Scott Monument
The Scott Monument stands in Princes Street gardens close to Waverley Railway Station in Edinburgh. It is a Victorian Gothic monument to one of the most famous and well loved authors to come out of Scotland, Sir Walter Scott. Visitors to Edinburgh will find a number of place names including the railway station (Waverley) are named after the works of Scott or famous characters that he created.
He was an author, a poet and an accomplished historian born in 1771. He was educated in Edinburgh and worked as a lawyer before turning his hand to writing. He was interested in tradition and collected a number of songs and poems during his travels. He wanted to preserve the mythology of Scotland and his writing romanticised our history for a new generation helping to create a new sense of national pride.
Scott understood Victorian society very well and his writing style appealed to the people of the age like nothing before. His books were incredibly popular and works like Waverley, Ivanhoe and Rob Roy were eagerly devoured by an adoring public both south and north of the border. In fact his appeal and readership spread right across the globe and he was internationally famous in his own lifetime.
Contrary to popular belief the kilt and bagpipes were not always symbols of Scottish nationality. They were in fact very much a part of Highland culture and it was Scott who helped to introduce them to the country at large and make them popular symbols for the whole nation. Before his romantic re-writing of history they were symbols of rebellion to the British state for a fringe rebel society in the north.
The Scott monument is a towering example of the respect he commanded in his native city and it was built using donations from the people. At the time it cost around £16,000 which was a huge sum of money. Scott died in 1832 and they held a competition to decide who would design his enduring monument and George Meikle Kemp won it. It took a few years to build and was eventually finished in 1844.
In the 1990’s the monument was restored at a cost of over £2 million by the Edinburgh Council and Historic Scotland. It is a stunning monument which is incredibly ornate and covered in carved statues of various characters from Scott’s works. A marble statue of the man himself, with a pen in one hand and his faithful dog at his feet sits at the base of the monument.
You can pay for admission to the monument and if you are brave enough to climb the 287 steps to the top you will be rewarded with a stunning view over the city. The tower is just over 200 feet high and there are a series of viewing decks accessed via ever shrinking circular staircases with worn stone steps. It is open year round from 9AM to 6PM in the summer and 9AM to 3PM in the winter. Admission costs just £3 and it is worth a visit although you’ll need to be fairly fit if you want to climb all the way to the top.
