Review of Open Doors Day 2008

It was mostly sunny skies yesterday for the Open Doors Day 2008 event.  I made it to six venues, which was my goal, and thoroughly enjoyed each one of them.  A brief overview of my day:

James Craig House / Observatory:  This is part of the Observatory building on Calton Hill that is normally closed to the public.  The observatory is fascinating – in fact much of the equipment found in Blackford Hill observatory, which is open to the public, was originally in use here.  This was also where the electric clocks were that fired the 1 o’clock gun.  The house next door is being remodelled by the council, its future use unknown.

No 5 Charlotte Square:  A beautiful example of Georgian (neo-classical) architecture, with lots of information about the New Town itself.  Fascinating.

Royal Society of Edinburgh:  Again, more absolutely brilliant Georgian architecture.  The Royal Society is spread across a number of buildings, on both George Street and Hanover Street.  The society contributes a lot to Edinburgh and I found the guided tour both informative and interesting.

Parliament House:  I believe this is sometimes open to the public and the stained glass wall in the main hall is absolutely stunning!  It is well worth a look, I would dare say it is some of the most brilliant glasswork here in Scotland.

Old College and Talbot Rice Gallery:  this magnificent quad is an imposing façade but inside are more comforting confines.  The gallery is a really nice space – I look forward to visiting it again sometime – but the real highlight was the Playfair Library, an absolutely stunning hall (I know, I keep saying stunning but I mean it) that wouldn’t look out of place in the Louvre or Tate Britain.

Dovecot Studios:  I have always wondered what was going on in this massive refurbishment of the Infirmary Street baths, as I live just down the hill.  The space is now home to Dovecot studios, and has been impeccably transformed into an office, weaving studio, and tapestry art gallery.  One does not need to appreciate, or even known much, about the art of tapestry to enjoy this new Edinburgh gallery space.

By the way – do you have a REALLY great photo of Edinburgh?  Think it might win a contest?  Well, hurry – the Cockburn Association, which organises the Open Doors Day, is running a ‘Love Your City’ photo contest.  First of all, add your photo here on PlanetEye – we’d really like to see it.  Then follow the directions for the contest found here. Good luck!