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]