Kelpies artist creates new sculpture for Edinburgh's New Town

Andy Scott's latest equine sculpture in Edinburgh's New Town. Picture: TSPL

Andy Scott was commissioned to create a 14 ft tall horse head for George Street to mark the 150th anniversary of jewellers Hamilton & Inches.

The giant chess piece has been installed by the artist and the long-standing silversmiths to the Queen, who have been based at 87 George Street since 1952, outside their showroom and will remain in place until the end of September.

The Rook, which is made of galvanised steel, is the first in a series of collaborations between Glasgow-born Scott and the famous Edinburgh firm.

The chariot horse - which is said to be evocative of ancient Persia - is an outsized version of a vast “Game of Kings” chess set Scott is creating with Hamilton & Inches. Its features include a feathered head-dress, bridle and collar.

Each hand-craft piece for the game, which will be able to be played on a 6.6 ft by 6.6 ft gaming table, will be based on the head and neck composition of The Kelpies.

The world’s largest equine sculptures have drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors to the new Helix public park in Falkirk since they were unveiled in Falkirk two years ago.

Scott, a Glasgow School of Art graduate, has created more than 70 projects around the world, including the Heavy Horse next to the M8 motorway, the Ibrox Disaster Memorial and Arria, a sculpture of a female form, which overlooks the M80 at Cumbernauld.

He said today: “There is a mutual recognition and respect between myself and Hamilton & Inches team of silversmith craftsmen.

“You don’t see any computers in our workshops, our work is rooted in the traditions of Scottish craft and I like that.

“The Game of Kings collaboration celebrates 150 years of Hamilton & Inches and is utterly unique in it scale compared to my Kelpies or Heavy Horse sculptures. I’m really pleased to be creating something so intimate.”

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