Recreating the Scottish Parliament

So far we've tracked down parts of the old Scottish Parliament, in Edinburgh and down to the Borders. Now it's time to put them back together again!

This image has been put together from a combination of sources. The overall layout comes from contemporary prints and maps. Then there are remaining parts of the building, hidden from view, like the top of the tower and a remaining window which can be seen from inside.

The statues of Justice and Mercy are in a lobby next to Parliament Hall, together with one of the three surviving shell carvings.

But to reinstate them on the facade we will have to add some details which were originally made of metal. According to contemporary illustrations Justice held a sword over her right shoulder, and a set of scales in her left hand. We can see from indentations in the stone and attachment points where these sat, and how they must have been arranged. So let's add these to the 3D model and see for the first time in almost two hundred years what the effect would have been.

The scales seem to have been held fairly casually - not finely balanced like those above the Old Bailey in London. Perhaps the sculptor didn't have much faith in Scottish justice in 1636! Behind Justice we can see the crest which now adorns the facade of Arniston House near Peebles, supported by the carved curlicues which decorate a gate in the walled garden there.

Now let's take a look at Mercy. She originally held a palm frond over her shoulder - so we can add this to the scan made on site.

So now we have the complete assembly above the original main door of Parliament Hall.

The pyramid stones to either side of the main door have come from the same Arniston gateway, together with the lion and dragon water spouts which can now be seen on the model just below the balustrade in the wide shot at the top of this blog. And we recognise the two shells as matching the one still at Parliament Hall. The lintel above the garden gate has now been fitted above the upper windows in the model, together with a matching one from the wee bridge at Arniston.

Remind yourself of the long conical shape on the left hand end of that bridge...

We can fit a couple of these above the door into the 'jamb' - the wing to the left of the tower.

And don't forget the window pediments from Edinburgh and from Sir Walter Scott's house at Abbotsford in the Scottish Borders.

Let's fit these back into place.

When the Exchequer building was added to the Jamb we know there was a grand doorway with pillars to either side and a frieze on top.

Just as well that Lord Dundas rescued these details in the 1830s and created a loggia in the garden at Arniston House.

Because now we can complete the Exchequer extension as well!

If you look at the semi-circular pediment above the loggia you can see how neatly it fits above the tower door. There's also still a central carved stone to be added below the frieze. I'm working on this.

What might have seemed an impossible task - to achieve virtual photographs of a building apparently lost almost two hundred years ago - turns out to be achievable. And now you are starting to have a virtual memory of the past - images in your mind's eye. You can look back on these fragments of lost Edinburgh with a sense of familiarity. In weeks to come I'll be filling in more of Parliament Square and heading round the corner to the Old Tolbooth, so keep coming back!

Now a final couple of intriguing bits of extra information from people who've taken an interest in this research.

I was expressing my surprise that there were so few existing images of Parliament Hall. Very odd, considering how well-loved it was before it was hidden by the Reid facade. In addition to the Elphinstone print earlier in this post and the de Wit print from a drawing by the Rev James Gordon of Rothiemay which I've included in earlier blog posts there's very little. Now Derrick Johstone of the Old Edinburgh Club has kindly drawn my attention to an engraving by John Horsburgh after a drawing by W. Kidd in the 1832 Cadell edition of Sir Walter Scott's Redgauntlet, published in 1824 but set in 1765.

By and large the image matches and confirms details seen in the other earlier prints. However one apparently inconsequential part of the picture is new - the bollard, seemingly knocked askew by a carelessly driven carriage. In earlier modelling of Parliament Square I had taken these to be rounded. Here the bollard is shown to match the shape of typical Edinburgh kerb stones. So let's make that change and have a look from the spot that Kidd chose to make his drawing...

Definitely an improvement!

Now one final intriguing question has arisen. Richard Johnston, who is a volunteer at Abbotsford House, has sent me this picture of a further stone at Abbotsford.

It's clearly another of the pyramid stones from around the main door of the Parliament - but it has an iron attachment point at its apex. Apparently it was stored for safety in the stables area, but also adjacent to an old drying green. The iron ring might have been used to fasten a washing line, but the loop and ring arrangement looks more like some sort of quick release mechanism for tethering horses. So the question arises - was this a modification made by the Scott household? Or was there a place to tie your horse by the main door to the old Scottish Parliament?

Any information or suggestions would be very welcome. Does anybody recognise this kind of hitching device?