043 Clockwise from left
Observatory House external, covered in crisp winter snow. The Astronomer's Suite, giving 360° views of Edinburgh. The lower bathroom suite looks out onto the courtyard
hills beyond and across the waters of Leith. As I and my daughter – also staying here – ricocheted from one astonishing vista to another, each quirky room offering up new perspectives, she declared: ‘It’s like flying’. Tere are now two holiday apartments in Observatory House, run by Collective, an artist-led charity – the proceeds from which will be invested back into their admirable arts programme, also run from this hill. Observatory House is the last element in their ambitious project to restore and revive this site, bringing it back into public use after years of decline that had pushed these ancient structures to the brink of dereliction. Te reason Collective can even afford to do so is because the Town Council of Edinburgh purchased Calton Hill in 1724, with a commitment to use it ‘in the common good’ as the then burgeoning city’s first public green space. Tankfully, that commitment is still legally binding, making it off limits to any developer or private individual, and making it possible and desirable for Collective to lease it cheaply from the council
and devote their funds to turning its eccentric assortment of buildings into galleries, a workshop, office and retail space. Tey were also able to add a handsome, contemporary but sympathetic restaurant
in the corner, Te Lookout, to reward visitors for their willingness to attempt the steep climb up here, as well as another means of funding arts activities. Tat part of the building and restoration scheme was masterminded and designed by the confusingly similarly named but entirely separate Collective Architecture practice, which was completed in 2018. It has been a major success (pandemic notwithstanding), in raising the ambition and visibility of the arts charity’s commissions, residencies, outreach programmes and invitations to international artists.
Observatory House was, however, the first building on that site, representing the original Observatory. Completed in 1776, it was designed by James Craig, famous for masterplanning Edinburgh’s Georgian New Town. It was added to in the 19th century
but still retains the circular tower he built, the oculus at the top of which gave astronomers 360° views of the city as well as the whole of the night sky. Sadly, that oculus was covered over when Edinburgh Council joined forces with a historic house lettings agency to turn it into holiday apartments, which it ran until that company went into administration 15 years ago. Since then, this Grade A listed building had been slowly declining. When Kate Gray, then director of the arty Collective, had the vision to incorporate this building into its programme, as a possible artist residency base, but mainly for holiday lettings, she commissioned Collective Architecture to bring the same elegantly contemporary aesthetic to this atmospheric building that they had achieved elsewhere.
Project architect Emma Fairburn describes the original conversion and interior design as ‘very pastiche. It was all very dodgy, old wallpaper and didn’t look good; they hadn’t done it justice.’ But as a Category A listed building, they were unable to do anything
TOP LEFT: PAUL ANDREWS ABOVE, TOP: SCOTT CLARK PHOTOGRAPHY ABOVE, BELOW: ANNA HENLY
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