Floodlights planned to light up Scott Monument

It is one of the Capital's most well-known landmarks and a monument to one of her most celebrated sons.

The Scott Monument, Princes Street. Picture; Greg Macvean

Now the Scott Monument will be even more of a feature of the city’s night-time skyline thanks to a spectacular lighting installation.

The Gothic memorial to literary beacon Sir Walter Scott will shine out to mark the anniversary of the author’s death today – and is set to remain in place every night thereafter.

The iconic tower has been floodlit before but the new LED system from city-based KSLD is the first specially designed lighting to be installed.

Scott Monument almost built, photo by David Octavius Hill, Capital Collections Date

The state-of-the-art design is intended to highlights the monument’s architectural features with a “soft warm glow”.

Meanwhile, remarkable photographs showing the monument under construction have also been released to mark the milestone.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Edinburgh’s culture leader, said: “As the world’s first Unesco City of Literature we are proud to bring the largest monument to a writer in the world out of the shadows and into the night skyline.

“The Scott Monument is an iconic and imposing memorial in the heart of Edinburgh and the new lights are in keeping with the 170-year-old structure.”

Masons at work on the structure. Picture; David Octavius Hill

He continued: “The scheme has been carefully created by a local Edinburgh firm to provide a soft night-time glow I’d like to think the original architect George Meikle Kemp would have approved of.”

Natalie Redford, associate lighting director, said: “We were chosen to provide this beautiful Gothic structure with the lighting that both it and the city of Edinburgh deserves.

“The detailed statues and features of the monument provided the main inspiration and focus for the lighting scheme, which brings out the sparkle of the stonework.”

The decision to light the Edinburgh landmark forms part of the council’s city-wide project to install and upgrade lighting at some of the city’s key structures and buildings. The project, already been shortlisted for a major design award, is supported by Edinburgh World Heritage through a £10,000 grant.

Scott Monument almost built, photo by David Octavius Hill, Capital Collections Date

Adam Wilkinson, director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: “Carefully executed lighting schemes can do so much to enhance how we appreciate our city’s extraordinary architecture, defining and revealing key features.

“The Scott Monument is one of the most recognisable features on the city skyline, but by night this new project will also bring to life its mass of superb sculpture and soaring beauty.”

The Scott Monument remains the tallest memorial in the world dedicated to a writer.

Built by public subscription in memory of Sir Walter Scott after his death in 1832, it was completed 170 years ago in August 1846.