Edinburgh's Playfair Monument on Calton Hill

[image credit: zawtowers]

The Playfair Monument is named after John Playfair, who died in 1819. While locals may not find his name as memorable as some others found nearby – Sir Walter Scott and John Knox come to mind, not to mention Scotland’s untoppable Rabbie Burns – the sight of the Playfair Monument is a welcome one to those who travel to or live in Edinburgh.

Overlooking The City From Playfair Monument

From its situation on top of Calton Hill, the Playfair Monument overlooks Princes Street and gives good sight lines out to Edinburgh Castle (the highest point in the city aside from Arthur’s Seat).

The Playfair Monument is not one of the cities more ostentatious sights, but in its shadow both local and tourist can taste the sweet air off the Firth of Forth and find themselves at home among the green grass and the rolling hills nestled within this perculiar city.

View from the Castle toward Calton Hill. Get your magnifying glasses ladies and gents, the Playfair Monument is located "between" the Dugald Stewart and National Monument of Edinburgh.

[image credit: Laurel Fan]

Only a few minutes’ walk from Edinburgh’s main attractions, including the above mentioned Arthur’s Seat, the New Town, the Royal Mile, Leith Walk (site of the 1990s film “Trainspotting,” directed by Danny Boyle), the Playfair Monument is a reminder of days gone by and natural philosophy, a sight which recalls the dedication of Edinburgh University’s professors and the city’s well-known precedence in mathematics and science.

The inscription on the podium of Playfair Monument, Edinburgh

[image credit: airminded]

As modest as its home city, the Playfair Monument is a well-fitted tribute to the esteemed mathematics professor John Playfair, whose memory has lasted over two centuries and whose work lives on to this day.

A romatic spot in Edinburgh: St. Bernard's Well at the Water of Leith

[image credit: StartAgain]

St. Bernard’s changed hands several times over the years. In the late 1780s the well was purchased by Lord Gardenstone, a Court of Sessions judge who felt the waters had aided him. Gardenstone commissioned Alexander Naismyth to construct a pump house and Grecian folly to illuminate the well.

A Greek Goddess In Edinburgh: The Statue Of Hygeia, St. Bernard’s Well

A statue of Hygeia, the Greek goddess of health, became a centerpiece for the well-house in 1791.

The beautiful statue of Hygeia over St. Bernard's Well, Edinburgh

[image credit: Nestor M]

In the 1790s Sir Henry Raeburn purchased the bulk of the St. Bernard estate, only to gradually resell it in portions. In 1812 George Lauder, an ancestor of entertainer Sir Harry Lauder, purchased the well itself, along with a good-sized portion of the land surrounding it. Publisher William Nelson was the last private owner, buying the well in 1884. Upon his death his trustees presented St. Bernard’s Well to the city of Edinburgh. Thomas Bonnar restored the well house and D.W. Stevenson carved a new statue of Hygeia.

Today St. Bernard’s Well is maintained by volunteers from the City Council. It is open to the public on Sundays throughout the year.

The Manuscript of Monte Cassino - Edinburgh's Big Foot with the Omni Centre in the background

Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s magnificent sculpture was erected in 1991. The Big Foot is positioned in front of Edinburgh’s largest Roman Catholic Church, St. Mary’s. The symbolism of the Manuscript of Monte Cassino (the Big Foot) is oblique. Recent debates in the city have centered around the idea of moving one or more parts of the statue to the foot of Leith Walk (the setting of Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” film, and an area which has struggled to regenerate – some would say gentrify – itself).

The Big Foot's toe - Part of The Manuscript of Monte Cassino in Edinburgh

[image credits: Joanna Blackburn, only alice]

The Area Around The Big Foot

In its present location, the Manuscript of Monte Cassino (the Big Foot) is located at the crossing of some of Edinburgh’s liveliest night spots. Broughton Street is home to many clubs and bars, and the chip shop at the top of that street is known for its chips with cheese and curry. At the foot of Leith Street, which connects Princes Street to Leith Walk (in Edinburgh, it’s always a good idea to remember whether someone’s directions included “Street,” “Crescent,” “Road,” or “Lane” as you’ll often find four thoroughfares with the same prefacing word), the Omni Center (a complex including a sports club, restaurants, and a cinema) sidles up against major receiving house The Playhouse, all of which back onto Greenside.

