Whispers in Edinburgh: Horse sculptures with veterinary connections
Date
2021Author
Macdonald, Alastair A
Forrest, Jill
Warwick, Colin M.
Metadata
Abstract
The equestrian statues of civic Edinburgh are on prominent display in the town.
Visitors to the city can easily find the bronze statue of the iron Duke of
Wellington (Fig. I A) outside Register house at the east end of Princes Street.
A walk south from there, over South Bridge to the High Street, and then up that
ancient cobbled way towards the castle, will lead the observer to the statue of
Alexander and Bucephalus (Fig. I B) in the courtyard of the City Chambers.
Both of these distinctive examples of nineteenth century sculpture were created
by John Steell. Across the road from the City Chambers, behind the Mercat
Cross and the mass of St Giles Cathedral, in the centre of Parliament square,
stands the statue of Charles II (Fig. 2). Thought to have been made by the Dutch
sculptor Grinling Gibbons, it was completed in 1685 and is possibly the oldest
lead equestrian statue in Britain.
It is here that we begin to explore the veterinary links to equine sculptures in Edinburgh.