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Royal Scottish Academy Building
The Royal Scottish Academy building, the home of the Royal Scottish Academy, is an art museum in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is situated at the junction of The Mound and Princes Street in the centre of the city. It was built by William Henry Playfair in 1822–6. Along with the adjacent National Gallery of Scotland, their neo-classical design helped to transform Edinburgh into the cityscape known as "the Athens of the North". Today the structure is a Category A listed building. History The building was originally proposed by the Scottish Board of Manufactures and Fisheries in 1821 to provide shared accommodation for three separate cultural organisations: the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts and a museum of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The building was known as the ''Royal Institution'' from 1826 to 1911. The Royal Institution building was designed by the noted Scottish architect William Henry Playfair and bu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Mound
The Mound is an artificial slope and road in central Edinburgh, Scotland, which connects Edinburgh's New and Old Towns. It was formed by dumping around 1,501,000 cartloads of earth excavated from the foundations of the New Town into Nor Loch, which was drained in 1765 and forms today's Princes Street Gardens. History The construction of the Earthen Mound, as it was originally called, was first proposed in 1783 by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, John Grieve to support merchants on the Royal Mile to improve connection to the residents on Princes Street (which was then built only from St Andrew Square to Hanover Street and was wholly residential) in correct anticipation of the need for such a new route. Its completion was not formally agreed until the 1827 Improvement act. It was improved over the years until by 1830 it was macadamised and landscaped so that it appeared more or less complete. A need for a railway tunnel was pre-empted in 1844 with the current southern tunne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nor Loch
The Nor Loch, also known as the Nor' Loch and the North Loch, was a man-made loch formerly in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the area now occupied by Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Waverley station which lie between the Royal Mile and Princes Street. Geological formation The depression, along with the parallel one now occupied by the Cowgate, was formed by glacial erosion during the last glacial period, last Ice Age, when the icepack was forced to divide by the volcanic plug now known as Castle Rock, Edinburgh, Castle Rock. Early history A marsh formed in the hollow and was part of the natural defence of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh. In 1460, King James III ordered the hollow to be flooded in order to complete the defences of the town and Edinburgh Castle. The loch was formed by creating an earthen dam to block the progress of the Tummel Burn, a stream that ran along the foot of the north side of the Castle Rock, Edinburgh, ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craigleith
Craigleith () is a small island in the Firth of Forth off North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic ''Creag Lìte'' meaning "rock of Leith". It is at its highest point. Geography and geology Craigleith is part of a chain of four islands near North Berwick, along with Bass Rock, Fidra and the Lamb. Of these, it is the closest to the town's harbour. Like these other nearby islands, Craigleith is a bird colony. Divers often explore the area around the island. Craigleith is a laccolith, a lava dome. (The Lothians are dotted with evidence of ancient volcanic activity, such as Bass Rock and Arthur's Seat.) Craigleith is made up of essexite, which is popular for making curling stones. History and wildlife Historically, Craigleith was a rabbit warren, where the animals were deliberately bred for food. Rabbits were wiped out by myxomatosis in the 1950s. They were mysteriously re-introduced onto the island in 2008, and some have been seen r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashlar
Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, and is generally rectangular (cuboid). It was described by Vitruvius as ''opus isodomum'' or trapezoidal. Precisely cut "on all faces adjacent to those of other stones", ashlar is capable of requiring only very thin joints between blocks, and the visible face of the stone may be Quarry-faced stone, quarry-faced or feature a variety of treatments: tooled, smoothly polished or rendered with another material for decorative effect. One such decorative treatment consists of small grooves achieved by the application of a metal comb. Generally used only on softer stone ashlar, this decoration is known as "mason's drag". Ashlar is in contrast to rubble masonry, which employs irregularly shaped stones, sometimes minimally worked or selected for simi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar, because they are the most resistant minerals to the weathering processes at the Earth's surface. Like uncemented sand, sandstone may be imparted any color by impurities within the minerals, but the most common colors are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Because sandstone beds can form highly visible cliffs and other topography, topographic features, certain colors of sandstone have become strongly identified with certain regions, such as the red rock deserts of Arches National Park and other areas of the Southwestern United States, American Southwest. Rock formations composed of sandstone usually allow the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Doric Temple
The Doric order is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of the columns. Originating in the western Doric region of Greece, it is the earliest and, in its essence, the simplest of the orders, though still with complex details in the entablature above. The Greek Doric column was fluted, and had no base, dropping straight into the stylobate or platform on which the temple or other building stood. The capital was a simple circular form, with some mouldings, under a square cushion that is very wide in early versions, but later more restrained. Above a plain architrave, the complexity comes in the frieze, where the two features originally unique to the Doric, the triglyph and gutta, are skeuomorphic memories of the beams and retaining pegs of the wooden constructions that preceded stone Doric temples. I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ancient Greek Architecture
