Architecture of Edinburgh

1367 – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

The site of the castle was probably first occupied in the Iron Age, although the first documented record comes from the 6th Century.

1591 – Canongate Tolbooth, Edinburgh

Once the heart of the Canongate area, the Tolbooth contained a council chamber and jail. The chamber was accessible via the external staircase o the first floor while the jail was beneath it.

1633 – Tron Kirk, Edinburgh

Architect: John Mylne

Midway between the Castle and Holyrood Palace on the Royal Mile, Tron Kirk has been much adapted over the centuries.

1688 – Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh

Architect: James Smith

Unusual church designed for a displaced Presbyterian congregation when the Abbey Church of Holyrood was converted into a chapel for the Order of the Thistle.

1690 – Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

Architect: Sir William Bruce

At the opposite end of the Royal Mile from the Castle, Holyrood Palace is built beside the earlier Holyrood Abbey where Kings of Scotland were crowned.

1771 – Dundas Mansion, St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh

Architect: Sir William Chambers

Built on a prominent site on St Andrew’s Square, this would have be the site for a church to mirror that built as St George’s Church on Charlotte Square.

1772 – Buchan House, St Andrew’s Square, Edinburgh

One of the original houses (the home of the Earl of Buchan) on St Andrew Square and originally harled. The ground floor was adapted in 1840.

1784 – St Andrew’s & St George’s Church, Edinburgh

Architect: Major Andrew Frazer

Originally designed without the fine steeple, the church was built as an eliptical building with fine portico.

1807 – Nelson Monument, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Architect: Robert Burn

Designed shortly after the Battle of Trafalgar, the stone tower has some excellent views of the city.

1818 – City Observatory, Calton Hill, Edinburgh

Architect: William Playfair

The third design for this Observatory, the original building (centre of photograph) is a small cruciform classical temple with a central telescope and dome.