The gardens at Arniston House have revealed more of the old Scottish Parliament. But one vital piece is missing. Join me on the trail...
As we explore the 'pleasure gardens' we come across another bridge over a small stream. It has some features which suggest that it, too, comes from the reconstruction of Parliament Square (or Parliament Close as it was then called) in 1832.
The key stone is handsome and looks as if it might have been another feature salvaged from the original Parliament Hall and jamb (the extension to the east).
So far, however, it's not been possible to match it to any of the existing contemporary images of Parliament Hall. But there is one special souvenir which is distinguished by its absence!
On the other side of this bridge, from 1832 to the early 2000s, there was another piece of masonry crossing the stream. Lady Dundas has photographs in Arniston House which show it in situ.
What we have here appeared to be the main entrance archway to the old Scottish Parliament - the attribution it was given at the time. It looks as if it was used as a parapet to the small bridge rather than spanning the gap as a support. The new Scottish Parliament asked if the arch could be returned in order to be incorporated into the new building - a wonderful idea.
Unfortunately a fault line appears to have opened up as the masonry was being lifted, but otherwise the lift was made successfully.
It would seem likely that the break in the masonry was already a consideration when it was decided in the 1830s to use the lintel as a parapet. It was most likely not capable of spanning a gap unaided. So the pieces were driven to Edinburgh, and a plaque installed at Arniston commemorating the generous donation by the Bekker-Dundas family. Work then got underway to reconstruct the arch and install it in the new Scottish Parliament.
And that's where the arch can be found today - over one of the doors leading in to the debating chamber and committee rooms. This provides a splendid continuity between the old and new Parliament buildings, in a setting where symbolism and continuity are so important.
However a couple of questions still remain.
The surviving images of the old Scottish Parliament vary in detail to some extent. But they all show the entrance arch to be semi-circular:
Is it possible that all of the artists misinterpreted the sculpting of the archway?
It is perhaps more likely that the archway is an inner feature, within the entrance lobby. Unfortunately no illustrations of this survive. Perhaps the advisors to the Scottish Parliament have additional references?
In any case the lintel provides a distinguished thread of continuity between the old and the new.
P.S.
I mentioned a couple of questions which remain. The other one is: Why don't the two ends of the lintel match? Is the left hand end a replacement, sculpted at the time of the removal to Arniston in 1832? Perhaps the break had already occurred, and the left end had been lost. In which case - why not use a ruler and make a proper copy of the right hand end? But if the left end is as it was when it was installed in old Parliament Hall - then what on earth was going on?
Next time, we'll follow the trail of the lost masonry to Abbotsford - the home of Sir Walter Scott in the Scottish Borders.
Comments