National Monument (to the Napoleonic Dead), -1829
Cockerell, exec. Playfair
National Monument, Edinburgh: image © Adrian Welch
Edinburgh's (actually Scotland's) National Monument was designed as a folly (though this has been questioned), based on Acropolis, Athens - not the result of lack of funds (though see penultimate paragraph).
Built as a National Monument to the Napoleonic Dead, £24,000 was raised by a committee for its construction. Drawings only show exactly what we now see, so the architect C R Cockerell and his assistant William Playfair intended the incomplete appearance.
The National Monument was intended to be a memorial to those who died in the Napoleonic Wars. It is a potent symbol and can be seen both from Princes St and silhouetted from the East such as Gosford Bay near Longniddry with the Castle framed between Calton Hill and Arthurs Seat (recommended viewpoint).
Designed by an English proponent of the Greek Revival architecture, C R Cockrell, The National Monument project was assisted by a young William Henry Playfair who was to go on to complete even more successful works. C.R. Cockerell's most famous building is his St George's Hall, Liverpool which features in most Books covering British Architecture.
The Monument foundations were laid during the visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1824. Work came to an end in 1929 when the money provided by public subscription ran out - due in part to the ambitious scale of the monument. While it has been suggested that the architect had deliberately designed only 12 columns of the National Monument, it was later to be described as "Scotland's shame".
The prominent Grecian columns of this and other buildings in Edinburgh has led to Edinburgh being described as the "Athens of the North". Scotland shared with France a strong involvement in the Enlightenment and this was often esposed in architecture through Greek Classical language.
Nelson's Monument
Perched high on Calton Hill, near Playfair's National Monument, at the cast end of the city centre, is the monument to Admiral Lord Nelson's victory, and death, at the battle of Trafalgar, on 21 October 1805.
The upturned telescope was designed by the architect Robert Burn, and built between 1807 and 1815. In 1852, a large time ball was introduced, which is lowered as the one o'clock gun is fired from Edinburgh castle each day.
Climb the 143 steps to see the tremendous views, framed by Fife to the north, the Forth estuary to the east, the Moorfoot hills to the south and the Forth Rail and Road Bridges to the west.
National Monument - Opening Times:
Apr - Sep: Mon 1pm - 6pm
Tue to Sat 10am - 6pm
Oct to Mar: Mon to Sat 10am - 3pm
National Monument - Admission:
£2.50
Please check times and cost with the National Monument Operators on
+44 (0)131 556 2716
National Monument : executed by architect William Playfair
Scottish Architecture: best Scottish Buildings of the last three decades
Scottish Architects of the past
Edinburgh : back to index
Scottish Castles
Melville Monument Edinburgh
National Monument Edinburgh: Architect - CR Cockerell
National Monument Edinburgh: see website www.cac.org.uk