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Calton Hill
Today we will take a stroll through another wonderful place in Edinburgh which is known not only as a place with a rich history, but also as a place which offers beautiful views of the city and stunning sunset views
If you go up Leith Walk (and we are currently going uphill from this place) then turn to the left and you will see a small hill with a monument rising to the sky.
Well, not necessarily from Leith Walk. You can go in a straight line along Princes Street, the main street of Edinburgh to the East End and to the intersection of Leith Walk and the Bridges.
This is Calton Hill, a traditional resting place for the inhabitants of Edinburgh. It has numerous monuments and an observation deck which offers a beautiful view of the city.
Calton Hill is an extinct volcano and is located right in the centre of the city. It is one of the main hills of Edinburgh and is unmistakably recognizable with an Athenian Acropolis rising above its horizon from afar.
Nelson Monumen
The Nelson Monument comes into view immediately after climbing its stairs. It was built in 1805 in memory of Admiral Lord Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar. It is in the shape of an inverted telescope. You can see stunning views of Edinburgh and the sea from the top. It was completed in 1816 however a temporary ball was added to the top of the structure in 1852 in the hope that ships in the Firth of Forth would be able to set the time correctly. The ascent to the top of the monument is unfortunately currently unavailable for unknown reasons.
Dugald Stewart Monument
Another monument on Calton Hill is dedicated to Douglas Stewart, Scottish philosopher, and professor at University of Edinburgh. He held the chair of moral philosophy from 1786 up until his death in 1828. The Royal Society of Edinburgh commissioned the monument and chose the site for its erection in 1830.
National Monument of Scotland
The Acropolis was founded in 1816 and is perched above the hilltop. It is an unfinished national monument of Scotland. The monument became a replica of the Parthenon in Athens as a memorial to those who died in the Napoleonic Wars a year after Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.
Top of the hill and view of Edinburgh
The Hilltop with its grassy slopes and panoramic views of the city is usually a quiet place to come to during the day. From here you have a good view of the reddish cliffs of Salisbury Crags, Arthur’s Seat, and the hilly slopes of Holyrood Park. With spectacular views, sunset is often the busiest time of the day.
City Observatory
And this is the building of the city observatory. It was the main centre for astronomers until 1896 when, due to light pollution in the city centre spoiling the view of the night sky, it was decided to move to Blackford. The site and buildings reopened in 2018 after extensive renovations and is now home to the Collective Art Gallery.
The temple-like neoclassical structure at the centre of the site is an observatory which was designed by famed Edinburgh architect William Playfair in 1818.
In 1834 Professor Thomas Henderson was appointed as the first Astronomer Royal to work in this building. He is credited with discovering a way to measure parallax and the distance to a star as per his previous work in South Africa.
