Although London-based by 1825, Roberts maintained strong links with his native Edinburgh. This view down the Pleasance in the Old Town suggests his lifelong fascination with architecture. St Patrick’s, where another pioneering Scottish artist, Alexander Runciman, had painted interior murals in 1774, was already a favoured subject for artists. On the left is the new Cowgate Port branch school of George Heriot’s, opened in 1840.