk stands as a monument to those radical reformers, including Thomas Muir, who were tried, convicted and deported for sedition in 1793. In the wake of the French and American Revolutions Muir and his associates had been active in a widespread movement for political and social reform in Britain. The movement attracted alarm and extreme sanction from both the political establishment and conservative elements in society.

Princes Street is one of the main thoroughfares and shopping areas in Edinburgh. It was created as part of James Craig's New Town development and named in honour of George III's sons. With the exception of St John's Church there is no building on the southern side of Princes Street, allowing spectacular views of Edinburgh Castle and Old Town.

The original North Bridge was completed in 1772 to provide access from Edinburgh's Old Town to the planned New Town development in the north of the city. It was widened in the 1870's to accommodate increased traffic, and was finally rebuilt between 1894-7 alongside the development at Waverley. Mid way along the bridge there is a memorial to men of the King's Own Scottish Borderers killed in the Boer War. Its even gradient was designed to make it suitable for tramcars.

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.

Exhibitions with this item

Other views of this item

Related images

Related subjects

Homes > Residential buildings > Castles and palaces

Places > Edinburgh areas > Calton

Places > Edinburgh areas > Old Town

Places > Edinburgh areas > Princes Street

Places > Scotland > Edinburgh

Religion > Religious facilities > Graveyards

Transport > Infrastructure > Railway stations

Transport > Infrastructure > Roads

Transport > Infrastructure > Stone bridges

Option	Price
Digital FileElectronic file 72 dpi JPEG	£6.10(inc. VAT 20%)
Digital FileElectronic File 300 dpi TIFF	£31.00(inc. VAT 20%)
You can view and use digital images for personal and educational use. For more information, read our policy on image use. If you wish to use our images for commercial use, please contact us.