Ancient Greek architecture came from the Greeks, or Hellenes, whose Ancient Greece, culture flourished on the Greek mainland, the Peloponnese, the Aegean Islands, and in colonies in Asia Minor, Anatolia and Italy for a period from about 900 BC until the 1st century AD, with the earliest remaining architectural works dating from around 600 BC. Ancient Greek architecture is best known for its Ancient Greek temple, temples, many of which are found throughout the region, with the Parthenon regarded, now as in ancient times, as the prime example. Most remains are very incomplete ruins, but a number survive substantially intact, mostly outside modern Greece. The second important type of building that survives all over the Hellenic world is the Theatre of Ancient Greece#Characteristics of the buildings, open-air theatre, with the earliest dating from around 525–480 BC. Other architectural forms that are still in evidence are the processional gateway (''propylon''), the public square ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Galleries Scotland
The National Galleries of Scotland (, sometimes also known as National Galleries Scotland) is the executive non-departmental public body that controls the three national galleries of Scotland and two partner galleries, forming one of the National Collections of Scotland. The purpose of National Galleries Scotland (NGS) was set out by an Act of Parliament in the National Galleries of Scotland Act 1906, amended by the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1985. Its role is to manage the National Galleries of Scotland, care for, preserve and add to the objects in its collections, exhibit artworks to the public and to promote education and public enjoyment and understanding of the Fine Arts. It is governed by a board of trustees who are appointed by ministers of the Scottish Government. History The National Gallery of Scotland (now called the National) was opened to the public in 1859. Located on The Mound in the centre of Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, the building was originall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Thomas Oldrieve
William Thomas Oldrieve HRSA FRIBA (15 December 1853 – 12 January 1922) was an English-born architect and scholar primarily associated with public buildings in his role as Architect for Scotland within the Office of Works. His predominant style would be termed "Edwardian Classic". Life Oldrieve was from a deeply religious Baptist family. He was born in Totnes, Devon the son of William Oldrieve, Clerk of Works and Elizabeth Tyler. He was educated at Mansfield Grammar School in Nottinghamshire then served an apprenticeship (1868–71) with his father at Thoresby Hall in Budby, Nottinghamshire, under Anthony Slavin. He then moved to the engineering offices of William Cubitt & Co (1871-3) working under Joseph Cubitt. From there he obtained a post in the War Office attached in a design role to the Royal Engineers, and establishing a lifelong link as an architect/engineer in a civil service capacity. He remained attached to the Royal Engineers until 1881, during which time he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edinburgh College Of Art
Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) is one of eleven schools in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Tracing its history back to 1760, it provides higher education in art and design, architecture, history of art, and music disciplines for over three thousand students and is at the forefront of research and research-led teaching in the creative arts, humanities, and creative technologies. ECA comprises five subject areas: School of Art, Reid School of Music, School of Design, School of History of Art, and Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture (ESALA). ECA is mainly located in the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, overlooking the Grassmarket; the Lauriston Place campus is located in the University of Edinburgh's Central Area Campus, not far from George Square, Edinburgh, George Square. The college was founded in 1760, and gained its present name and site in 1907. Formerly associated with Heriot-Watt University, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Street, Edinburgh
George Street is the central thoroughfare of the First New Town, Edinburgh, New Town of Edinburgh, planned in the 18th century by James Craig (architect), James Craig. The street takes its name from George III of the United Kingdom, King George IIIHistory ''george-street.com'' and connects St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, St Andrew Square in the east with Charlotte Square in the west. It is located on the north side of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, to the north of the Princes Street and to the south of Queen Street, Edinburgh, Queen Street, running straight along the high point of a ridge. George Street, as first proposed in 1767 and initially built, was a residential area. However in the Victorian era, Victorian period the houses were replaced by shops, showrooms, banks, small department stores and hotels. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is an art museum on Queen Street, Edinburgh. Portrait holds the national collections of portraits, all of which are of, but not necessarily by, Scots. It also holds the Scottish National Photography Collection. Since 1889 it has been housed in its red sandstone Gothic revival building, designed by Robert Rowand Anderson and built between 1885 and 1890 to accommodate the gallery and the museum collection of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The building was donated by John Ritchie Findlay, owner of ''The Scotsman'' newspaper. In 1985 the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland was amalgamated with the Royal Scottish Museum, and later moved to Chambers Street as part of the National Museum of Scotland. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery expanded to take over the whole building, and reopened on 1 December 2011 as “Portrait” after being closed since April 2009 for the first comprehensive refurbishment in its history, carried o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
