Scotland EDINBURGH CALTON HILL CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE ~ Old 1836 Art Print Engraving

Description: EDINBURGH FROM CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE (Midlothian) Artist: T. Allom ____________ Engraver: T. A. Prior Note: the title in the table above is printed below the engraving CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE 19th CENTURY DECORATIVE LANDSCAPE & TOPOGRAPHICAL PRINTS LIKE THIS !! PRINT DATE: This lithograph was printed by George Virtue & co. of London in 1838; it is not a modern reproduction in any way. PRINT SIZE: Overall print size is 10 1/2 inches by 7 1/2 inches including white borders, actual scene is 4 3/8 inches by 7 3/8 inches. PRINT CONDITION: Condition is excellent. Bright and clean. Blank on reverse. Paper is quality woven rag stock. SHIPPING: Buyer to pay shipping, domestic orders receives priority mail, international orders receive regular mail unless otherwise specified. Details on payment will be in an email after auction closes. THIS PRINT IS FROM THE LATE 1830s & IS NOT A MODERN REPRODUCTION IN ANY WAY! DESCRIPTION OF PRINT: Craigmillar Castle lies just three miles south east of the centre of Edinburgh. Yet while the city features in the distant views from the castle's walls, step inside them and you could be in a different time and place. Craigmillar Castle is simply one of the most completely preserved medieval castles in Scotland. Craigmillar began life as the tower house that still forms the core of the castle. This was constructed around 1400, probably by Sir George Preston, one of a line of Prestons who played a large part in civic life in Edinburgh over several hundred years. It was his grandson Sir William Preston who, in the 1440s, was responsible for Craigmillar's most notable feature. He added the curtain wall that surrounds the tower house on three sides and creates the inner courtyard. In about 1510 Sir Simon Preston added a further layer of enclosure, erecting outer walls to form the outer yard and east and west gardens. Craigmillar Castle was captured by the English in May 1544 with its laird (another) Sir Simon Preston, who was also Provost of Edinburgh at the time. A programme of rebuilding in the 1550s included the construction of a new range of buildings along the east side of the inner courtyard. This was designed to provide more modern and spacious accommodation than was available in the tower house. It was probably in this new east range that Mary Queen of Scots stayed in September 1563 and again in December 1566. It was during her second stay that conspirators agreed the "Craigmillar Bond": the plot to kill Mary's dissolute husband Lord Darnley. In 1660 the Prestons sold Craigmillar Castle to Sir John Gilmour. Craigmillar saw another round of building, this time leading to the creation of the west range. In the early 1700s the Gilmours did what other landed families across Scotland were doing at the same time. Rather than trying to convert their castle into a residence suitable for Edinburgh high society of the day they abandoned it. They moved instead to Inch House, newly built in what later became Gilmerton, named after the family. Craigmillar Castle became overgrown and ruinous over the following two centuries, and was passed into state care in 1946. Today it is cared for by Historic Scotland. What makes Craigmillar special is the extent to which its underlying structure survives. The inner courtyard may now be home to two very impressive trees that were certainly not there in the Prestons' time in the castle. But the walls of almost all the structures of the castle survive, together with all the vaulted floors. This means access is possible up to roof level in the tower house and first floor level in large parts of the rest of the building. There is also a complete wall walk around two sides of the curtain wall. And even more remarkably, many of the outlying structures survive in the gardens and outer yard. These include the walls of the chapel in the east garden, and the dovecot at the north east corner of the castle. This has been colonised by local pigeons, giving an even more vivid impression (and smell) of what a dovecot would have been like in use. But for everyone whose first instinct on entering a castle is to see how high they can climb, Craigmillar's high point, literally, is the roof of the tower house. From here you get stunning views in all directions. Edinburgh Castle lies on the skyline to the north west, while to the north it is Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat which command attention. Closer at hand is the new housing development helping transform Craigmillar from what was once one of Edinburgh's less sought after areas. Also visible to the north east is a wide sweep of the Forth Estuary. Moving around clockwise the new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary comes into view, then the Pentland Hills, and finally the rather lower Braid Hills to the west. Edinburgh is a city of many wonderful viewpoints: and the top of Craigmillar Castle ranks strongly amongst them. BIOGRAPHY OF ARTIST AND HISTORY OF THIS PRINT: Thomas Allom, painter and architect, (1804-1872) was born in London, England on 13th March 1804. He was articled to Francis Goodwin, an architect in 1819. He was to become a founder member of the R.I.B.A. (Royal Institute of British Architects - which is still the premier institution today). He is best know for his topographical drawings, so many of which were engraved on steel & appeared in many of the travel books of the time. He travelled extensively, not just in the UK & Europe, but further afield, covering such countries as Turkey & China. Collections of his work can be found in the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Allom worked mostly for the Fisher, Son & Co. publishing house of London, but during the late 1830s completed several sketches of the landscape and architecture scenery of Scotland for publisher George Virtue & Co. Allom traveled throughout the Scottish countryside, visiting the cities, towns and parishes, lochs and glens; recording with paint and brush the scenic views of the country. His works of Scotland are all dated between 1834-1838. Please note: the terms used in our auctions for engraving, etching, heliogravure, lithograph, photogravure etc. are ALL prints on paper, and NOT blocks of steel or wood. "ENGRAVINGS" is the term commonly used for these paper prints that were created from a master plate, and were the most common method in the 1700s and 1800s for illustrating old books. These paper prints or "engravings" were inserted into the book with a tissue guard or onion skin frontis to protect them from transferring the image to the opposite page. These prints were usually on much thicker quality woven rag stock paper, although many were also printed and issued as loose stand alone lithographs. So this auction is for an antique paper print(s), probably from an old book, of very high quality and usually on very thick rag stock paper. A NOSTALGIC VIEW OF SCOTTISH SCENERY !

Price: 18.99 USD

Location: New Providence, New Jersey

End Time: 2024-02-25T17:24:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: 7.95 USD