Glenfinnan Monument
The Glenfinnan Monument is a Category A listed monument in Glenfinnan, Scotland.[1] Designed by James Gillespie Graham, the monument is dedicated to the soldiers of Loudon's Highlanders, who fought in the Jacobite rising of 1745.
 The statue in 2008 | |
  Location in Highland | |
| Coordinates | 56.8691°N 5.4369°W |
|---|---|
| Location | Glenfinnan Scotland |
| Designer | James Gillespie Graham |
| Type | Statue |
| Material | Rubble |
| Height | 69 feet (21 m) |
| Opening date | 1814 |
| Dedicated to | Loudon's Highlanders |
By 1815, 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 a memorial tower at Glenfinnan to commemorate the raising of the standard of the Young Pretender. The tower, which is 59 feet (18 m) in height, was designed by the 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 an 1812 new road, now the A830, built by Thomas Telford, opened between Fort William and Arisaig.
Since 1938, the monument has been in the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The Trust constructed a visitor centre, providing tickets, information, exhibitions, a shop, café and toilets. The tower is also a monument to Alexander Macdonald, but he died before its completion. Jacobite enthusiasts gather at the tower each year on 19 August to remember the Rising of 1845.
Gallery
Ground view of the monument
Close-up of the Unknown Highlander statue
References
- Glenfinnan Monument – Historic Environment Scotland
- Boundless magazine article, Sept/Oct 2020, page 25
- "John Greenshields (1792-1835), sculptor, a biography".