The soldiers fought,
and won the day
Columns were raised,
foundation laid
National pride,
butt of a joke
Money ran out,
honor delayed
Skeletal hill
homage to none
Photo by: c.b.w. 2005
Edinburgh’s Folly or The National Monument of Scotland was originally designed as a memorial to the Scottish soldiers and sailors that died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars. Situated on Calton Hill, the partially built memorial is a constant reminder of the government biting off more than it could chew. After only three years of construction, the monument was left unfinished due to lack of funds.
Several proposals for completion were considered throughout the 20th century, but none of them have gained enough steam to fix what has become a running joke. To this day, the less than half-built monument stares down on Edinburgh with a sardonic grin.
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Part of the A to Z Challenge!
c.b.w. 2013
C.B. Wentworth 
I was here just the other day! Story of life in Edinburgh: if it’s not the monument, it’s the Scottish Parliament or the trams… Especially the trams. Our imaginations are bigger than our pockets, it would seem 😛
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LOL! That’s not a bad thing, at all! 🙂
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I hardly ever get to ‘Embra’ these days. Is Princes St still blocked by roadworks?
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Not all of it – only the West End these days, which still messes up bus routes etc. but not so badly. Haymarket and Shandwick Place are a joke: I can’t imagine how the local businesses in those areas are coping.
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That’s my home next year! (Edinburgh, not the monument :p)
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How wonderful! I really liked it there and I’m sure you will, too. 🙂
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Government biting off more than it could chew…yet it is never satisfied. Nice article.
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An all too common occurrence.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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This is sad – hopefully the soldiers will get the honour they deserve.
Thank you – a graphic photograph.
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The fact that the discussion for completion is still going on gives me hope those soldiers will get the respect the deserve.
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Edinburgh is the setting for my WIP! Thank you for adding some new material!
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Awesome! I’m glad this helped. 🙂
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Interesting. Some things never change.
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Indeed!
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I agree with Rita. Also, I want to go to Edinburgh sooo bad.
Happy A through Z blogging.
pensuasion.blogspot.com
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It’s a beautiful city. Despite the half-finished monument, Calton Hill gives a fabulous view of the city. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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It becomes a story within a story, then…
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. . . and it keeps going in circles!
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Homage to none…poignant reminder but not for the right reasons. Still, Edinburgh is a beautiful city.
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It really is a pretty place. Learning about this almost memorial was both interesting and shocking.
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Never having been to Scotland I truly appreciate knowing a bit of history I’d never heard before! Thanks, C.B.!
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Glad you enjoyed it. Scotland is full of both beauty and interesting tidbits of history. 🙂
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Definitely one of the more interesting features!
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Absolutely. I never would have seen it if weren’t for my tour guide. He took us on an extra little walk and this is where we ended up. 🙂
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Shock horror – I actually prefer Glasgow. :O
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I didn’t get much time in Glasgow, but I’m hoping I will in the future. What I did see was quite lovely. 🙂
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It’s not so much ‘loveliness’ – Edinburgh is much more scenic – it’s just that Glasgow seems much more… ‘real’. That’s all I can say.
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I photographed that monument from a distance when I was in Edinburgh (along with lots of other stuff!), but didn’t know the back-story, so thank you! I liked the monument in Calton cemetery for the Civil War. I love Scotland (with ancestors from Leith, Argyll, Glasgow etc of course I do!) and don’t feel that Edinburgh is less real at all.
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I saw it form a distance on the first day in Edinburgh, so I was excited when my guide took us all the way to the top of the hill. It really is impressive even in an incomplete state. Perhaps one day, it will all come together. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
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Great shot, and well written words too 🙂
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Thank you. 🙂
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Its funny how long its been standing there unfinished, a pity really.
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Sad, but also a bit funny. Gotta love Scottish humor. 🙂
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