Scott Monument

Brief information

The Scott Monument looks dark not only because of its Gothic design. It was built from Binny sandstone: the stone contains shale oil, which makes the surface attract dust and soot. As a result, the patina quickly became part of its appearance, not merely the result of long aging.

This is a neo-Gothic monument to Walter Scott on Princes Street, next to Edinburgh Waverley station, whose name is also connected with Scott’s novel. The monument is 61.11 meters high, with several viewing platforms inside; 287 steps lead to the highest one. Here, scale works together with the literary theme: the tower surrounds not a military commander or ruler, but a writer and the world of his books.

What to notice first

It makes sense to compare three levels of detail. At the center stands a marble statue of Scott: he is seated with a pen, as if interrupted while working, and there is a dog at his feet. Around it, the monument is decorated with 64 sculptures; most of them are characters from Scott’s works, so the tower turns the books into a stone setting around the author.

The material is also important when looking at it. The dark surface is connected with Binny sandstone, which readily collected soot and dust. During restoration, they did not clean the entire monument, so as not to damage the stone; damaged areas were replaced with details made from newly quarried sandstone of the same kind. Therefore, in the monument’s appearance one can see not only decorative neo-Gothic style, but also the trace of the chosen material, urban pollution, and careful repair.