Tower or folly
The Scott Monument
Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh
After Sir Walter Scott died in 1832, Edinburgh built a huge Gothic spire in his honour, over 61 metres high. It was designed by George Meikle Kemp, a self-taught joiner, who drowned in a canal before it was finished.
Read the full story, see it on the map, get directions and find what else is nearby in the free Hidden Britain Atlas map.
- When
- 1840–1846
- Where
- 55.9520, -3.1930
- Group
- Towers & follies
Visiting
Open to climb, with a small fee.
Nearby mysteries
- The Heart of MidlothianExecution site · Royal Mile, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- Mary King's CloseHaunted place · Royal Mile, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- The Hanging of William BurkeExecution site · Lawnmarket, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- Major Thomas WeirWitches · West Bow, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- The Witches' WellWitches · Castle Esplanade, Edinburgh · under a mile away
- The Edinburgh VaultsHaunted place · South Bridge, Edinburgh · under a mile away