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Images free for personal non-commercial use only © Dave Henniker

Views from Calton Hill

in approximately clockwise order
Dynamic Earth
1152 x 864
195K
Photographed from the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. Different styles of architecture here. The steep slope behind leads up to the Radical Road footpath at the foot of Salisbury Crags.
Queen's Drive 01
1152 x 864
190K
Photographed from the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. Looking over the rooves of Viewcraig and Dumbiedykes is this view of the Queen's Drive, the scenic road which encircles Arthur's Seat. The ditch and rampart are to protect visitors from rocks which occasionally tumble down the steep slope leading to the Radical Road at the foot of Salisbury Crags.
The Pleasance
2004a

1152 x 864
177K
Same viewpoint as above but with the lens panned slightly to the right. Compare this view with St Leonard's 4 below and you'll see an empty site between Drummond Street and East Adam Street in the 1979 picture. In this 2004 view you can see several distinctive roof tops in the Newington area, e.g. the triangular frame of the National Map Library Of Scotland.
st-leonards4_small.jpg (1904 bytes) St Leonard's 4
695 x 768
87K
The Pleasance as seen from Calton Hill through a 350mm lens on my old Yashica TL Electro 35mm SLR. Photographed in the late '70s.
edinburgh-skyline02.jpg (54645 bytes) Edinburgh Skyline 2
1152 x 864
54K
Stormy skies over Edinburgh and the Pentland Hills as photographed from Calton Hill near Nelson's Monument. 
edinburgh-skyline03.jpg (104437 bytes) Skyline 3
1152 x 864
102K
Looking over Old St Andrew's House towards the Pentland Hills, St Giles Cathedral and Edinburgh Castle on a stormy afternoon in February.
edinburgh-skyline05.jpg (75149 bytes) Skyline 5
1152 x 864
74K
A few moments later and the sky has changed. This shot is from the same vantage point beside Nelson's Monument but with the camera angle slightly different.
View from Nelson
Monument 9

1152 x 864
318K
Looking over the top of St Andrew's House. North Bridge connects Princes Street to the Old Town.
Old St Andrews House 04
1152 x 864
307K
A woman in a suit runs out of the main entrance to Old Saint Andrew's House, perhaps a civil servant late for a lunch appointment.
Waverley 2003
1152 x 864
393K
This picture from the Nelson Monument shows, behind Old St Andrew House, how the Waverley valley used to look before the flurry of building work in 2005. The flat carpark pictured here conceals tunnels galore.
North Bridge nm4
1152 x 864
322K
Most of Calton Jail was demolished but the Governor's House remains. This view from Nelson's Monument on Calton Hill looks over the top of it towards North Bridge and the Old Town. More about Calton Jail from Peter Stubbs' excellent Edin-Photo web site.
North Bridge nm10
1152 x 864
293K
This shows more of the Governor's House as well as the green copper roof of Saint Andrew's House. East Market Street can be seen in the sunshine behind Waverley Station.
North Bridge 10
648 x 864
182K
A Similar view to North Bridge nm4 above but with the camera panned slightly to the right. A longer lens has been used to zoom in on the pattern of straight lines on Waverley Station roof, broken by the curved arches of the bridge.
Princes Street 67
726 x 1024
215K
Not photographed in '67, more like 1980. Photographed from Calton Hill. This is a recent 2005 scan of this negative.
princes_st3_small.jpg (2836 bytes) Princes St 3
749 x 768
168K
A telephoto shot from the Calton Hill. Pedestrians have rather more room now than they did then.
from Nelson
Monument (2)

1152 x 864
360K
This picture and the next one have lots of detail. Consequently the files are quite large. Seen here are the shell of the old GPO building, the Balmoral Hotel, the castle rock, the Caledonian Hotel, Murrayfield rugby ground and the main railway west.

from Nelson
Monument (3)

