The Botanic Cottage

The Botanic Cottage stands within the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh at Inverleith. It is a relatively unassuming Georgian house with twin chimneys flanked by symmetrical side doorways with a remarkable story to tell. The building was originally constructed in the 1760s for the Botanic Gardens Leith Walk site and was dismantled stone by stone 250 years later to be faithfully rebuilt in this location in 2016. The image shows the cottage down a path of tall flowers in summer. Entry to the wider Botanic Garden is free. Donations are accepted.

Bright skies suit the cottage’s cheerful palette and neatly contrast its peachy-yellow rendered walls. A standard wide lens captures the full width of the cottage in a single balanced frame while leaving room for the clouds and pathway. Place yourself dead-centre to ensure the composition is completely symmetrical as a slight movement left or right can skew the balance. Using a polarising filter can help lift the image on a bright day.