Calton Hill
Edinburgh
prisons
W.B. Collinson
Random Building
Scott, George Gilbert (Jnr)
1881 – Calton Jail, Edinburgh
Architect: W.B. Collinson
The notorious Calton Jail wasa complex comprising a Debtors’ Prison, the Bridewell (1791-96) by Robert Adam (later replaced) and a Felons’ Prison of 1815-17 by Archibald Elliot. Largely rebuilt in 1881 by W.B. Collinson. The prisons were replaced by Saughton Prison and demolished in 1930 providing a site for the imposing Art Deco Edinburgh landmark St. Andrew’s House, built in 1936 as the Scottish Office. The sole surviving building is the castellated and turreted Governors House by Elliot. The lower curtain walls of the prison are still visible on the south side of St. Andrew’s House, above Calton Road.
Published May 6, 2011 | Last Updated May 6, 2014