Calton Hill; City Observatory (Edinburgh, Scotland) : Overall aerial view from Nelson Monument; James Craig's Old Observatory House at left, Playfair building center, City Dome, right

Creator:

Playfair, William, 1759-1823

Published/Created:

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Calton Hill, central Edinburgh, east of New Town
1775-1898 (inclusive)

Materials:

stone; copper

Notes:

The site is enclosed by a boundary wall with a monument to John Playfair, president of the Edinburgh Astronomical Institution, in the southeast corner (part of the complex designed by William Playfair, 1818). The oldest part is the Gothic Tower (1775-1777) in the southwest corner, facing Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle. It is also known as Observatory House, the Old Observatory, or after its designer, James Craig House. The central building with the appearance of a Greek temple is the Playfair Building (1818), named after the building's designer William Henry Playfair. This houses the 6-inch (15 cm) refractor in its dome and the 6.4-inch (16 cm) transit telescope in its eastern wing. The largest dome of the site is the City Dome (1898) in the northeast corner. During the early 20th century this contained a 22-inch (56 cm) refractor.

Variant Titles:

City Observatory

Topics:

Architecture -- Britain -- 19th century -- (YVRC)
Architecture -- Scotland -- 19th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Gothic Revival
Greek Revival
Nineteenth century

Culture:

British
Scottish

Accession Number:

1A2-SC-E-CH-A32

Coordinates:

+55.954952-3.183445

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
observatories (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

buildings; research buildings; observatories architecture; scientific or medical; Astronomy; Timekeeping

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Seven

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4349

OID:

10472501

PID:

digcoll:1861125