← Back to agenda
Doors Open Day 2026
CollectiveCity Observatory, 38 Calton Hill
Sun 27 Sept · 11:00
About this event
We’re taking part in this years Doors Open Day, welcoming the public in for tours of the historic Cooke telescope. Join us at Collective Gallery for Doors Open Day, where we will be hosting 15-minute guided tours of the Cooke Telescope, led by the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh. The City Observatory and its McEwan Dome were designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818. Having been designated a Royal Observatory for most of its life, the site lost this moniker to the observatory on Blackford Hill in 1896. Re-designated as the City Observatory, it was run by the amateur Astronomical Society of Edinburgh from the late 1930s until its closure in 2009. In 2013, Collective moved to a temporary gallery space on Calton Hill and began fundraising to restore and develop the observatory and site in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council as a new centre for contemporary art. The new site opened to the public in November 2018. Doors Open Days is Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment. It offers free access to over a thousand venues across the country each September. Please note that due to the historic nature of the architecture, there is no step-free access to the Cooke Telescope. Access information Find out more about accessing our site You might also like Apply now Apply now Button
More at Collective →
Follow the thread
From this venue’s worldEdinburgh Contemporary ArtExplore the galleries shaping Edinburgh's contemporary visual arts scene.From this venue’s worldEdinburgh Visual ArtsDiscover exhibitions spanning contemporary practice, historic collections and public art.LineageContemporary artTrace other Edinburgh rooms working in this tradition.LineagePublic artTrace other Edinburgh rooms working in this tradition.LineageSculptureTrace other Edinburgh rooms working in this tradition.Adjacent this weekSandra George: Start from the LevelCity Art CentreAdjacent this weekSerena Terry: TherapyFestival TheatreAdjacent this weekPride + banner making drop-in workshopFilmhouse
A different kind of night
Not the same tradition as the lineage above — a genuinely different thread to pull, if you want one.