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 observatory house -
calton hill - edinburgh by dvideira
This picture shows the Observatory House
( 1776 ).
The top of the Hill is an excellent and usually quiet place to come on any day, with its grassy slopes and panoramic views of the city.
A curiosity about the place:
On the last day of April it is the scene of the
Beltane fire festival.
( Beltane is a Celtic word which means 'fires of Bel' -- Bel was a Celtic deity. It is a fire festival that celebrates of the coming of summer and the fertility of the coming year. Leave a Comment
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 national monument -
edinburgh by dvideira
The acropolis is in fact an unfinished monument - originally called the "National Monument". Initiated after Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, it was meant to be a replica of the Parthenon in Athens, as a memorial to those who had died in the Napoleonic Wars.
It's quite fun crawling up and down its giant steps... Leave a Comment
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 Dugald Stewart Monument by HORSCHECK
Another one is the National Monument, which was planned as a replica of the Pantheon in Athens. Unfortunately, the money ran out during the project and only 12 huge columns were finished.
Last but not least, nice views can be enjoyed from the top of Nelson's Monument, an upturned telescope shaped tower. Leave a Comment Directions: Calton Hill encircles a volcanic hill at the eastern end of Princes Street in the New Town.
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 Panorama of Edinburgh from
Calton Hill by evaanna
An oasis of peace most of the time, on 30th April Calton Hill comes alive with the celebrations of the coming of summer in the old Celtic calendar, the Beltane Fire Festival.
The painted faces of the dancers performing the ritual fire dance, the drums, the fire eaters in the darkness of the hill all create a great spectacle (I've only seen pictures of it in The Scotsman). The Scotsman says there is also a lot of alcohol, noise and litter left afterwards but that's the price to pay for the fantastic show. I should certainly love to witness it at least once in a lifetime.
Photograph by Barbara Godlewska Leave a Comment Address: Calton Hill
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Edinburgh is a city chock full of great views, whether it be from the top of Edinburgh Castle, the top floor of the Museum of Scotland, Arthur's Seat (didn't get up there) or Calton Hill. If you do find yourself climbing up Calton Hill, be sure to walk all around it, from different sides there are dramatically different views, the Firth of Forth, Holyrood Palace and much of Edinburgh. I understand that an even better view can be had if you climb the Nelson monument but I was there too early for that.
The monuments on top of Calton Hill don't seem to have any connection, they all just seem to be placed there, independent of the others. The National Monument, meant to honor Scottish soldiers killed in the Napoleonic Wars is the oddest, designed to look like the Parthenon in Athens, funds ran out and it was never finished. Also found on top of the Hill are the Nelson Monument, the city observatory and the Dougal Stewart Monument. I never did locate the Robert Burns Monument, it's supposed to be somewhere on the southern slopes of the hill.
To get to the top, take Princes Street to Waterloo Place, just past Calton Hill, take the steps up to the top. Leave a Comment
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 Carlton Hill by tpal
I've included a website below which explains the strange assemblage of structures including a partially built reproduction of the Parthenon, the Nelson Monument built to resemble a stone telescope, an obelisk and two observatories. In my mind, however, the best reason to venture up to Carlton Hill is for the terrific views of the city. This vantage gives a real sense of the terrain and the layout of the entire area. Leave a Comment
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Calton Hill is in the centre of Edinburgh, at the east end of Princes Street and has several 19th century monuments at the top. One of them being the National Monument - an acropolis that looks like a monument from Athens, Greece as originally it was to be a reproduction of the Parthenon at Athens, but only 12 columns were to be completed. You can also see Nelson's monument up there - built in 1816 to commemorate Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument in the foreground of the picture is the Dugald Stewart monument and is another Greek influenced structure.
It is well worth going up Calton Hill for the lovely views across Edinburgh and down Princes Street. Leave a Comment
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 Nelson Monument by balfor
The death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 was felt by many people in Britain to be more than just a public calamity, for he had been regarded almost as a personal friend by many who had never made his acquaintance. In Edinburgh it was decided that a monument should be built which would be both ornamental and useful, this to be accomplished by replacement of the existing "telegraph", a simple mast landmark, on the summit of the Calton Hill by a stone signal-tower tall enough to be seen by the shipping in Leith Roads.
The structure, most obviously comparable in form to a spy-glass, but also less reverently to a butter-churn, has its base 456 ft above sea-level and stands 106 ft high. Climb the 143 steps to see the tremendous panoramic view of Edinburgh.
In 1852 a time signal was installed at the top of the monument to enable captains of ships to set their chronometers accurately. A large time-ball drops at 12 noon GMT (1.00pm in Summer) on week-days. During the summer the lowering of the time-ball coincides with the firing of the one o'clock gun at Edinburgh Castle.
However the picture is mine!
April- Sept: Monday 1.00pm - 6pm; Tuesday to Sat 10.am - 6.00pm
Oct to March: Mon to Sat 10.00am -3.00pm.
Admission: 2.50 pounds Leave a Comment Phone: (0)1315 562 716Directions: Calton Hill Edinburgh EH7 5AA
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 Carlton Hill Picnic by JennJenn
Carlton Hill is so close to the city center you can simply walk. That's why it's an ideal spot to picnic. It's green and grassy, has a great view of the city, and some monuments of it's own.
Just hit Sainsburys on the end of Rose Street and carry your food up with you. I did the same with some coworkers of mine on a beautiful sunny day. Leave a Comment Directions: East of Princes Street
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 monument on calton hill by willy_wonka
calton hill was weird. i just cant put my finger on it. its nice enough, but for a supposed 'tourist destination' of edinburgh, it was quite run down and overgrown. it's just a few monuments thrown on a hill for good measure, thats how it feels. Leave a Comment
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