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Walter and Maida in Edinburgh

This striking Victorian Gothic monument stands on Princes Street in Edinburgh, and honours Sir Walter Scott. This highly respected Scottish writer died in in 1832 and an architectural competition for a memorial to him was launched in 1836. The chosen design was by George Meikle Kemp and construction started in 1840. 

Scott Monument, Edinburgh, at night

Scott Monument, Edinburgh, January 2019

The result was a tower that stands 61 metres tall, making it the second largest monument to a writer in the world, behind the one to José Martí in Havana

Scott and his beloved hound, Maida, sit at the base, carved from a 30 ton piece of Carrara marble. It took 6 years to complete this sculpture. And there are more; there are another 68 statues decorating the tower, by a variety of sculptors. You’ll find Charles I, Friar Tuck, Richard the Lionheart, King James VI, Oliver Cromwell, and many more.


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Copyright Debbie Smyth, 27 May 2020

Posted as part of MWM

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