Bronze balladeer Bob: The globetrotting quartet of a Scottish legend

Bronze Balladeer Bob, lost in eternal thought, dwells in four diverse cities around the globe. Each statue is a faithful rendition of the poet, but the story of these bronze and marble wonders is more than just stone and bronze. So sit back, grab a brew, and join us as we embark on an intriguing journey through the captivating story of the four Robert Burns statues. Unlike most stories, this one's a globe-trotter. A world tour, in stone and bronze. Let's dive in!

The inaugural statue outside Scotland was cast around 1880 in New York City, akin to Alexander Nasmyth's 1787 portrait of Burns. The statue, Fenwick Brigg, has a quill pen in hand and gazes skyward, lost in thoughts of his long-lost love, Mary Campbell. A bittersweet sentiment, immortalized in the city that never sleeps.

The statue sports an inscription, 'To Mary in Heaven', and three more versions of the statue can be found in Dundee, Scotland, London, England, and Dunedin, New Zealand. The Dundee statue followed in its footsteps two weeks later in 1880, while the London statue followed suit in 1884. The Dunedin statue was the last to be unveiled on May 24, 1887, despite being the first to be built in the New World. The statue in Dunedin bears the most resemblance to the London statue.

The Dundee statue resides at The Octagon, Dunedin's central plaza. The statue was unveiled by Miss Burns, a great-grand-niece of Robert Burns, and presided over by Sir George Grey and Richard Henry Leary, the Mayor of Dunedin. The stage has since played host to numerous public speeches.

All four statues rank as Category I heritage structures.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons