Statue will take pride of place in Canongate

Published on Tuesday 16 March 2004 00:00

A MILLION-pound revamp of Edinburgh’s Canongate, including improved lighting and the replacement of concrete paving slabs with Caithness stone, is set to be completed later this year.

The council also wants to reduce the amount of traffic using the Canongate by restricting access to the Royal Mile from St Mary’s Street to just cycles and buses. Access for motorists will only be allowed from New Street, Cranston Street and Horse Wynd.

The improvement work is planned for May and June, with the dedication of a new statue to the poet Robert Fergusson due to take place in October.

The statue is to be erected outside the Canongate Kirkyard, where he was buried after dying in an asylum aged just 24. The poet was credited with inspiring Robert Burns, and the memorial marks the end of a four-year campaign to recognise his work. The dedication event is expected to be attended by Scotland’s poet laureate, Edwin Morgan, as well as other leading figures from Scotland’s literary scene.

Bob Watt, fundraising co-ordinator for the Friends of Robert Fergusson group, set up four years ago to campaign for a statue, said the full 30,000 cost of the sculpture had now been pledged, although final details of the unveiling ceremony were to be confirmed. He added: "The statue will be erected on the area outside the kirkyard where the old mercat cross used to stand. Fergusson will face towards the Scottish Poetry Library, which is on the other side of the Canongate.

"The fundraising campaign has attracted donations from all over the world and we’re planning a big dedication ceremony before the statue is unveiled.

"The council is paying for its plinth and the area outside the kirk is going to be refurbished by the time of the unveiling." Transport managers have pledged to widen the pavement in certain areas and put Caithness stone instead of concrete slabs on it. They also plan to remove "street clutter" and install a new improved "white" lighting system. Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian has pledged 200,000 towards the 1.1m cost of the improvements.

Fergusson’s poetry was so inspirational to Burns that he paid for the gravestone that sits at Fergusson’s burial place.

Born in 1750, Fergusson attended the University of St Andrews, where he began writing poetry. In 1773, he fell down a flight of stairs. His mental condition deteriorated and he was incarcerated in the Edinburgh Bedlam, where he remained until his death in 1774.

Two years ago Fife sculptor David Annand was chosen from a short list of 40 to design the sculpture of Fergusson.