Melville Monument

The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Scottish statesman Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Dundas, one of the most prominent Scotsmen of his day, was a dominant figure in British politics during much of the late 18th century. Plans to construct a memorial to him began soon after his death in 1811 and were largely driven by Royal Navy officers, especially Sir William Johnstone Hope. After a successful campaign for subscriptions, construction of the monument began in 1821 but time and costs soon spiralled out of control. The project was not completed until 1827 and not paid off until 1837. In the 21st century, the monument became the subject of increasing controversy as a result of claims that Dundas had delayed the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. In the wake of protests following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the City of Edinburgh Council affixed a plaque to the monument blaming Dundas for "deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade" as well as "imposing colonial rule on indigenous peoples", in accordance with the recommendations of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Legacy Review. Installation of the plaque was completed in October 2021. In March 2023, the council's planning committee voted to remove the contentious plaque, but the council later stated that it did not intend to do so. Designed by William Burn, the column is modelled after Trajan's Column in Rome. Robert Stevenson provided additional engineering advice during construction. The column is topped by a 4.2 m (14 ft) tall statue of Dundas designed by Francis Leggatt Chantrey and carved by Robert Forrest. The total height of the monument is about 45 m (150 ft). It is one of Edinburgh's most prominent landmarks.