Bringing the spirit of Tartan Day to Edinburgh

We started and finished our parade at our Edinburgh Store, on Queensferry Street – the perfect place to get our tartan on and head out on our adventure!

Our first stop was on George Street at Dr Thomas Chalmers. He was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He is known as "Scotland's greatest nineteenth-century churchman" so well worth a stop on our tour! The bronze statue depicts Dr Thomas Chalmers standing, wearing the long robes of Moderator of the Church. He holds the bible in his hand and appears to be reading it. This statue was designed by John Steell, a Scottish sculptor who also designed the Scott Monument statue, which we visited later in our walk!

Next, we went back down to Princes Street to the Thomas Guthrie statue. Thomas Guthrie was a Scottish divine and philanthropist, born at Brechin in Angus. He was one of the most popular preachers of his day in Scotland, and was associated with many forms of philanthropy. His statue stands on a Peterhead granite pedestal, with his Bible in his hand. It was sculpted by Frederick W. Pomeroy – a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works. He stands at one of the entrances to Princes Street Gardens, so he greeted us on our way down into the gardens for our next visit.

The next figure was one of our favourites – Wojtek the soldier bear memorial! His story is beautiful and very heartwarming so we couldn’t help but fall in love with him. Wojtek’s story began in Iran in 1943, when a group of Polish soldiers adopted the orphaned brown bear cub. The soldiers were members of the Polish 2nd Corps, and the bear cub they adopted quickly became an important boost to the soldier’s optimism. By the time Wojtek was fully grown, he had learned to salute and carry supplies. He also enjoyed soldier life; drinking beer, eating cigarettes, wrestling with the soldiers, and swimming whenever he had the chance!

Going into battle posed a problem though, as soldiers were forbidden from bringing pets into battle. To work around this rule, the bear was enlisted into the Corps, and so given an official number, the rank of private, and his official name Wojtek—which means “joyful warrior.” Wojtek was so popular among his fellow soldiers that an image of the bear carrying an artillery shell became the official emblem of the 22nd Company. Once the 22nd Company was demobilized in 1947, Wojtek was moved to Edinburgh Zoo. His old Polish brothers-in-arms visited him regularly before he died in 1963, at the age of 22.

The bronze statue we visited is in Princes Street Gardens itself and commemorates not only the much-beloved bear but also the Polish soldiers who bravely shared the same journey and ultimately found a home in Scotland. This is just one of the many statues dedicated to Wojtek, both here in Scotland & in Poland. If you've ever visited ScotlandShop HQ then you may have seen the statue of Wojtek in Duns Town Square.

We stayed in Princes Street Garden for our next statue - The Royal Scots Greys. The Royal Scots Greys was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1707 until 1971. The bronze equestrian memorial has a Royal Scots Greys trooper dressed in the uniform and with the accoutrements of the regiment when they went to South Africa in 1899. It is displayed on a rock pedestal with inscription panels also in bronze.

One of the most iconic stops on our tour was the Scott Monument. This is again positioned in Princes Street Gardens, and is dedicated to Sir Walter Scott. It is also one of the largest monuments to a writer anywhere in the world, so it had to be included in our walk! Sir Walter Scott was a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian. Some of his more notable works include ‘The Lady of the Lake’, ‘Waverley’, ‘Rob Roy’, and ‘The Heart of Mid-Lothian’.

Our next stop was the scenic Calton Hill which has views all over Edinburgh including the castle, Prince Street, Arthur’s Seat, and even the new St James shopping centre. It is quite a walk, but we can confirm it is definitely worth it! At the top, we found the National Monument, the Nelson Monument, and the City Observatory. The National Monument is inspired by the Parthenon in Athens. It was intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic Wars, it was unfortunately never completed so there are just twelve columns left today! The Nelson Monument is shaped like an upturned telescope. It was completed in 1816 and commemorates the death of Admiral Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Lastly, the City Observatory is a Greek temple-style building designed by William Henry Playfair in 1818.

We ventured up to the Royal Mile after Calton Hill, and found the Mercat Cross in Parliament Square next to St Giles' Cathedral. Atop the Mercat Cross is the national animal of Scotland – the unicorn! He is holding a Scottish flag and looks out over the historic High street. King Robert actually adopted the unicorn as Scotland’s national animal in the late 14th century. He saw the unicorn as a noble and pure, yet strong and powerful creature, so thought it appropriate for the national animal.

Last but not least on our stop was the infamous Greyfriar’s Bobby statue. He is located next to Greyfriar’s kirk, a short walk from the royal mile. Bobby is an Edinburgh sweetheart with another lovely tale! He was a Skye Terrier who became known in 19th-century Edinburgh for spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner until he died himself on 14 January 1872. Bobby was the ultimate symbol of loyalty, refusing to leave his owner even in death! It became custom to rub his nose for good luck, but because of damage to the statue, this is no longer recommended. It has given Bobby his distinctive golden nose though!

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