Plans for Edinburgh memorial statue of renowned city doctor Elsie Inglis at prestigious Royal Mile spot

‘Statue for Elsie Inglis SCIO’ applied for planning permission on February 28 to place the statue on the southern pavement of the Royal Mile (High Street) adjacent to New Assembly Close, opposite the commemorative plaque to Dr Inglis at 219 High Street.

Elsie Inglis was not born in Edinburgh, but she was educated and spent much of her life in the city. Inglis was a doctor and suffragette, who tirelessly campaigned for better rights and specifically medical care for women.

Two artist's impressions images of the proposed Elsie Inglis memorial statue to be placed on the Royal Mile under the plans. | Jewitt & Wilkie Limited

Thousands of people lined the streets of Edinburgh before her funeral in 1917, which was held at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and was attended by royalty.

The proposed monument to Dr Inglis would stand near to the site of the hospice that Inglis set up for poor women and children in 1904. The proposed monument comprises a statue, a pedestal and a plinth. The statue and pedestal shaft will both be cast in phosphor bronze, the two joined by mechanical and welded means.

In 2017 Lord Provost Frank Ross started fundraising for a public statue of Dr Elsie Inglis, which will be made by the King’s Sculptor Professor Alexander Stoddart, whose previous works include James Clark Maxwell at George Street/St Andrew’s Square, Adam Smith at The Royal Mile, David Hume at The Royal Mile, William Henry Playfair at the National Museum and The Robert Louis Stevenson Monument in Corstorphine.

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Speaking about the plans, the applicant said: “The location of the monument is highly prestigious, appropriate to the commemoration of a woman of the very highest national and international renown. No expense is to be spared.

“A monument to Dr Elsie Inglis will serve to highlight her important philanthropic work in the City of Edinburgh and her selfless service in various fields of conflict in the First World War.

“The location for the proposed monument was chosen through its proximity to the women’s clinic ‘The Hospice’ she opened and ran at 219 High Street.

“The granting of planning permission for this noble commemorative enterprise will bring its realisation closer to fruition and demonstrate the City of Edinburgh’s ongoing commitment to the raising of outstanding works of monumental statuary to the most esteemed and deserving subjects.”

The online planning application has already received 102 comments, 68 of them are objections and the other 34 private comments are in support of the plans.

Born in India in 1864, Inglis went to school in Edinburgh and stayed in the city as she forged a career as a medical doctor, surgeon and teacher. She was also a suffragist and founder of the Scottish Women's Hospitals. She died in 1917 aged 53, and is buried at Dean Cemetery in Edinburgh.

It was her efforts during the First World War that brought her fame. When war broke out she suggested the creation of women's medical units on the Western Front but the War Office were not interested and she was told by an official "my good lady, go home and sit still".

Instead, she made her offer to the French Government, whose acceptance led to the setting up of an Auxiliary Hospital at Abbaye de Royaumont in 1914 and at another hospital in Villers Cotterets in 1917.