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Adam Brown Forum Admin
Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 415 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 9:47 pm Post subject: Melville Monument, St Andrew Square, Edinburgh |
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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
Last edited by Adam Brown on Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:16 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Adam Brown Forum Admin
Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 415 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:16 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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ADP Forum Member
Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 12:09 am Post subject: |
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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.
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Adam Brown Forum Admin
Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 415 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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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 _________________ Scottish War Memorials Project
Scottish War Graves Project |
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ADP Forum Member
Joined: 25 Nov 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Edinburgh
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Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2009 12:21 pm Post subject: |
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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
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Adam Brown Forum Admin
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