Historic Edinburgh landmark and museum opens up for first time since Covid pandemic

A historic Edinburgh landmark and museum that shut during lockdown will re-open next month, the council has confirmed.

Calton Hill’s Nelson Monument is set to welcome visitors for the first time in over four years following repairs to the 210-year-old hilltop tower.

Councillor Val Walker, Edinburgh Council’s culture and communities convener, said: “We’re looking to reopen the Monument from May this year.”

She added it would remain open over the summer before closing for another few weeks while further work is carried out.

Friends of Calton Hill, a group of local volunteers who help to maintain the area, shared photos online as fencing went up around the attraction earlier this month. They said repairs were originally due to start in February before the project was delayed.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a spokesperson for the group said they were “keenly awaiting the reopening of the ground floor museum of the Nelson Monument”.

They added: “It’s been closed since the pandemic, but it’s in good condition — and there are two public toilets which we really want to see being made accessible for visitors.”

Scaffolding has now been erected around the parapet at the top of the tower in preparation for a new mast being built. This will allow for the refurbishment of the time ball – which was added in 1853 and is lowered as the one o’clock gun is fired from Edinburgh Castle.

The ground floor museum – which features exhibitions and displays on the Battle of Trafalgar and Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson which the monument commemorates – is free to visit while it costs £6 to climb the tower.

Both were closed in 2020 during the pandemic when structural issues were first identified.

“The main elements of the repair to date have been to the building itself,” Walker said. “We’ve also been looking into replacing the mast on top of the monument and full refurbishment of the time ball, both of which have required working with specialist teams and a large capital investment.

“I’d like to thank our residents for their patience whilst we made essential repairs to the Nelson Monument.

“We’re looking to reopen the Monument from May this year. Then the monument will operate for the summer months while a new mast is built the time ball mechanism is fully refurbished and a new automated system is created.

“The Monument will then close again around late September for the installation of the refurbished time ball and new mast. Installation will take some three weeks however this will be weather-dependent so exact timings may change.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing residents and visitors enjoying the Monument again this summer ahead of the full restoration later in the year.”