The 1894 Building, The Royal Observatory, Observatory Road, Edinburgh

The 1894 Building at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh

This Grade A listed building was designed by W W Robertson of HM Office of Works and constructed between 1892 and 1894. It is a 2-storey Italianate observatory building with basement, arranged on a T-plan, set at the centre of a large observatory complex on top of Blackford Hill in Edinburgh. Later alterations were made circa 1940. The building is constructed from cream-coloured Northumberland sandstone, channelled to the basement, with copper drums to the telescope towers.

The building features two distinctive telescope towers. The octagonal tower to the east is 3-stage, with a base course and cill course to the ground floor windows, carved aprons, pilasters and pediments to the ground floor architraves, and cill course with flanking pilasters and floral panels at first floor windows. Above are a floral frieze, dentilled eaves and a pierced parapet corbelled out with floral copper insets. The tower is topped by a panelled copper telescope drum decorated with a scallop shell motif, floral frieze and finials. Each face contains a single window to both floors and basement. An intricately carved bipartite oriel window sits at ground floor to the northwest.

The 2-stage square tower to the west has a base course with paired pilasters, dentilled eaves and pediments to the ground floor windows, and carved panels above. A corbelled-out cornice features scallop shell finials, topped by a panelled copper telescope drum with floral frieze and finials. The tower contains a single window to the south and a bipartite window to the north, with a modern flat-roofed extension adjoining to the west.

The linking block joins the two towers and contains a flanking library wing. Its channelled basement supports a ground floor with lugged architraves to windows, a cornice and balustraded parapet above. The north elevation comprises 11 bays between the octagonal tower and square tower with regular fenestration. The south (entrance) elevation is divided into sections: 3 bays to the east with regular fenestration, and 5 bays to the west with a central basement doorway, panelled door and plate glass fanlight, with fenestration above. A square-plan pedimented lift shaft tower with basement doorway was added circa 1940 to the penultimate bay on the right. An engaged 4-stage circular-plan stair tower occupies the outer right, featuring a pedimented basement doorway, cornices and floral aprons to architraved stair windows above, a fluted frieze, dentilled cornice, stone cupola and finial. Windows are predominantly plate glass timber pivot types. The building has flat roofs and corniced and coped wallhead stack to the library wing.

The library wing to the south features a channelled basement and a panelled attic frieze inscribed with the names of famous astronomers. Its eaves course has dentilled eaves above a cornice with a lead blocking course and lion's head dies. The east elevation comprises 5 bays with a single linking bay to the north, small single windows to basement bays, and single architraved windows to the ground floor with floral carved aprons and cornices. The south elevation has an advanced central bay with a small basement window and, above, a tripartite window with Doric columns, floral carving and a lettered frieze inscribed 'AD Royal Observatory 1894', a cornice and a roundel with a carved portrait relief of Lord Crawford, the observatory patron, with a small attic window above. The west (entrance) elevation features an engaged circular-plan tower to the outer left with a single ground floor window and small attic windows. A south-facing Doric porch adjoins to the right, with dentilled eaves, cornice and carved heraldic panel to the parapet. It gives access to a 2-leaf panelled door with floral carving to the architrave, beside a bipartite window to the west.

The interior, inspected in 2015, retains some late 19th-century features. The entrance hall has been restored and includes a ceramic mosaic floor, balustraded stair, stylised Ionic columns, decorative cornice, panelled ceiling and a replica of the original brass lantern. The library contains a gallery level and cast iron spiral staircase. Early 20th-century telescopes are housed at the top of the towers.