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Summary

Description

Sir James Gowans, 1886. Pair of tall (26ft) octagonal stone pillars, surmounted by 7ft high unicorns bearing metal banners, sited on either side of Melville Drive. 18 courses of stone from 17 different quarries (see Notes). Bases, centre bands and unicorns, red sandstone; shafts and caps 'chiefly yellow freestone.' 4 angular sides recessed and panelled; moulded bases; centre band with heraldic shields on 4 sides and panels with inscriptions at each of 4 angles (see Notes); cap with heraldic shields on 8 sides (see Notes). Foundations of concrete, 5ft and 7ft deep.

Statement of Special Interest

B group comprises the Masons' Pillars in Melville Drive and the Sundial in West Meadows Park, Melville Drive, both designed by Sir James Gowans. The pillars were erected in 1886 by the Master Builders and Operative Masons of Edinburgh and Leith, 'near the principal entrance from Brougham Street to the Melville Drive ... as a permanent momento of the Edinburgh International Exhibition.' (Gowans was knighted when Queen Victoria visited the exhibition.) They were subsequently moved and re-erected in a different order on their current site. They are composed of specimen stones from different quarries in Scotland and Northern England, 'on each course cut the name of the quarry for after reference as to durability and colour,' generally of polished stone, but 'each of the plain faces illustrations of various kinds of masons' work' - from the base up: ridged, hammer-daubed, tooled, fine-broached, splitter-striped, fine-punched, chisel-striped, plain-droved, broached, angular-droved, stugged, polished, fluted and scrabbled. The heraldic crests include the Imperial, Scottish, English and Irish Arms, Coats of Arms of 19 Scottish Burghs and Crest of the Edinburgh Masons. Names of contributors include Sir James Gowans (Lord Dean of Guild, Chairman of the Executive Council)- design and specification, DW

Stevenson (ARSA) - model of unicorns, and the quarry-masters of the various quarries - Dunmore, Fourstones, Hailes, Hermand, Binny, Leoch etc.

References

Bibliography

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