Old Observatory House
Old Observatory House was built by James Craig between 1776 and 1793. Usually called the “architect of the New Town”, James Craig built few actual buildings and most of those have now been demolished. Old Observatory House is the most outstanding example of the very few extant buildings by Craig.
Apart from its architectural importance, the house has great heritage value since it was built as the first Observatory on the Calton Hill, though it was used for observing for only a short period and was always also a family house. When the main Old City Observatory building was built by W H Playfair in 1818, Old Observatory House was briefly the “popular observatory” as opposed to the “scientific observatory” in the new building. This is probably the last time it was really ever publicly accessible. It then became accommodation for the astronomers and in the twentieth century it was rented out. It was last lived in during the 1980s.
Following extensive restoration work, the building has been leased to the Vivat Trust, an organisation which manages important historic buildings on behalf of their owners. The buildings are refurbished, furnished in an appropriate style, and let as high quality holiday accommodation.
Further information on holiday lets is available on the Vivat Trust website.