Our site on Calton Hill is long associated with science, astronomy and timekeeping, as well as a place for art and close observation. Our Panorama programme takes inspiration from the origins of the panorama to explore how we see, move through and understand the city today.
In 1788, Irish artist Robert Barker created the first panorama – a 360-degree image capturing a continuous view of Edinburgh from Calton Hill. The original drawings were made by his son, Henry Aston Barker, from Observatory House – the oldest building on our site. Their work marks Calton Hill’s early connection to both scientific study and artistic innovation.
At the centre of our Hillside Gallery is a large-scale reproduction of the 1792 aquatint of Barker’s Panorama of Edinburgh, offering a rare and detailed view of the late 18th-century cityscape.
Exploring Panorama
Continuing this legacy, we are inviting contemporary artists and audiences to respond to our site's histories and contexts. The gallery serves as a hub for reading, research, public events and activities.
Visitors are invited to:
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Explore the panorama reproduction in detail
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Visit the reading area for materials on the history of panoramas, the Observatory and Calton Hill
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Watch Collective Observations, a video series by guest historians and researchers
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Take part in Observers’ Walks, downloadable artist-led audio walks exploring the layered histories of the hill
Artist Residencies
We will be welcoming artists to undertake short residencies over late summer and autumn responding to the themes of the Panorama and resulting in public events.
The first resident will be Lucas Priest. Priest is the founder of the School of Pedestrian Culture – a mock-institution designed to disorient how we encounter space and place across Scotland’s central belt. He will take up residency from August 2025, using the panorama as a lens to explore the changing city and how we experience it.
Amanda Thomson will begin her residency in Autumn 2025. Her work centres around nature and our place within it, bringing fresh perspectives to our relationship with the hill and the city, considering all kinds of movements, migration and change over time.