Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Edinburgh

Andy Goldsworthy's 'Hutton Roof'

Four blocks of Dumfriesshire sandstone by Andy Goldsworthy on the roof terrace of the National Museum of Scotland, set to the compass in honour of James Hutton.

Welcome

On Level 7, high above Chambers Street, the roof terrace of the National Museum of Scotland looks out over the castle, the spires of the Old Town and Arthur's Seat.

On its decking stand four square blocks of orange sandstone. They are Hutton Roof, made by Andy Goldsworthy in 1998.

The work is named for James Hutton, the Edinburgh geologist whose Theory of the Earth first argued for its immense age, and it is built out of that idea. The stone came from Locharbriggs quarry in Dumfriesshire and is the sand of a desert 270 million years old. Goldsworthy split each block along its grain into five slices, cut a hole through every one and put them back together, so that the holes line up.

Lean over one and the eye runs straight down through the layers, back through time. The blocks stand at the four points of the compass, and the terrace is open from ten until quarter to five.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

The terrace is on Level 7 of the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, and the four stones stand on its decking.

Climb the stairs from the Industry and Empire gallery on Level 5, or take the Terrace Lift. From the top the castle, the Old Town skyline, St Giles' and Arthur's Seat are all in view.

Where
The roof terrace, Level 7, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street.
Open
10:00 to 16:45.
Getting up
Stairs from the Industry and Empire gallery on Level 5, or the Terrace Lift.

Been here? Tell others what you know, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your review

Did you know

a rooftop terrace with a coin-operated telescope and a carved stone block overlooks a hazy city skyline
Did you know

Four stones, set to the compass.

Goldsworthy placed his four blocks at the four points of the compass. Together they call up the ideas of James Hutton, the Edinburgh geologist who first read the great age of the Earth in its rocks.

a Gothic clock tower rises above Old Town rooftops and chimney pots
Did you know

The sand of a desert 270 million years old.

The stone came from Locharbriggs quarry in Dumfriesshire. It is the sand of a desert 270 million years old, pressed hard, and the same red-to-pink rock stands in landmark buildings in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

a domed clock tower rises above glass conservatory roofs with a bird perched on the ridge
Did you know

Split in five, and looked through.

Each block was split along its natural grain into five slices, and a hole cut through every one. Put back together, the holes line up and draw the eye down into the stone, back through its layers of time.

a Gothic spire rises above Old Town rooftops and chimney pots
Did you know

No vestige of a beginning.

Hutton put his Theory of the Earth to the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1785 and published it in 1788. Its most famous line is still the one quoted: "we find no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end."

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Edinburgh

The roof of the National Museum of Scotland provides a lofty setting for this work by sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. Comprising a quartet of carved sandstone blocks, quarried from Dumfriesshire and representing the four points of the compass, the sculpture is partly inspired by the work of pioneering Edinburgh geologist James Hutton.

Read more
Edinburgh Castle on its rock seen beyond blossoming trees and tenement rooftops
What is on

What is new across Edinburgh, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Edinburgh
01 / 06
Where it is

On the roof terrace, Level 7, of the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street, in the Old Town.

Close byIn the museum below, and in the streets around it.
  1. Dolly the SheepDolly the SheepThe first mammal cloned from an adult cell, now on show in the museum below.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The Arthur's Seat CoffinsThe Arthur's Seat CoffinsEight tiny coffins found hidden on Arthur's Seat in 1836, and still a mystery.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Five of the Lewis chess pieces against a dark background, including two bishops and a crowned figure, carved in pale ivory.The Lewis Chess PiecesThe Lewis chessmen, carved in the 12th century, on display in the museum.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Timber slabs laid along the wooden floor of a grand columned galleryTalbot Rice GalleryThe University of Edinburgh's public gallery of art, across the street in Old College.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. The Blair Street VaultsThe Blair Street VaultsThe vaults built into the arches of South Bridge in the 1780s.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Greyfriars KirkGreyfriars KirkThe first church built in Edinburgh after the Reformation, where the National Covenant was signed.Under a mile 2 min by road
  7. Greyfriars BobbyGreyfriars BobbyThe bronze of the Skye terrier said to have kept watch over his master's grave.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
The green shopfront of Mother India Cafe on Infirmary Street in Edinburgh, its name in gold letters above the door.RestaurantsMother India's Cafe EdinburghA step away
Whisky barrels line the bar counter beneath shelves of bottles and a mezzanine levelRestaurantsStramashA step away
Union Brew Lab specialty coffee bar frontage on a quiet streetCafeOrigin Coffee, South College StreetA step away
A stone-walled passage in the Blair Street Underground Vaults, lit by wall lamps and running away into the dark.AttractionsBlair Street Underground CavernsA step away
Paper cup reading "The Black Medicine Coffee Co." under an espresso machine spoutAttractionsBlack Medicine Coffee ShopA step away
Two bowls of ramen at Ikigai on South Bridge: a creamy tonkotsu with pork belly and a soft egg, and a dark mushroom broth, by glasses of water with lemon.RestaurantsIkigaiA step away
A flight of whiskies and their bottles on a table in a stone vault at the Lost Close, a chandelier behind.AttractionsThe Lost CloseA step away
The painted 'No Half Measures' sign on the pale green wall inside Half-Cut Coffee, above a rack of prints and cards.CafeHalf-Cut CoffeeA step away
Plaited cheese buns and topped bagels on a copper tray behind the glass of the counter at Kungfu Bakery on Nicolson Square.CafeKungfu BakeryA step away

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the terrace, and when each is next free.

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the museum
Check datesA hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the museum
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the museum
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from the museum
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it and more in Edinburgh.

From the magazineA Guide to Arts & Culture in Edinburgh
More in Edinburgh
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .