City Observatory

City Observatory, Edinburgh
Front of the Playfair Building
Alternative namesEdinburgh, Calton Hill, City Observatory Edit this at Wikidata
Observatory code961
LocationCalton Hill, Edinburgh, Scotland
Coordinates55°57′17″N 3°11′0″W / 55.95472°N 3.18333°W / 55.95472; -3.18333
Altitude107 m
Established1776
Closed2009
Telescopes
Cooke / McEwanrefractor, 15 cm aperture
Fraunhofer / Repsoldtransit telescope, 16 cm aperture
City Observatory is located in the United Kingdom
City Observatory
Location of City Observatory, Edinburgh
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View from Nelson's Monument

The City Observatory was an astronomical observatory on Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is also known as the Calton Hill Observatory.

The site is enclosed by a boundary wall with a monument to John Playfair, president of the Edinburgh Astronomical Institution, in the southeast corner. The oldest part is the Gothic Tower 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, 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 in the northeast corner. During the early 20th century this contained a 22-inch (56 cm) refractor. In 2018, the entire site was restored and new buildings were added.[1] The City Observatory site was opened freely to the public for the first time on 24 November 2018 as Collective, a centre for contemporary art.[2]

  1. ^ "Collective to open new home on Calton Hill in November 2018". www.creativescotland.com. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Collective to open 24 November". Collective. Retrieved 5 April 2021.