Edinburgh's National Monument. Courtesy of Edinburgh World Heritage.
Work has begun on restoring Edinburgh’s Parthenon, the National Monument on Calton Hill.
The project is part of the Twelve Monuments Project, a joint initiative of Edinburgh World Heritage and the City of Edinburgh Council, which is restoring some of the city’s famous statues and monuments.
Adam Wilkinson, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said: “The National Monument can rightly claim to be amongst the most talismanic symbols of Scotland and a key to understanding Edinburgh as ‘the Athens of the North’.”
“Carlton Hill is one of the most fantastic landscapes of monuments in Europe and is a principle part of the World Heritage Site.”
The National Monument was intended to commemorate Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic War, and funds for its construction were raised by a public appeal. Work started in August 1822 but only twelve columns were ever completed.
The restoration work will see one of the stone lintels at the top of the monument moved back into its rightful place, while crumbling mortar at the base of the monument will be replaced.
The work is expected to cost around £78,000 and is due to be completed in December 2008.
