Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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commemorating Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811). Dundas
was the most powerful Scottish politician of his time, often referred to when alive as
'Harry IX, the Uncrowned King of Scotland'. The impressive Palladian mansion of
Dun-
das House
, built between 1772 and 1774, on the eastern side of the square, was built for
Sir Laurence Dundas (1712-81) - no relation to Viscount Melville. It has been the head
office of the Royal Bank of Scotland since 1825 and has a spectacular domed banking hall
dating from 1857 (you can nip inside for a look).
A short distance along George St is the
Church of St Andrew & St George
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built in 1784 with an unusual oval nave. It was the scene of the Disruption of
1843, when 451 dissenting ministers left the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church.
GALLERY
Scottish National Portrait Gallery
(
www.nationalgalleries.org
;
1 Queen St; 10am-5pm Fri-Wed, to 7pm Thu)
The Vene-
tian Gothic palace of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery reopened its doors in 2011
after a two-year renovation, emerging as one of the city's top attractions. Its galleries illus-
trate Scottish history through paintings, photographs and sculptures, putting faces to fam-
ous names from Scotland's past and present, from Robert Burns, Mary, Queen of Scots
and Bonnie Prince Charlie to Sean Connery, Billy Connolly and poet Jackie Kay.
CALTON HILL
Calton Hill (100m), rising dramatically above the eastern end of Princes St, is Edinburgh's
acropolis, its summit scattered with grandiose memorials dating mostly from the first half
of the 19th century. It is also one of the best viewpoints in the city, with a panorama that
takes in the castle, Holyrood, Arthur's Seat, the Firth of Forth, New Town and the full
length of Princes St.
On the southern side of the hill, on Regent Rd, is the modernist facade of
St Andrew's
of the Westminster government's Scottish Office until they were moved to the new Scot-
tish Executive building in Leith in 1996.
Just beyond St Andrew's House, and on the opposite side of the road, is the imposing
Royal High School
building, dating from 1829 and modelled on the Temple of Theseus in
Athens. Former pupils include Robert Adam, Alexander Graham Bell and Sir Walter
Scott. It now stands empty. To its east, on the other side of Regent Rd, is the 1830
Burns
