Nelson Monument

 

The Nelson Monument, also on Calton Hill, was not one of the various statues up there that we missed. It was quite hard not to when it was next to the National Monument of Scotland.

Now this tower is an ode to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson. Built between 1807 and 1816, it was to remember the victory, at the hands of Nelson, of the Battle of Trafalgar, and to stand as a memory following his death in the same battle.

Built on the highest point of the hill, the tower stands at 171 metres above sea level and as such can be seen (and used) by those who work on the water. In 1852 a mechanical time ball was added which was synchronized with the One O'Clock Gun. This serves as a time signal to the ships in Leith Harbour.

This was another monument that was funded by the public, and the design by the architect Robert Burn was chosen after the original design by Alexander Nasmyth proved too expensive. The tower is meant to resemble an upturned telescope as this was an object often used by Nelson and therefore has a close association with him. Construction started in 1807 and ended in 1808 when money raised to fund the project ran out. The project resumed in 1815 when Tomas Bonnar took over following Burn's death and was completed a year later.

The tower has since stood here, immortalising Nelson's sacrifice and his victory, ever since and has been open to the public from the get go. It underwent renovation in 2009 but otherwise has stood proud as a working member of Edinburgh's monument community, in service to the seamen (and women) just as its namesake would have wanted (we reckon).

If you get a chance, go inside. We didn't but we know that you can, but once you've climbed that hill you might as well make the most of what is on offer up there! The view itself is amazing from the hill, but if we didn't already have reservations on the other side of the city, plus it was heaving with students up there, we would have gone in. We will next time, we have to go back as we missed the other monuments on the hill (somehow...).

Haunted? Nah, we don't think so. The hill is a bit eerie, but the only howling you hear is the wind as it batters you. The weather is the villain here, but no ghosties to note!

Haunted:1/10

Worth the visit: 6/10

Giftshop: n/a

Ghost count: 0

Dog friendly: n/a

DISCLAIMER: Now for the official bit. This blog does not receive any paid promotions from the places mentioned above. We have not been approached to promote or act as spokespersons for any attraction mentioned within this post and this is simply a post intended to act as a day in the life of a couple on a cute date. All photos included are taken by ourselves and as such the rights for these images our ours, no links, brands, or companies mentioned otherwise belong or are associated with Phantom Adventures UK. We are responsible only for this blog. Opinions are our own and not influenced by any third party source.. 

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