Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The new building connects with the original Victorian museum, dating from 1861, the stolid, grey exterior of
which gives way to a bright and airy, glass-roofed hall. The museum houses an eclectic collection covering natural
history, archaeology, scientific and industrial technology, and the decorative arts of ancient Egypt, Islam, China,
Japan, Korea and the West.
NEED TO KNOW
Click here ; www.nms.ac.uk ; Chambers St; fee for special exhibitions;
10am-5pm
| Gallery
ROYAL SCOTTISH ACADEMY
Offline map Google map
( www.royalscottishacademy.org ; The Mound; fee for special exhibitions; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 2-5pm
Sun; ) The distinguished Greek Doric temple at the corner of The Mound and Princes
St, its northern pediment crowned by a seated figure of Queen Victoria, is the home of the
Royal Scottish Academy (RSA). Designed by William Playfair and built between 1823
and 1836, it was originally called the Royal Institution; the RSA took over the building in
1910. The galleries display a collection of paintings, sculptures and architectural drawings
by academy members dating from 1831, and they also host temporary exhibitions
throughout the year.
The RSA and the Scottish National Gallery are linked via an underground mall - the
Weston Link - which gives them twice the temporary exhibition space of the Prado in
Madrid and three times that of the Royal Academy in London, as well as housing cloak-
rooms, a lecture theatre and a restaurant.
George Street & Charlotte Square
Until the 1990s George St - the major axis of New Town - was the centre of Edinburgh's
financial industry and Scotland's equivalent of Wall St. Today the big financial firms have
moved to premises in the Exchange office district west of Lothian Rd, and George St's
former banks and offices house upmarket shops, pubs and restaurants.
At the western end of George St is Charlotte Square Offline map Google map ( all
Princes St buses) , the architectural jewel of New Town, designed by Robert Adam shortly
before his death in 1791. The northern side of the square is Adam's masterpiece and one
of the finest examples of Georgian architecture anywhere. Bute House , in the centre at
No 6, is the official residence of Scotland's first minister, the equivalent of London's 10
Downing St.
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