Calton Hill; Nelson Monument (Edinburgh, Scotland) : Detail of the circular staircase to a public viewing gallery

Creator:

Burn, Robert, 1752-1815

Published/Created:

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
Calton Hill, central Edinburgh, east of New Town
1807-1815

Physical Description:

105 ft (height)

Materials:

stone; cast iron; glass

Notes:

A commemorative tower in honor of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson built between 1807 and 1815 to commemorate Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and his own death at the same battle. In 1853 a time ball was added, (originally connected by an underground wire to the adjacent City Observatory) as a time signal to shipping in Leith harbor. The monument was restored in 2009. The monument stands 105 feet, on the highest point of Calton Hill, at 171 metres (561 ft) above sea-level. The monument was funded by public subscription, and an initial design was prepared by Alexander Nasmyth. This obelisk-like design proved too expensive, and an alternative design, in the form of an upturned telescope, was obtained from the architect Robert Burn. This Neo-Gothic design reflected the castellated prison buildings which stood on the south side of Calton Hill in the early 19th century.

Variant Titles:

Nelson Monument

Topics:

Architecture -- Britain -- 19th century -- (YVRC)
Architecture -- Scotland -- 19th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Gothic Revival
Nineteenth century

Culture:

British
Scottish

Accession Number:

1A2-SC-E-CH-A26

Coordinates:

+55.954333-3.182583

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
war memorials (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

built works; monuments; built works; monuments; memorial columns; built works; towers (single built works); observation towers architecture; military or war; Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815; Nelson, Horatio Nelson, Viscount, 1758-1805 ; Timekeeping

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Seven

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4349

OID:

10472494

PID:

digcoll:1818543