In 1840 work began on the Scott Monument, which was designed by George Meikle Kemp and celebrates Scotland’s most famous author, Sir Walter Scott. From 1843 until its completion two years later, Hill and Adamson charted the monument’s progress. In order to get a clear view of the building works, they hoisted themselves and their equipment onto the roof of what is now the Royal Scottish Academy. In this image, the neo-gothic steeple of the monument is about half its final height. The background has since changed; the row of houses to the right no longer exists and the view of Calton Hill has been obscured by the Balmoral, a large hotel on Princes Street.