May 12, 2017 - This 21 story neo-gothic structure is the monument to the Scottish writer Walter Scott.
He is well known for writing many works such as Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Waverley Novels and many more.
It is the largest monument to a writer in the world. Scott is credited for inventing the genre of the 'Historical Novel' His works were wildly popular and later imitated. What is interesting is prior to his writings Scotland was largely viewed by the English as a backwater. He romanticized Scotland as a home of mythical warriors and great rugged beauty.
Queen Victoria became a fan and tourism flourished creating much of the mythos we know of Scotland today.
On a personal note, due to the upcoming Richard III project, It was Scott and not Shakespeare who coined the phrase "The War Of The Roses"
An odd thing also happened - When we were preparing to come on this trip I watched endless travel videos. On one of them there was a crazy Scotsman who would mumble a lot and let you pose with him for pictures. Well, he is still here and here we are with him below
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