Glenfinnan Monument
The monument in 2008, looking southwest
56°52′09″N 05°26′13″W / 56.86917°N 5.43694°W / 56.86917; -5.43694
LocationGlenfinnan
Scotland
DesignerJames Gillespie Graham
TypeStatue
MaterialRubble
Height69 ft (21 m)
Opening date1814 (1814)

The Glenfinnan Monument is a Category A listed monument in Glenfinnan, Scotland, erected in 1814 and dedicated to the Highlanders who fought in support of the Jacobite rising of 1745.[1]

By 1814, the Jacobite cause was no longer a political threat to the Hanoverian monarchy. Alexander Macdonald of Glenaladale, a minor branch of the Clan Donald, built the tower to commemorate the raising of the standard of the Young Pretender. The tower, which is 59 ft (18 m) in height, was designed by Scottish architect James Gillespie Graham.[2] The statue of an unknown Highlander, referred to at the point of commission as Charles Edward Stewart, by John Greenshields, was added in 1835.[3]

The monument's location at Glenfinnan was made possible because of a new road (now the A830), built by Thomas Telford and opened in 1812, between Fort William and Arisaig.

Since 1938, the monument has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The Trust has constructed a visitor centre, providing tickets, information, exhibitions, a shop, a café and toilets. The tower is also a monument to Alexander Macdonald, who died before its completion. Jacobite enthusiasts gather at the tower each year on 19 August to remember the rising of 1745.

See also

References

  1. Glenfinnan MonumentHistoric Environment Scotland
  2. Boundless magazine article, Sept/Oct 2020, page 25
  3. "John Greenshields (1792-1835), sculptor, a biography".
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