Restoration project to see workers shore up monument

Published on Monday 16 June 2008 10:30

ALMOST 190 years after the funding ran dry, workmen are finally set to return to the National Monument on Calton Hill.

Anyone hoping to see the towering structure finally completed will be sorely disappointed, though – work is merely being carried out to shore-up a monument exposed to the elements for so long.

The 60,000 restoration project is set to get under way as part of Edinburgh World Heritage's 12 monuments project. The three-year scheme has already seen repairs carried out to the Buccleuch Memorial in Parliament Square and the Grassmarket's Bow Well.

The work will mainly involve repairs to the stone lintels at the top of the monument, while one of the slabs will have to be re-bedded. New lime mortar will also be added to the structure's joints.

EWH said the repair work will guarantee the long-term future of a monument built in one of the most exposed parts of the city.

Culture leader Councillor Deidre Brock said today: "I am delighted to see this restoration project become a reality.

"The National Monument is one of the city's most iconic images. It is important that we take action now to preserve these monuments and statues for the benefit of future generations."

Although it has become an important feature on Edinburgh's skyline, the monument is often described as the Capital's "shame" or "disgrace".

The monument – designed by Charles Robert Cockerell – was supposed to be a full replica of the Parthenon in Athens but the project ran out of money early in construction and was left barely started.

In keeping with the ethos behind the structure, architects Gray Marshall Associates, who are carrying out the work, have got a Greek worker Dimitris Panagiotidis on board to help with the project.

The EWH project manager David McDonald said: "The National Monument is one of the most iconic structures in Scotland and having Dimitris' experience on board has helped move the project forward enormously.

"Calton Hill is one of the most outstanding landscapes of monuments in Europe and is a cornerstone of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site."

The work will begin in October and is expected to take around two months.

Work on the Nelson Monument is expected to follow early next year.

Similar restoration work is also planned to take place at the nearby David Hume mausoleum, at the Old Calton Burial Ground.

The Hume Enlightenment Trust has launched a 250,000 funding drive for the scheme, which would carry out necessary repairs to the 230-year-old building, which is deteriorating and taking on water.