Where are all the statues of women in Edinburgh?
If I was to go through and name all of the statues in Edinburgh dedicated to men from history, this would be a very long post! But sadly, there are only a few outdoor statues or busts of women around the city. I’m aware of just eight named women. Here’s where to find them – If you spot any more, please do get in touch to tell me where!
Queen Victoria
There are three statues of Queen Victoria. One in her younger days sits on top of the Royal Scottish Academy on Princes Street, sculpted in 1844. Another young figure stands on top of the Queen’s Institute Building on Castle Terrace, dating from around 1870. An older depiction in bronze stands wearing a crown and holding a sceptre at the bottom of Leith Walk, erected in 1907.
Mary, Queen of Scots
There are two statues of Mary, Queen of Scots. One sculpted into the exterior wall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, which opened in 1890. The other appears on the Scott Monument, dating from 1846.
Saint Margaret & Margaret Tudor
There are two small female figures carved into the external wall around the West Door of St Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile, dating from 1884. They depict Saint Margaret or Queen Margaret of Scotland on one side and Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots on the other. There is a further statue of Saint Margaret on the wall to the right of the entrance to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
Naomi Mitchison, Liz Lochhead & Jackie Kay
There’s a set of twelve busts on plinths dedicated to Scottish poets, located on Lochside Walkway near Edinburgh Park and The Gyle Centre to the west of the city. They were unveiled in 2002. Of them, three are women: Naomi Mitchison, Liz Lochhead and Jackie Kay.
Helen Crummy
On the outskirts of the city in Craigmillar, there is a statue of Helen Crummy, founder of The Craigmillar Festival Society. This was unveiled in 2014.
Why we need more statues of women in Edinburgh
There are other memorials to women from history around Edinburgh, mainly plaques. But where are all the statues? After all, there are statues of men around every corner … and quite a few animals too!
There have been campaigns in recent years to recognise remarkable Scottish females such as pioneering doctor and suffragist Elsie Inglis, novelist and poet Muriel Spark and GB’s most decorated Olympian Katherine Grainger, among many others.
So I hope to see more women celebrated in statue around our city in the years to come. It’s important to show that they too helped to shape the world we live in.
