Old Bank Close. Taken Down. 1835.

This original antique steel engraving depicts Old Bank Close, Edinburgh — one of the ancient closes running off the Royal Mile — as it appeared before its demolition in 1835. Drawn by Sir Daniel Wilson from his own sketches and engraved by William Forrest for his landmark work Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, published in 1848, this print is a rare and valuable historical record of a close that had already been lost to demolition by the time the book appeared.

Old Bank Close took its name from the British Linen Bank, which occupied premises there in the 18th century, and had been one of the characteristic medieval closes of Edinburgh’s Old Town for centuries before it was swept away as part of the rapid modernisation of the city. 

Wilson’s careful documentation of such lost places — drawn from memory and earlier sketches — makes this print not just a beautiful object but a genuinely irreplaceable historical document. 

This is a rare Proof impression, pulled before the main print run and of superior quality and rarity to a standard example. The print is on a thin paper that has been laid onto a thicker backing sheet — a feature sometimes seen in proof impressions of this series.

Subscript: Lower Left: D. Wilson. Lower Right: W. Forrest. Lower Center: Published by Hugh Paton, Adam Square, Edinburgh. Proof.

Author: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Publication: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time. By Daniel Wilson, F. S. S. A. Acting Secretary to the Society of the Antiquaries of Scotland.

Volume: 1

Publisher: Hugh Paton / Simpkin, Marshall, & Co.

Place of Publication: Adam Square, Edinburgh / London

Date: 1848

Artist: Sir Daniel Wilson, F. R. S. S. A. (1816–1892)

Engraver: William Forrest

Page Number: Between pages 174–175

Paper Dimensions: 9 x 12 inches

Medium: Steel Engraving

Impression: Proof

Language: English

Coloured: Black and white

Condition: The print is in great condition with some wear around the edges, particularly on the top and left side of the print, as can be seen. The print is on a thin paper that has been adhered to a thicker paper behind it, as can be seen.

Reference: Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden Time, HathiTrust Digital Library