The Pride and Poverty of Scotland

The National Monument of Scotland, on Calton Hill is Scotland's national memorial to the military personnel who died fighting in the Napoleonic War.

The monument was designed during 1823-6 by William Playfair and is modelled upon the Parthenon in Athens. Construction started in 1826 and, due to the lack of funds, was left unfinished in 1829. This circumstance gave rise to various nicknames such as "Scotland's Disgrace", "Edinburgh's Disgrace", "the Pride and Poverty of Scotland" and "Edinburgh's Folly".