First floor, landing staircase, detail of thistle design etched in window. Digital image of C 44300.

Description First floor, landing staircase, detail of thistle design etched in window. Digital image of C 44300.

Date 23/10/1994

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 721025

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of C 44300

Scope and Content Thistle etched into the window on the first-floor landing, National Library of Scotland, No 57 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh The National Library of Scotland was designed by architect Reginald Fairlie (1883-1952) between 1934 and 1936, and built 1937-9 (initial construction period). It was completed 1950-5 with A R Conlon as architect. This Neo-Classical library is nine storeys high, with two storeys on George IV Bridge, and the remaining seven below the bridge on the Cowgate. This shows the emblem of Scotland, the thistle, etched into textured glass which was designed by architect A R Conlon, and completed by artist Helen Turner. This design is one of many which decorate the large window lighting the grand staircase. Most of the emblems refer to the beneficiaries of the library. The design is executed in a restrained and elegant Art Deco style. The National Library of Scotland evolved from the collection of the Society of Advocates, whose library was inaugurated in 1689. In the 1920s Sir Alexander Grant gifted a fund of £200,000 to construct a new building for the collection, which continues to grow to this day. This building has been selected as one of Scotland's key 20th-century Modern architectural monuments. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/721025

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap