Edinburgh from Calton Hill

Turner produced three views of Edinburgh for Sir Walter Scott's Provincial Antiquities. Here he focuses on the construction of Regent Bridge and Waterloo Place, at the foot of Calton Hill. This ambitious project to bridge the deep ravine at Low Calton resulted from a need to create a route to the large new city jail, shown in the left foreground. Evidence of continuing building work can be seen in the long mason's shed to the east of Regent Bridge. The silhouettes of the Castle, St Giles' Cathedral and the Tron Church are shown on the horizon, with the Pentland Hills in the distance beyond.