The Manuscript of Monte Cassino (the Big Foot) itself offers a whimsical look at a foot, arm, and ankle piece, and offer passersby the opportunity to stop, blink, check they’re seeing what they think they’ve just seen, then walk on with a smile.

The Melville Monument looks out over Edinburgh

To the uninitiated, this 42.6 meter high column was erected in honor of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, a renowned Scottish lawyer who held a variety of offices during his lifetime including First Lord of the Admiralty under William Pitt the Younger, among many other positions. Dundas also had the notable and somewhat unfortunate distinction of being the last person to have been impeached from public office in the whole of the United Kingdom.

[Image credit: coda]

Edinburgh’s Melville Monument, A Landmark In St. Andrew’s Square

Standing at the center of St. Andrew’s Square, the impressive landmark has an interesting history involving some unique characters and milestones. The story of the Melville Monument begins in 1817, when a private group of prominent Naval officers formed a committee to memorialize Viscount Melville, and succeeded in raising several thousand pounds to fund the project. During his life, Dundas was considered to be the most powerful man in Scotland, and was referred to by contemporaries as “King Henry the Ninth”, such was his influence.

Melville Monument takes pride of place in the centre of St. Andrew's Square, Edinburgh

[Image credit: FotoFling Scotland]

Melville Monument, Watchful Tower Over Edinburgh’s New Town

The overall structure was designed by William Burn, which he modeled after Trajan’s Column in Rome. The statue that sits atop pillar, meanwhile, was created by Robert Forrest and Francis Chantrey. Weighing in at over 1500 tons, the Melville Monument was so massive that special considerations had to be taken for the foundation to support its mass. Robert Stevenson, a respected lighthouse engineer and also grandfather to the author Robert Louis Stevenson, used the first line balance crane ever built to erect the towering edifice. The column was finished in 1823, while the statue had to wait until 1828 until being put into place.

Edinburgh's Melville Monument watches as the sun goes down over the city

While rather drab in appearance, the Melville Monument is still a sight to behold for sheer height and size. In recognition of its landmark status, a plaque in honor of the monument was placed in St. Andrews Square by the Institute of Civil Engineers to commemorate its erection. Once off limits to tourists, the garden surrounding the Melville Monument is now thankfully open to visitors.
[Image credit: Pete98]

The Dugald Stewart Monument on Edinburgh's Calton Hill

This structure is located on top of Calton Hill and is hard to miss because it is located in such a central position in the Edinburgh skyline. The following includes some basic information about the Dugald Stewart Monument to help you understand the importance of this structure.

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Edinburgh’s Dugald Stewart Monument In Detail

The Dugald Stewart Monument was built to memorialize the important Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart. It was built in 1831 and was the design of the architect William Henry Playfair. The monument is inspired by and modeled after the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates, a structure located in Athens, Greece. There are many other Greek-inspired pieces of architecture in the area, and thus, the Dugald Stewart Monument fits well situated near such structures as the National Monument. The Monument is made out of yellow-grey sandstone taken from Humbie, West Lothian.

The base of the Dugald Stewart Monument bearing its namesake's dates of birth and death

Though a prominent philosopher during his time period and close friends with the famous Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart is not widely known today. Born in 1753, Dugald Stewart is widely considered to be one of the greatest Scottish Enlightenment thinkers. He was a Professor of Moral Philosophy at Edinburgh University. During his lifetime, he was a leading figure of the Scottish school of Common Sense Philosophy along with Thomas Reid, someone who would influence many of Stewart’s ideas.

The Dugald Stewart Monument honors the originality of Stewart’s work and his importance to Scottish Philosophy. Though Stewart took Reid’s ideas of psychological method and common sense doctrine and included elements of moderate empiricism and French ideologists. His work was said to influence a great number of philosophers who followed him. Today, the Dugald Stewart Monument is a much-visited monument that marks the Edinburgh skyline. If you are in this city, seeing this structure in person is sure to impress.

