Edinburgh Royal Regiment of Scotland lion statue memorial proposed in Princes Street Gardens
Plans have been lodged to erect a Royal Regiment of Scotland memorial at a prominent Edinburgh city centre location.
The Royal Regiment of Scotland has submitted plans to erect a statue of a lion at West Princes Street Gardens on empty land 30 metres east of Ross Fountain. The new statue would be 210cm high, 299cm in length and 168.5cm wide, if the plans are approved.
The Culture and Communities Committee have approved the proposal, subject to planning permission, with plans in place for a VIP to unveil the statue in May this year.
If approved, the bronze statue of a lion, which is part of the regiment’s cap badge, will be placed upon a stone plinth. The memorial will also includethe national motto of Scotland “Nemo me lacessit impune”, which means "no one provokes me with impunity" or "no one attacks me without punishment".
This proposal includes a generous paved area around the memorial which intersects with the existing tarmac path through the gardens. It also takes into account the possibility of future ceremonial activity around the memorial such as Remembrance Day.
The plinth will be constructed by G Brown Stonemason Ltd, while the bronze sculpture of the lion will be created by sculptor Kenny Hunter and installed by Powderhall Bronze Ltd.
Speaking about the plans, Kenny said: “This lion is depicted reclining not rampant, perhaps to suggest it is remembering it’s past and contemplating it’s future.
“Beyond representing this animal’s traditional qualities of strength and courage, I have also decided to use the structure and process of making the memorial itself to communicate how the regiment originated from six antecedents.
“Therefore this sculpture of a reclining lion will be cast in six separate sections then welded together to create a unified whole. Instead of disguising the seams they will instead become a feature that tells the story of how Scotland’s six historic infantry regiments came together to form a single fighting force.
“This will be further echoed in the construction of the base and plinth, each of which comprises of six separate stones. Collectively this methodology of conjoining will articulate the origins of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, while making the broader point that the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts.
“Overall the basic composition of the memorial is horizontal, grounded and empathetic rather than vertical, elevated or heroic. This will give it a very stable appearance, impressive in its monumental scale and yet the gaze of the lion will be at the same head height as the viewer, which will make it relatable.”
The sculpture will require an annual clean with water and re-waxing. This service could be provided by Powderhall Bronze Ltd according to the planning documents.
The City of Edinburgh Council’s planning department will now decide upon this application, which has so far received no public contacts on the local authority’s online planning portal.
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