Placed in Princes Street Gardens in New Town, opposite the Jenners department store on Princes Street, the Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to famous Scottish author Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832), designed by George Meikle Kemp and inaugurated in 1846. Sitting proudly at the base of the monument is Sir Walter himself, carved in Carrara marble by Sir John Steell. This monumental statue, fashioned from a single piece of marble weighing 30 tons, took the sculptor six years to complete. It features Scott and his beloved hound Maida.
There are 68 statues on the monument, not counting Scott and his dog, and 64 are visible from the ground. Each statue represents a famous Scottish person or a character from Scott's literary work. In addition, eight kneeling Druid figures support the final viewing gallery. There are 32 unfilled niches at higher level. Sixteen heads of Scottish poets and writers appear on the lower faces, at the top of the lower pilasters. It has 61.11 m high, and is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana.
Scott Monument is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, about which I wrote here.
About the stamp
The stamp is part of the series Historic Scotland, about which I wrote here.
Sender 3225: Marius Vasilescu
Sent from Edinburgh (Scotland / United Kingdom), on 10.12.2017
Photo: Sheila D. Taylor
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