[Image credit: airminded]

Edinburgh's Nelson monument on Calton Hill

Designed by Robert Burn, and constructed in 1816, the structure is intentionally tall enough to be seen by ships in port at Leith Roads. The illustrious tower is a tribute to Lord Horatio Nelson, an esteemed Navy Admiral, who emerged victorious in the Battle of Trafalgar, in October, 1806. The battle was won, but Nelson lost his life as the Royal Navy mutilated the French and Spanish flotilla.

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The Nelson Monument’s Time Ball

The Time Ball on Edinburgh's Nelson Monument in its dropped position, just visible under the cross

Sitting atop this looming structure, since 1854, is a wooden, zinc clad sphere. This sphere, known as the Time Ball, is dropped at 1:00 daily, with the exception of Sunday. The Time Ball, synchronized with the city observatory, as well as the firing of the One O’Clock gun at Edinburgh Castle, is raised at 12:55, and dropped five minutes later, each day in order for ships in the Port of Leith to set their chronometers. In May of 2009, the Time Ball, weighing 762 kilos, was temporarily removed for repairs of the cracked zinc sheath.

[Image credit: notcub]

Views From The Top Of Nelson Monument – Edinburgh And Beyond

The Nelson Monument is sometimes described as having an inverted telescope appearance, and vaguely resembles a more erect Tower of Pisa. Nelson Monument also presents the visitor with a scenic panoramic view of the Firth of Forth, the Forth Rail and Road Bridges, and Moorfoot Hills.

The spectacular view over Edinburgh from the top of the Nelson monument

Local buildings such as the Royal High School, Dugald Stewart’s Monument, and the Governor’s House can be keenly observed from the top of the Nelson Monument as well.

Edinburgh's Ross Fountain is more often photographed with Edinburgh Castle behind it

The iron statue was designed and cast in northeast France at the Durenne Ironworks of Haute-Marne. It was displayed at the Great Exhibition of London in 1862. Although extraordinarily complex it is typical of classical French sculpture which celebrates the naked female form. The statue is plumbed as a fountain. It has been called both one of the most ornate and elaborate structures of the 19th century, and as “grossly indecent.”

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Edinburgh’s Ross Fountain In Detail

Mermaids adorn Edinburgh's Ross Fountain

The large Ross Fountain features multiple figures: four mermaids adorn the lower level, and on the upper level are four other females who represent the arts, poetry, science and industry. Between the figures and the levels are basins for the water. Another female figure is mounted at the apex. The entire structure is gold-colored. Ross Fountain has been classified as a Category B structure. In Scotland this means that it is protected having regional importance, or as a major example of some particular period or style.

[image credit MikeLeone]

Edinburgh’s Ross Fountain, Installation & Renovation

Daniel Ross was a gun-maker and philanthropist. After buying the fountain it took seven years for it to arrive in Edinburgh, and was sent in 122 separate pieces. It was shipped to the port at Leith, and carted the three miles overland to the west end of Princes Street Gardens. The fountain was not yet reassembled in 1871 when Ross died.

The Ross Fountain is most often photographed with Edinburgh Castle as a backdrop

In the 1990s the plumbing of Ross Fountain deteriorated and the water was turned off. However, in 2001 a partnership between the City of Edinburgh Council and East of Scotland Water restored the piping and the fountain once again has water flowing from the basins to the pool in which the fountain rests.

A popular photographic angle places Edinburgh Castle in the background with Ross Fountain in the foreground.

[image credit Mich and Ed]

The dizzying view from the top of Edinburgh's Scott Monument

Nestled in the well-tended flowerbeds opposite Waverly Station, the Scott Monument provides a reference point for citizens and tourists as they navigate the Georgian architecture of the Scottish Capital’s “New Town”. Bagpipers play the well-known favourites of Scots musical history, collecting donations from passers-by.

