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Sir James Young Simpson Statue, West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh

A Category B Listed Building in Edinburgh, Edinburgh

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.9504 / 55°57'1"N

Longitude: -3.205 / 3°12'18"W

OS Eastings: 324845

OS Northings: 673697

OS Grid: NT248736

Mapcode National: GBR 8LG.8F

Mapcode Global: WH6SL.QPZQ

Plus Code: 9C7RXQ2V+5X

Entry Name: Sir James Young Simpson Statue, West Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh

Listing Name: West Princes Street Gardens, Sir James Young Simpson Monument

Listing Date: 14 December 1970

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 365225

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB27876

Building Class: Cultural

Also known as: Edinburgh, West Princes Street Gardens, Sir James Young Simpson Statue
Statue of Sir James Young Simpson

ID on this website: 200365225

Location: Edinburgh

County: Edinburgh

Town: Edinburgh

Electoral Ward: City Centre

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Statue

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Description

William Brodie, 1876. Bronze figure, larger than life-size, seated in neo-classical chair, dressed in professorial robes, with book on knee, 'as if in act of addressing students;' on neo-classical stone pedestal with inscription (see notes).

Statement of Interest

The A Group comprises The Allan Ramsay Monument, The Cottage, Dr Guthrie's Monument, The Police Box, The Ross Fountain, The Royal Scots Greys Monument, The Royal Scots Memorial, The Scottish American Memorial, The Shelters, The Simpson Monument, The Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial and The Statuary Group, all in West Princes Street Gardens. The inscription reads 'Sir James Young Simpson, Baronet, MD DCL, born 1811, died 1870, Pioneer of Anaesthesia. Unveiled by Lady Galloway 9th June 1877. Cast by Messrs Masefield & Co Chelsea. Pedestal executed by Thomas McEwen to the sculptor's design, in freestone from Fairloan quarry. West Princes Street Gardens were laid out by James Skene for the Princes Street proprietors circa 1820. In 1866 John Dick Peddie produced a plan, shown in 2 water-colours entitled 'the Athens of the North,' one looking NE across E Princes Street Gardens, showing Calton Hill with a completed National Monument/Parthenon, and the other, looking W across W Princes Street Gardens, showing the Gardens as a 'Walhalla' with a broad terrace with monuments and mausolea, fountains and a winter garden. The gardens were acquired by the city in 1876 and further landscaped by Robert Morham.

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