SMM+S

Adam Brown · Last edited by Adam Brown on Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:16 am; edited 1 time in total

Melville Monument
Location: St Andrew Square Gardens, Edinburgh
OS Ref: NT 256 741
Sculptors: Francis Chantrey and Robert Forrest
Engineer: Robert Stevenson

I don't have any good photographs of this huge monument. It dominates St Andrew Square.

It has recently been renovated as part of the improvements and public access to the St Andrew Square gardens

Here are some to start.

One of four eagles at the base of the column

Adam

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:

From the Council's website

The Melville Monument

William Burn created this imposing monument consisting of a stone column 150 feet high surmounted by a 26m statue by Francis Chantrey and Robert Forrest.

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742 - 1811) was a dominant force in Scottish and British politics for over four decades. He held office as Treasurer for the Navy, Home Secretary, Secretary for War, and Lord Advocate.

The campaign to erect a monument originated with a group of Naval officers who admired his work at the Admirality (sic). A committee was formed in 1817 and almost £3,500 was raised.

ADP · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:09 am Post subject:

A view showing the height that Viscount Melville stands above St Andrew Square.

Picture taken from the top of the Scott Monument 04-November-2000, hence the different road layouts from those seen nowadays.

ADP

Adam Brown · Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:03 pm Post subject:

ADP

Thanks for posting this view. I was going to try and get a shot from Inverleith to show how high it is above the other buildings and how it can be seen from a distance.

You don't get many high buildings in central Edinburgh so this statue is a real landmark. Unlike Nelson's Column in London it is not well known though. The Scott Monument just round the corner steals its thunder.

I don't think it helped that until very recently St Andrew Square gardens were closed to the public so you tended to ignore this column. Now when you can pass right beneath it you can get a real feeling for the scale of it.

Adam
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Scottish War Memorials Project
Scottish War Graves Project

ADP · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:21 pm Post subject:

I have to question the City of Edinburgh Council's description of this monument. They state the column is 150 feet (listed elsewhere as 41m / 42.6m / 140ft) high. So the statue cannot be a further 26 metres high. 26 feet looks like a possibility.

I read that the statue was a later addition in 1828 - five years after the column was built.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/features/featurefirst242.html

ADP

Adam Brown · Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject:

ADP

Well spotted, at 26m he'd be giving Rio's Christ the Redeemer a run for its money! 26 Feet is probably the right height.

Adam
_________________
Scottish War Memorials Project
Scottish War Graves Project