The Governor's House of Calton Jail is situated on the southern flank of Calton Hill, beside the south-east corner of Old Calton Burial Ground, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Its southern side looks out over Waverley station, The Canongate and Holyrood Park.
Built by Archibald Elliot (1761 - 1823) in 1815-17, its castellated and turreted form are similar to James Craig's Old Observatory House on Calton Hill. However, it probably takes more of its influence from Robert Adam's Bridewell building, which sat adjacent to the Governor's House. [1]
Governor's House is all that remains of Calton Jail (or Gaol), once the largest prison in Scotland, which was demolished in the 1930s to make way for St Andrew's House.
Governor's House until recently housed the Scottish Government's multimedia team and is now being considered as the official home of Scotland's First Minister, replacing the National Trust for Scotland owned Bute House.[2]