Edinburgh, Calton Hill, City Observatory
Observatory (19th Century)
Site Name Edinburgh, Calton Hill, City Observatory
Classification Observatory (19th Century)
Alternative Name(s) Old Royal Observatory; Old Observatory
Canmore ID 52226
Site Number NT27SE 202
NGR NT 26197 74184
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/52226
First 100 images shown. See the Collections panel (below) for a link to all digital images.
- Council Edinburgh, City Of
- Parish Edinburgh (Edinburgh, City Of)
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District City Of Edinburgh
- Former County Midlothian
NT27SE 202.00 26197 74184
NT27SE 202.01 NT 26160 74164 Observatory House (Old Observatory)
NT27SE 202.02 NT 2620 7420 Watching Brief
NT27SE 202.03 NT 26222 74203 City Dome
NT27SE 202.00 26197 74184
NT27SE 202.01 NT 26160 74164 Observatory House (Old Observatory)
NT27SE 202.02 NT 2620 7420 Watching Brief
NT27SE 202.03 NT 26222 74203 City Dome
See also:
NT27SE 1265 NT 26227 74162 Playfair's Monument
REFERENCE
City Architect's Plan Store, Drawer No.85 contains:-
1. Plan of the Calton Hill Observatory dated Dec.1816 and signed by Ja. Jardine, accompanyiing report to the Committee of the Town Council 15 April. Scale half-inch to 10 feet (This drawing has now been moved to the NMRS see DC/6186)
2. Tracing cloth copy of General Plan of "The Astonomical Institution" signed by W.H.Playfair and dated 16th November. 1827. Shows new arrangement of Boundary Walls, &c. Scale Half inch to 10 feet.
3. Plan of ground floor of the Observatory, to scale 3 inches to 10 feet. Dimensioned. (Possible moved to NMRS see DC/6187)
4. Front elevation of ditto, to same scale, Demensioned. (Possbilby moved to NMRS see DC/6188)
5. Full-size of Entablature, cloth tracing copied from drawing signed by W.H.Playfair 20th July, 1818
6. Sketch plan and section of Telescope House on which sanction was given by the Lord Provost, Magistrates and Council for the erection buildings on the Calton Hill. Signed by J.P.D. Robertson and J.N.A. Macdonald, 19th July, 1895.
7. Working plan and section of ditto, dated October 1895. (Possibly moved to NMRS see DC/6191)
8. Detail of stonework &c. of ditto, dated October , 1895. (Possibly moved to NMRS see DC/6190)
9. Plan of additions to "Assistant Astonomer's House". Cloth of 1896
Also
Plan of "Assistant Astronomers House" additions to, scalte 1 1/2" to 10' Basement Floor. no date
Plan of "Astronomers House" shewing alterations to drains, Scalte 1 1/2" to 10'. Public Works Office. 5th December 1896.
NMRS received Photoprints of 2 and 9 above (See EDD/25/2 and EDD/4 respectively), photostat copy of 1 (See Edd/25/1) and Prints of copies of drawings 3 and 4 by A A MacCulloch (See Edd/25/5 and Edd/25/6) respectively)
EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY LIBRARY: PLAYFAIR COLLECTION
Main Building - 1818 - 21 sheets, p.5
Boundary Walls - 1827 - 8 sheets. p.5
Prof. Playfair's Monument - 1825 - 6 sheets, p.5.
(Undated) information in NMRS.
Standing Building Recording (8 November 2016 - 11 July 2018)
As part of a project to renovate the City Observatory AOC Archaeology Group undertook an initial programme of historic building recording
followed by a structural watching brief on all ground-breaking works and renovations to the Observatory and Transit House.
Information from Diana Sproat (AOC Archaeology Group) 20 July 2018. OASIS ID: aocarcha1-274312
Project (8 November 2016 - 20 July 2018)
NT 26198 74192 A programme of archaeological work was undertaken, 8 November 2016 – 25 June 2018, during work to the City Observatory and its associated Transit House, together with the demolition of three former observatory domes and a toilet block, in advance of new development.
The City Observatory was constructed in 1818 to a design by William Playfair and replaced an earlier observatory constructed in 1776 by Thomas Short, which was built at the same time as Observatory House. The 2017 – 18 renovations to the observatory removed an internal partition to the ground floor, opening out the two original transit rooms to the E and W, and reinstating its original arrangement. The work also exposed the original character of the W transit room, which had been converted to a lecture room in the 1930s.
The Transit House was built a few years after the City Observatory (but before 1821) and consists of a small building, which originally housed a transit telescope with the meridional windows to the N and S elevations. The building was later converted to accommodation, with a small toilet added to the NW corner. It suffered fire damage at some point and the walls are now blackened with soot. A toilet extension was added to the N side in the late 20th century.
A further dome to the E, called the East Dome, was also exposed. This dome, which had dressed stone foundations with brick construction above, has now been removed. The Tweedie Dome, now largely collapsed, was built in the late 19th century, and was joined by the Cox and Crawford Domes to either side of it in the late 1890s. Another two additional domes were added, one to the immediate NW of the Tweedie Dome, and one separate dome to the E of the City Observatory. The exact dates for these are a little unclear, but they appear to date to the later 20th century.
With the exception of the further exposure of a stone and brick dome to the E of the site and an iron post to the W of the observatory, no archaeological finds or features were identified. It appears that much of the site has been landscaped, with topsoil dumped to create the mound upon which the Royal Observatory was constructed. Indeed, a major programme of landscaping was undertaken in the late 1890s. In all other areas, bedrock was reached 0.3 – 0.8m below the topsoil.
Archive: NRHE (intended)
Funder: City of Edinburgh Council
Diana Sproat – AOC Archaeology Group
(Source: DES Vol 19)
OASIS ID: aocarcha1-274312
Watching Brief (8 November 2016 - 11 July 2018)
As part of a project to renovate the City Observatory AOC Archaeology Group an archaeological watching brief on all ground-breaking works at the Observatory.
Information from Diana Sproat (AOC Archaeology Group) 20 July 2018. OASIS ID: aocarcha1-274312
