50 Years at Camera Obscura and 174 Years of Edinburgh History
In 2027, Camera Obscura & World of Illusions is celebrating a very special milestone: 50 years since Visitor Centres Ltd began running and caring for the attraction.
But, as you might expect from a place with quite as much history as ours, the story starts much earlier.
Camera Obscura has been entertaining curious visitors on Castlehill since 1853, when pioneering entrepreneur Maria Theresa Short opened her Observatory and installed the Camera Obscura that would become the heart of the attraction.
Later, under the stewardship of visionary town planner Patrick Geddes, the building became the Outlook Tower – a place created to encourage visitors to look at Edinburgh, Scotland and the wider world in new ways.
Then, on 1 January 1977, David Hayes, founder of Visitor Centres Ltd, signed the lease to take on the running of Camera Obscura.
And that is the anniversary we are celebrating in 2027.
50 years of looking after something much older
For half a century, generations of our team have helped care for this remarkable Edinburgh attraction, while continuing to develop it for new generations of visitors. The Victorian Camera Obscura is still demonstrated today, just as it was to visitors more than a century ago, but around it the experience has continued to evolve.
What began with Victorian optics has grown into five floors filled with illusions, interactive exhibits, light, colour, mirrors, technology and plenty of opportunities to see the world from a completely different perspective.
So while 2027 marks 50 years of our chapter in the story, Camera Obscura itself has been welcoming visitors for more than 170 years. And we think both stories are worth celebrating.
A whole year of celebrations
We aren't planning to mark the anniversary with just one birthday cake.
Throughout 2027, visitors can expect a year of new additions, surprises and opportunities to discover more about Camera Obscura's past, present and future.
We'll be introducing new exhibits, sharing much more of the fascinating history of the building and creating a new year-round trail around the attraction, helping visitors uncover stories and details they may never have noticed before.
Some of our much-loved seasonal events will also receive special anniversary updates throughout the year.
There will be more history appearing around the attraction too, bringing to life some of the characters, ideas and inventions that have shaped Camera Obscura since Maria Short first welcomed visitors through the doors in 1853.
And, naturally, there will still be plenty of illusions along the way.
Help us tell the story
Buildings might provide the backdrop, but it is people who really make a visitor attraction part of a city's history.
Over the decades, millions of visitors have climbed our stairs, looked through our rooftop telescopes, watched Edinburgh moving across the Camera Obscura table, disappeared into mirrors, braved the Vortex Tunnel and introduced another generation of their family to the attraction.
Many former members of staff have their own stories too.
That's why, as part of our 50th celebrations, we'll be creating a Camera Obscura Memory Wall, both here at the attraction and online. And we would love your help.
Perhaps you visited us on a school trip decades ago. Maybe Camera Obscura was part of a first date, a childhood holiday or a family tradition. You might have an old photograph taken on the rooftop, remember an exhibit that disappeared many years ago, or have memories of working here yourself. Whatever your connection, we'd love to hear it.
Send your memories, stories and photographs to memories@camera-obscura.co.uk.
Selected memories will be shared throughout our anniversary year, helping us build a picture of Camera Obscura not just through dates and historic records, but through the people who have experienced it.
From 1853 to 1977 to today
There aren't many attractions where you can experience a piece of Victorian technology in operation, explore more than 100 modern interactive exhibits and stand on a rooftop that has been welcoming sightseers for generations.
That mixture of old and new is a huge part of what makes Camera Obscura & World of Illusions special.
Maria Short started the story. Patrick Geddes added another extraordinary chapter. David Hayes and Visitor Centres Ltd began ours on 1 January 1977. Fifty years later, we're still looking after this remarkable place, still finding new ways to surprise visitors and still helping people see Edinburgh – and the world – a little differently. And in 2027, we'll be celebrating all of it.
50 years of our story. More than 170 years of Camera Obscura. And plenty more still to come.
You can also share with us on Instagram @cameraobscuraedinburgh and TikTok @cameraobscuraedinburgh