Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh

Heriot’s Hospital, seen through the chaotic urban sprawl of early nineteenth- century Edinburgh, appears as an imposing although indistinct silhouette at the centre of this watercolour. Founded through a bequest to the city made by George Heriot (1563-1624), it was a charitable institution dedicated to the education of the orphans of freemen. The hospital, which is a magnificent example of Scottish Renaissance architecture, opened in 1659: today it houses George Heriot’s School. The street in the foreground was the West Bow (now Victoria Street), a steep wynd which ran from the Old Tollbooth Jail down to the eastern end of the Grassmarket.

Turner composes the scene, which he worked on in c. 1819, like a stage set, and contrasts the grand backdrop of the hospital with the crush of tenements and shops to either side. He takes considerable interest in the figures in the foreground, which include street traders, pedlars, and a group pushing a cart of coals uphill, many of whom wear tartan plaid. Particular care has also been taken over the jumble of objects at the right. Near them is a sign which appears to read ‘English School’ - this may be intended as an ironic reference to Turner’s status as an English artist visiting Scotland.