Inside Arts
Calton Hill is a Capital gem and must be protected, writes Brian Ferguson
I’m lucky enough to be able to gaze upon it every day from The Scotsman’s offices on the corner of Queensferry Road and Orchard Brae in Edinburgh.
Calton Hill is one of many prominent landmarks regularly lit up as the sun sets over the city which it has helped win its title as the “Athens of the North.”
Yet in the last few days I’ve had cause to wonder why it is one of those places in Edinburgh that I’ve rarely visited over nearly 25 years in the city.
Even taking account of the fact it regularly plays host to major events and press calls, I am lucky if I have ventured up it more than once a year, despite the almost unbeatable views it offers.
More often than not, it has been the Hogmanay torchlight procession or the Beltane Fire Festival that has take me there.
On the rare occasions I have visited during the day, usually for work, it has felt like a barren, windswept place, where it is wise to watch your step clambering up, or descending down.
Yet it was still jarring, to say the least, to read the lengthy official report on Calton Hill’s declining condition that councillors will discuss this week – an extraordinary and damning verdict on the stewardship of what should be one of the sparking jewels in the crown of the capital. Woodland areas, grassland, railings, walls, drains, paths and steps are all said to be in a declining state and in urgent need of repair. Concerns about how it has become a magnet for antisocial behaviour and vandals were also laid bare, along with criticism over the “mediocre” facilities on offer.
Then there is the need to step up protection of views to and from the landmark – fascinating in light of the ongoing controversy over the proposed Royal High School hotel – and the impact major events are having on the physical fabric of the hill and its monuments, as well as local residents.
Whether the blueprint will be the “trigger for immediate action” that is recommended will remain to be seen in the next few years. It is striking how other hugely significant assets in the care of the council, such as the Ross Bandstand and the old Royal High School, have fallen into similar states of disrepair without, as yet, any work happening to halt their decline. But there are some grounds for optimism when it comes to Calton Hill.
Firstly, work is already well underway to transform one of its most prominent landmarks, the William Henry Playfair-designed City Observatory building, into a new home for the Collective Gallery, along with Calton Hill’s first ever restaurant. These new features, which are due to be unveiled later this year, should go a long way towards helping Calton Hill shed its long-standing and unwelcome reputation as a no-go area, particularly after dark.
Secondly, the new Calton Hill Management Plan was commissioned by Edinburgh World Heritage, which has shown from its sterling work on previous projects that it can draw in the right level of expertise and tap into the kind of financial support that is beyond the reach of the city council.
But what should happen without delay is the local authority giving the strongest possible commitment to do all it can to secure its future.
Given it has pledged £5 million for a new concert hall nearby, it should not delay in making a similar commitment to ensure Calton Hill is given right and proper treatment as one of the city’s most prized assets.