1152 x 864
351K

Princes Street is 1.28 Kilometres or about 0.8 miles in length from Leith Street to the West End. In this shot the camera has been panned slightly to the right revealing the hotch-potch of rooves on the street's north side. Corstorphine Hill is in the background.
Greenside o2o2o7
1024 x 768
164K
Taken February 2002, a shot showing the view towards Granton Gas Works over Picardy Place and York Place. The top of Broughton Street is visible.
greenside020207.jpg (248327 bytes) Greenside o2o2o7
1024 x 768
243K
Work continues on the new development. A group of men clad in fluorescent yellow jackets are conferring up on the roof.
greenside020207a.jpg (167952 bytes) Greenside o2o2o7a
1024 x 768
165K
A similar shot but showing the view towards Granton Gas Works over Picardy Place and York Place.
Calton Hill 11
1152 x 864
353K
Photographed from the circular balcony at the top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. The green dome is at the north east corner of the City Observatory. The presence of the mobile chip shop spoils the view, but there will be those glad of a hot snack. Down below is London Road and the start of the A1. Round the corner is Elm Row, Gayfield Place and Annandale Street.
Calton Hill 12
1152 x 864
361K
The main cross-shaped building of the City Observatory as seen from above. Streets visible below are from left to right York Place, Broughton Street, Picardy Place, Union Place and Union Street.
Calton Hill 13
1152 x 864
330K
The new building down in Leith Street contrasts with the old building overlooking it. At the other side of the street is the St James Shopping Centre, an ugly concrete monstrosity partially ameliorated by the stone cladding on the John Lewis shop.
View from Nelson
Monument 6

1152 x 864
188K
A clear view to the north west from the top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. Beyond the trees of the Botanic Gardens is Ferry Road and Granton Gasworks. Cramond Island sits in the Firth of Forth. The Ochil Hills are plainly visible in the distance.
leith-walk_small.jpg (1803 bytes) Leith Walk
1024 x 527
158K
The first of several telephoto shots of Leith Walk photographed from Calton Hill.
leith-walk3_small.jpg (2574 bytes) Leith Walk 3
800 x 600
178K
Pilrig Church is on the left. The old railway bridge over Leith Walk at Jane Street is at the top right of the picture.
leith-walk4_small.jpg (4389 bytes)

Leith Walk 4
511 x 768
143K
or
1040 x 1632
616K

The same negative as the previous shot, this time showing more of the foreground. Taken from Calton Hill with 350mm lens. Click here for the large version.
Leith Walk
solarised effect
1040 x 1632
.97M

I'd forgotten that I'd rescanned this old negative until I responded to a usenet message about lith film and solarising etc. The effect here is entirely chemically induced. The lines were formed by developer depletion in adjacent areas of high contrast.

Do a search for Mackie Lines if you want more information. This image prints quite well but you are only allowed to make one copy for your own use. Commercial use is strictly forbidden as with all my work (see home page).

leith_ir0_small.jpg (2051 bytes) Leith IR 0
1024 X 768
216k
Shot on Kodak Infra Red monochrome 35mm film. The island of Inchkeith stands out very clearly in infrared light.
leith_ir1_small.jpg (1868 bytes) Leith IR 1
1024 x 768
190K
This time I turned the camera slightly west and Kinghorn is visible over in Fife on the north side of the Firth of Forth.
leith_time_small.jpg (1730 bytes) Leith Time
1024 x 768
177K
A time-exposure of a few seconds through a 350mm lens - on a sturdy tripod. The old railway bridge over the bottom end of Leith Walk, next to Jane Street, is clearly visible.
Flour Mill from
Nelson Monument

1152 x 864
220K
It was a windy day when I took this picture of Leith as seen from the top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. The sunshine has made the white flour mill buildings stand out against the backdrop of the Firth of Forth.
Regent Gardens
1152 x 864
356K
The Edinburgh-London railway line is visible at the bottom of the photo, behind which and parallel to, run Regent Road and Regent Terrace. The private gardens on the tail end of Calton Hill have autumnal colours beginning.

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