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Royal Society of Edinburgh

1783 establishments in ScotlandLearned societies of ScotlandNational academies of arts and humanitiesNational academies of sciencesNew Town, Edinburgh
Organisations based in EdinburghOrganisations based in Edinburgh with royal patronageOrganisations supported by the Scottish GovernmentOrganizations established in 1783Royal Society of EdinburghScientific organizations established in 1783Use British English from August 2017
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The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and nonpartisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established in 1783. As of 2021, there are around 1,800 Fellows.The Society covers a broader selection of fields than the Royal Society of London including literature and history. Fellowship includes people from a wide range of disciplines – science & technology, arts, humanities, medicine, social science, business, and public service.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Royal Society of Edinburgh (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Royal Society of Edinburgh
George Street, City of Edinburgh New Town

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 55.953594 ° E -3.196602 °
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George Street 24-26
EH2 2PQ City of Edinburgh, New Town
Scotland, United Kingdom
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Royal Scottish Academy Building
Royal Scottish Academy Building

The Royal Scottish Academy building, the home of the Royal Scottish Academy, is situated on The Mound in the centre of Edinburgh, was built by William Henry Playfair in 1822-6 and extended in 1831-6 for the Board of Manufactures and Fisheries. Along with the adjacent National Gallery of Scotland, their neo-classical design helped transform Edinburgh into a modern-day Athens of the North. One of the bodies that proposed the building in 1821 was the Royal Institution for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts in Scotland after which the building was named the Royal Institution from 1826 to 1911. From the completion of the original building, the Royal Institution shared it with the Board of Manufactures (the owners), the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The building, along with the National Gallery of Scotland, was remodelled in 1912 by William Thomas Oldrieve. The statue of Queen Victoria atop the building was sculpted by Sir John Steell. In 2003 railings (lost in World War II) together with a series of traditional lamps, were restored around both the Academy and the National Gallery behind, isolating each building from the public space here. The building is managed by the National Galleries of Scotland but a 1910 Order grants the RSA permanent administration offices in the building. The building was recently refurbished as part of the Playfair Project. Exhibition space is shared throughout the year by the RSA with the NGS and other exhibiting societies: the Society of Scottish Artists, Visual Arts Scotland and the Royal Society of Watercolourists.

Melville Monument
Melville Monument

The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Dundas was a dominant figure in Scottish and British politics during much of the late 18th century. Plans to construct a memorial to him began soon after his death in 1811 and were largely driven by Royal Navy officers, especially Sir William Johnstone Hope. After a successful campaign for subscriptions, construction of the monument began in 1821 but time and costs soon spiralled out of control. The project was not completed until 1827 and not paid off until 1837. From the 2010s, the monument became the subject of increasing controversy due to Dundas' legacy, especially debates over the extent of his role in legislating delays to the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. In the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the City of Edinburgh Council moved to erect a plaque on the monument to explain Dundas' legacy. Installation of the plaque was completed in October 2021. Designed by William Burn, the column is modelled after Trajan's Column in Rome. Robert Stevenson provided additional engineering advice during construction. The column is topped by a 4.2 m (14 ft) tall statue of Dundas designed by a Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved Robert Forrest. The total height of the monument is about 45 m (150 ft). It is one of Edinburgh's most prominent landmarks.