[image credit billynom (Hates Marmite)]

The Scott Monument, Sir Walter Scott And His Writing

The Scott Monument is a tribute to Sir Walter Scott, the author of the novels for which central Edinburgh’s train station is known. One of Edinburgh’s greatest writers, Scott is hailed as one of the top writers in Scottish history. In a city rife with history, having one of the tallest monuments devoted to a writer elevates the art of writing to a level not often seen in other cities. At the base of the monument, a statue of the famed author sits surrounded by the characters from his novels, including Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, and a number of other key works.

The Scott Monument, Edinburgh at night

In winter months, the space around the Scott Monument is surrounded by a traditional German market which offers arts, crafts, spiced wines and a massive Ferris Wheel as amusements for the city’s population. In summer months, beach blankets and towels line the green grass of Princes Street Gardens, which are dotted with those taking advantage of this Northern city’s few sunny days.

Interested in Scotland’s literary history? Explore their passion at a number of sites around the city of Edinburgh. The National Library of Scotland is just a short walk up the Mound, where Scotland’s parliament sat in session for many years. By crossing Princes Street and heads uphill one finds the swanky shops of George Street a mighty temptation.

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The Mercat Cross in Edinburgh

This is the place where Edinburgh’s criminal class found their ears nailed to the Edinburgh Mercat Cross (mercat being a spelling of the Scottish pronunciation of the word “Market”) when caught in their crimes, and where the mobs gathered to stone those unlucky enough to be sentenced to such a dismal fate.

Nearby shops and restaurants give hardly a glimpse of the macabre stories that tell the history of the Edinburgh Mercat Cross. Tour companies depart from the Edinburgh Mercat Cross to show visitors the sights and sounds of the city, from the winding closes that wheedle their way between tenement buildings to the underground vaults created when the city government built the massive bridges that help the city lay itself out along two levels.

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Edinburgh’s Mercat Cross, A Central Feature

Edinburgh's Mercat Cross features a unicorn on a high pedestal

At Halloween, nearby Parliament Square is filled with the Beltane Fire Society’s Samhain rituals, which begin at the top of the Royal Mile and progress by torchlight down to Parliament Square, culminating in a battle where the spirit of winter slays that of summer. At Hogmanay, Edinburgh’s version of Times Square’s New Year’s celebration, the streets are crammed with tourists and locals enjoying a toast and the verses of Auld Lang Syne.

As in Medieval times, the Edinburgh Mercat cross is a central part of the city – a monument to days gone by and a gathering point for the energies of this fine city as it moves into the twenty-first century. With so many attractions and opportunities within minutes’ walk of the monument, it makes for a first-rate stopping point for any visitors to the city.

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The National Monument atop Edinburgh's Calton Hill

The monument was created as a memorial to all the Scottish soldiers and sailors who have died during the Napoleonic wars, and was designed in 1822. Charles Robert Cockerell along with his colleague William Henry Playfair. They modeled after the Parthenon in Athens. Legend has it that The National Monument was supposed to be modeled exactly the same as the Parthenon in Athens, but part way through construction, money ran out and they decided it looked great enough as it was. Therefore, it looks as though only one side of the structure has been completed.

[image credit andyhayes.com]

Edinburgh’s National Monument, Incomplete As Edinburgh Too Proud To Accept Glaswegian Cash

The much larger city of Glasgow was said to have offered to help cover the costs of the monument, however Edinburgh had too much pride to accept the charity from the other city. Because of this, The National Monument is sometimes referred to as either “Edinburgh’s Disgrace” or “Edinburgh’s Folly”. Many wish that it had been thoroughly completed and strongly believe that it was meant to be a total replica, while others dispute that there were no plans to make the monument into a replica, but that only 12 columns were ever planned.

The National Monument in Edinburgh was never completed

The National Monument is a big part of Edinburgh’s skyline. This huge structure includes a 6-ton foundation stone as it’s base, and was laid down in 1822 by King George IV during a time he was visiting Scotland. The National Monument was conceived as a church, and contained catacombs beneath it as a place of burial.

[image credit zawtowers]