Sir Sean unveils statue

SIR SEAN CONNERY has unveiled a statue in Edinburgh in memory of renowned city writer Robert Louis Stevenson.

The screen legend revealed the bronze sculpture of two characters from a work by the 19th century novelist and poet.

The statue - depicting Stevenson’s distant ancestor and the main character in his novel Kidnapped, David Balfour, and Alan Breck Stewart, whom Balfour meets on his travels in the book - has been erected in the grounds of the headquarters of international brewer Scottish & Newcastle in Murrayfield.

A company spokesman said: "Our chairman Sir Brian Stewart met Sir Sean at a function and I think, as he goes around the world, he knows how well loved Robert Louis Stevenson is.

"He thought it was a fitting memorial to another great Edinburgh citizen."

Designed by one of Scotland’s most acclaimed sculptors, Alexander Stoddart, the 15-foot work of art has been designed to commemorate the writer and his acclaim around the globe. A spokesman for Scottish & Newcastle said: "He [the sculptor] had the vision and passion to do it for over ten years and when he came to us we thought it was a great idea.

"It’s been reported that Robert Louis Stevenson didn’t want statues of himself erected when he died and, in the novel, the spot where the two characters finally parted was within yards of where this statue has been erected.

"Robert Louis Stevenson is a great symbol. We are a business whose origins are in the heart and soul of Edinburgh, but we’re going all around the world and everywhere we go we find he is well-known."

Kidnapped was published in 1886 shortly after The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Stevenson’s first novel, Treasure Island, which, saw him become a popular author after it was released in 1883.