Calton Hill

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(Redirected from Calton Hill, Edinburgh)

For the hill in England, see Calton Hill, Derbyshire.

Image:Scotland - Edinburgh - National Monument - Nelson's Monument - Calton Hill.jpg

Calton Hill is a hill in central Edinburgh, Scotland, just to the east of the New Town. Views of, and from, the hill are often used in photographs and paintings of the city.

Calton Hill is the headquarters of Scotland's devolved government, the Scottish Executive, which is based at St Andrew's House, on the steep southern slope of the hill; with the Scottish Parliament Building, and other key buildings, for example Holyrood Palace, lying near the foot of the hill. The hill also includes several iconic monuments and buildings: the National Monument, Nelson's Monument, the Dugald Stewart Monument, the Royal High School and the City Observatory.

1 Political symbol
2 Buildings and structures
3 Events
4 See also

[edit] Political symbol

For a number of years, while the Royal High School was earmarked for the site of the future Scottish Assembly, and subsequently as a potential site for the Scottish Parliament, Calton Hill was the location of a permanent vigil for Scottish devolution. However, Donald Dewar, then Secretary of State for Scotland, considered the site a "nationalist shibboleth", and the nearby St Andrew's House buildings (which at that time were the base of the Secretary of State for Scotland and the former Scottish Office) to look "Nazi" like "Dresden" (sic). It was also the venue in October 2004 for the Declaration of Calton Hill which outlined the demands for a future Scottish republic.

[edit] Buildings and structures

The philosopher David Hume is buried on the eastern slope of the hill. Hume wrote his own epitaph:"Born 1711, Died [----]. Leaving it to posterity to add the rest." It is engraved with the year of his death, 1776, on the "simple Roman tomb" (in reality quite a large monument) which he prescribed, and which stands, as he wished it, overlooking his home at No.1 St David Street, in the New Town.

The eastern end of the ornate Regent Bridge is built into the side of the hill, crossing a deep gorge (at the bottom of which the opening scene from Trainspotting was shot) to connect the hill with Princes Street, now Edinburgh's main shopping street.

The American Consulate is nearby.

[edit] Events

Calton Hill is the venue for a number of events throughout the year. The largest of these is the Beltane Fire Festival held on the 30 April each year, attended by over 10,000 people.