Victorian Gothic in style, the Scott Monument is one of Edinburgh's most notable landmarks, standing 200 feet 6 inches (61.11 meters) tall. It was constructed between 1841 and 1844 as a tribute to the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott, whose Waverley novels inspired a nearby railway station and the monument itself. However, the construction process came at a great cost, with 23 laborers and more than half of the builders succumbing to phthisis due to the fine dust released during carving.
Today, the Scott Monument, crowned by a statue of Scott seated with his dog Maida, is found in the eastern section of Princes Street Gardens, its grandeur serving as a backdrop for the Old Town. 64 figures from Scott’s novels are carved into its stone, designed by various Scottish sculptors. After undergoing refurbishment in the early 1990s, the monument now benefits from a new LED lighting system that illuminates it during evening hours. The monument's 180th anniversary was celebrated in the summer of 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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