This monument, dedicated to one of Scotland's greatest authors, Sir Walter Scott can be found (well, it can hardly be missed) on Princes Street - Edinburgh's main shopping street and bus racecourse! Sir Walter Scott was probably THE great Scottish writer of the 19th century. He wrote novels such as 'Waverley', 'The Fair Maid of Perth', 'Rob Roy', 'The Heart of Midlothian' and 'Ivanhoe' as well as translating works by Goethe into English. He was also pretty much responsible for creating the image of Scotland as we are seen today - the tartan shortbread tin image, as I like to call it. He was much loved in Georgian and Victorian Britain, and fought hard and successfully for Scotland to retain its distinctive nationhood, education and legal system despite union with England. Thanks to Scott, the idea of referring to Scotland as North Britain never took hold.
16 comments:
What a beautiful monument!
I loved Ivanhoe!
That looks like a massive structure! How high is that??
it's 200ft high, which is a little over 60m...and there are 287 steps to the top. Since starting DP, I'm finding more and more about my own city - it's great!
Some friends of mine passed by the Scott monument one day and overheard some American tourists exclaim "Oh my Gawd! Is that a historical monument?" which we, at the time, found very comical.
american tourists have been known to say a number of things. my particular favourite is 'isn't it neat they built the castle so close to the railway!' no offence meant to my many wonderful American viewers out there!
well, this looks nothing like a shorbread tin. and it only makes me want to visit Edinburgh. Still waiting for for an invitation to the Arts festival. wouldn't that be 'neat'?
didn't realise you would need an invitation edwin!! biggest festival of the arts in the world...what more reason do you need!?
Heaven forbid!
I kept waiting for the comment "... and that's why it's called Scot(t)land..." but noone said it so far, so I have to do it ;-D.
Great perspective in this shot! Makes it looks huge!
You can really feel the enormity of the structure.
ben il est ou le soleil? rire
amitié de corse
derrière les nuages...comme toujours chez nous!!
Scotland sounds so much classier ;)The shot - a real BEAUTY !!
Invitation because I'm waiting to bring a play over. I would love to just come on my own but the rate of exchange isn't in my favour.
Scotland sounds much better than, "So, where are you from?" "North Britain."
how big's the play? I could potentially get you a free venue! small but central.
Oh Grant! It's a one-man play. And it's adapted from a short story by Alaisdair Gray. He's still alive and living in Scotland, I was told. Well, I hope so. I last spoke to his publishers in 2004.
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