MELVILLE MONUMENT

Erected in 1823, to commemorate Henry Dundas, the first Viscount Melville (1742 – 1811) who was often referred to as the “Uncrowned King of Scotland” such was his great political and financial power.

Designed by Edinburgh-born architect William Burn (1789 – 1870) and greatly influenced by Emperor Trajan’s Column in Rome, the monument stands 140 feet tall (42.6m)

The statue at the top of the monument is the work of sculptor Francis Chantrey (1782 – 1841) and stone mason Robert Forest (1790 – 1852)

In 2003 The Institute of Civil Engineers positioned a plaque on the column to note the historial importance of the structure.