Natural feature
Calton Hill
Windswept hilltop park of Grecian columns, ruined monument, and a wraparound view over the whole city.
0:00≈ 2 min
Location
0:00≈ 2 min
About this audio guide
This guide to Calton Hill in Edinburgh follows architect William Henry Playfair through two very different projects he built at the same time in the 1820s: a grand monument to Scotland's soldiers meant to rival the Parthenon, and a row of townhouses on the hill's other slope. You'll hear how one project ran short of money almost immediately while the other drew wealthy merchants eager for a view of their own ships. It traces how Edinburgh came to nickname both the hill's failure and its fortune within sight of each other.
This audio guide was created using AI.