Calton Hill; City Observatory
Playfair, William Henry; Craig, James
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Alternative Title
City Observatory
Date
1775-1898Description
Monument to John Playfair (1818) and City Dome (1898), looking north; 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. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/1/2012)
Type of Work
observatorySubject
architecture, scientific or medical, Astronomy, Timekeeping, Nineteenth century, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival
Rights
Rights Statement
Licensed for educational and research use by the MIT community only