Discover the unexpected artefacts of Edinburgh's secret museum, with Keith Baxter

In the first of a new series in which five curators from some of the city’s best loved museums choose their favourite artefacts, Keith Baxter reveals the history behind the statuettes, stained glass windows and historic trowel kept in one of the city’s best kept secrets, the museum at the heart of the Scott Monument.
The Scott MonumentThe Scott Monument
The Scott Monument

THE Scott Monument has dominated the central Edinburgh skyline since the mid-19th century and continues to be one of the city’s beloved curiosities.

Built as a celebration of Walter Scott, one of the most influential writers in the world, the Scott Monument stands at an impressive 200 feet and six inches tall and offers panoramic views of the usually bustling city.

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Scott is most known for writing such classics as Waverley, Rob Roy and Ivanhoe although he spent his early days collecting folk tales, much like the Brothers Grimm whom he admired greatly.

Stained glass windows in the Scott Monument's secret museumStained glass windows in the Scott Monument's secret museum
Stained glass windows in the Scott Monument's secret museum

Locals and visitors alike are commonly greeted by the Gothic landmark due to its imposing height, but the real beauty lies within its ornate features and the microcosm of Scott’s world that is captured. Delicately garnished around the monument are statuettes, each representing a character in Scott’s works and many images belonging to real folk heroes of the passing centuries.

The stories we aptly pass on from generation to generation are likely influenced by the romanticised notion of these figures and the place they hold in securing a Scottish national identity. This is strengthened more deeply still by the grandiose stained-glass windows portraying St Andrew and St Giles, the patron saints of Scotland and Edinburgh respectively.

When lockdown restrictions are lifted, visitors to the monument will be guided through the winding staircases to the upper levels to witness up close the intricacies of this peculiar jewel in Edinburgh’s crown. As Scott himself was a self-declared antiquary and often humorously drew attention to this through his writing, the monument really draws attention to this sense of wonder and imagination in a unique blend of the historical and fantastical.

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Many would be forgiven for being unaware of the museum room that lies on the first floor, featuring those stained-glass windows. This small space captures an almost chapel-like decorum with the names of Scott’s stories caringly etched upon the woodwork. It appears the monument exists as less of a generic structure and more like a gothic tapestry of folklore sympathies.

Keith BaxterKeith Baxter
Keith Baxter

An interesting addition to the museum space is the ceremonial trowel signifying the laying of the foundation stone in 1840 along with interactive screens to guide the visitor through the impressive building process.

The monument’s design was selected from a competition held in the spring of 1836 to design a public monument to celebrate Scott, this was to be based on a specified budget with the top three most noteworthy designs winning the sender 50 guineas. The winning architect was a carpenter and joiner by the name of George Meikle Kemp who, when submitting his design, used the pseudonym John Morvo to avoid his unprofessional background being called into question. Rather tragically George Meikle Kemp died in 1844 by drowning in the old Canal basin before he could ever see the monument finished. The funeral procession was attended by more than 1000 guests for the now appropriately titled ‘architect’.

The monument now not only stands as a celebration of Scott’s work, but as the memorial of two different men separated by profession, joined by passion.

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The construction itself was not without its share of struggles though, financial or otherwise, and these stories almost echo the tales Scott himself would collect. Most will be familiar with the impressive figure of Scott at the foot of the monument and for this, a marble block from Italy was required for sculpting. Unfortunately, this weighed more than 30 tons and was so heavy that the mechanical device broke and dropped the marble into the sea.

Scott Monument Museum exhibited trowelScott Monument Museum exhibited trowel
Scott Monument Museum exhibited trowel

Once this was recovered and completed, the final statue depicting Scott and his dog Maida were positioned forever in thoughtful poignancy in the centre of the monument, two years after the last stone had been placed on the monument itself.

What started as national mourning marking Scott’s passing, became a community vision, one that after almost 15 years had finally reached its conclusion. The inauguration ceremony took place in the summer of 1846 and the Scott Monument has continued to watch over Edinburgh ever since its very concept came to fruition. It seems somewhat poetic that even posthumously, Scott’s love of the strange and historic embodies itself in this aesthetically divisive structure.

Keith Baxter is events duty manager, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh

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Further information on The Scott Monument can be found on the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh website - https://www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk/

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