Glenfinnan Monument
 The statue in 2008, looking southwest | |
  Location in Highland | |
| Coordinates | 56°52′09″N 5°26′13″W / 56.8691°N 5.4369°W |
|---|---|
| Location | Glenfinnan Scotland |
| Designer | James Gillespie Graham |
| Type | Statue |
| Material | Rubble |
| Height | 69 feet (21 m) |
| Opening date | 1814 |
| Dedicated to | Loudon's Highlanders |
The Glenfinnan Monument is a Category A listed monument in Glenfinnan, Scotland,[1] erected in 1814 and dedicated to the soldiers of Loudon's Highlanders, who fought in the Jacobite rising of 1745.
By 1814, the Jacobite cause was no longer a political threat to the Hanoverian monarchy. Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale, a minor branch of the Clan Donald, built the tower to commemorate the raising of the standard of the Young Pretender. The tower, which is 59 feet (18 m) in height, was designed by Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham.[2] The statue of an unknown Highlander, referred to at the point of commission as Charles Edward Stewart, by John Greenshields, was added in 1835.[3]
The monument's location at Glenfinnan was made possible because of a new road (now the A830), built by Thomas Telford and opened in 1812, between Fort William and Arisaig.
Since 1938, the monument has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The Trust has constructed a visitor centre, providing tickets, information, exhibitions, a shop, a café and toilets. The tower is also a monument to Alexander Macdonald, who died before its completion. Jacobite enthusiasts gather at the tower each year on 19 August to remember the rising of 1745.
Gallery[]
Ground view of the monument
Close-up of the Unknown Highlander statue
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Glenfinnan Monument – Historic Environment Scotland
- ^ Boundless magazine article, Sept/Oct 2020, page 25
- ^ "John Greenshields (1792-1835), sculptor, a biography".
- National Trust for Scotland properties
- 1814 sculptures
- 1814 establishments in Scotland
- Category A listed buildings in Highland (council area)
- Listed monuments and memorials in Scotland
- Outdoor sculptures in Scotland
- Statues in Scotland
- Stone sculptures