Fountain at Holyrood Palace

This stereoscopic photograph taken by George Washington Wilson is designed to be viewed through a stereoscope, which creates a 3D effect. These were very popular to collect during the Victorian period and Wilson shrewdly photographed tourist hotspots to appeal to the increasing numbers of travellers exploring Scotland in the second half of the nineteenth century.

This image shows the fountain in the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse. It was built by Robert Matheson in 1859 to a design based on the fountain at Linlithgow Palace that was built for James V in 1538.