Following Colin MacLaurin the pressure to take the next step in establishing an observatory fell to an Optician, Thomas Short, who in 1776 acquired the right to use the money collected by MacLaurin and he also secured a lease on some land on the summit of Calton Hill. Short’s elder brother, James, had been a student of MacLaurin and was an expert telescope maker. Short proceeded to use some of James’ telescopes in the observatory.
He engaged James Craig, architect of the New Town, to design the observatory. This resulted in the Gothic building (pictured) that still stands on Calton Hill to this day.
Short also commissioned an Octagonal Tower that was later demolished to make way for the Playfair Building that became the main observatory of Edinburgh.
Unlike MacLaurin, Short was not interested in creating an observatory of world renown. He was more interested in showing the Edinburgh public the wonders of the Universe and no scientific work was carried out.
So, following Short, Edinburgh remained without the observatory that was envisaged by MacLaurin. However, Edinburgh was not to be denied this and, arising out of a group who initially met on an ad hoc basis the “Edinburgh Astronomical Institution” or EAI was formed in December 1811. Its avowed intention was to make that step onto the world stage.
John Playfair, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, was elected to the role of first President of the EAI. Under his leadership sufficient funding was amassed from membership fees to begin construction of an observatory in 1818.
The foundation stone was laid on Calton Hill on the 25th of April 1818.
Dr Bruce Vickery