Melville Monument Photos, St Andrew Square Sculpture, Date, Architect, History, Images

Melville Monument Edinburgh : Architecture

New Town Statue, St Andrew Square, at the east end of George Street, Edinburgh, Scotland

Date built: 1823

Monument design: William Burn, architect

Dundas statue design: Francis Leggatt Chantrey ; Carving: Robert Forrest

The Melville Monument is 41m high and sits centrally to St Andrew Square, dominating it and views along George Street.

photos © Adrian Welch

Melville Monument Edinburgh

The Melville Monument is a fluted column atop which is the stone statue of Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville. Viscount Melville (or Lord Melville) was an aristocratic 18th century politician, but more importantly the King’s Chancellor, and has been described as the most powerful Scot of his day.

Designed by William Burn, the column is modelled after Trajan’s Column in Rome. Robert Stevenson provided additional engineering advice during construction.

The column is topped by a 4.2 m (14 ft) tall statue of Dundas designed by Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved by Robert Forrest. The total height of the monument is about 45 m (150 ft). It is one of Edinburgh’s most prominent landmarks.

Robert Stevenson recommended strengthening the foundations and constructing the shaft from solid blocks rather than rubble infill as Burn had proposed. Despite these criticisms and controversies over Dundas’ legacy, Connie Byrom assesses most contemporary reactions to the column’s appearance to be positive.

Location: St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Midlothian, southeast Scotland, UK

St Andrew Square Building Designs

St Andrew Square Property Designs – recent architectural selection below:

St Andrew Square also includes the Royal Bank of Scotland HQ, built to house Sir Laurence Dundas and Bank of Scotland by David Bryce.

image © Adrian Welch