A new public statue in West Princes Street Gardens sculpted by Kenny Hunter RSA that stands as a bold and enduring symbol of The Royal Regiment of Scotland in its twentieth year.
The Royal Regiment of Scotland (SCOTS) marks 20 years of service this year, through heritage celebrations, a spectacular parade, and culminating in the unveiling of a new statue in July.
Along the path to Ross Fountain in West Princes Street Gardens, you will find a young, male lion reclined, at peace and yet attentive, and looking right at you at eye level. He sits on a firm foundation, six stones made a whole, with a paw easing its way over the edge.
The statue represents this young Regiment, and will become a timeless place for all members of the SCOTS community to gather, whether in reflection or in fellowship. As the six stones represent the historic infantry regiments, it is also a place from which we can reflect on Scotland’s heritage, placing today’s modern soldiers within a long tradition of military service and distinct cultural customs, and made up of nearly 400 years of individual lives and stories. The statue’s location in Edinburgh is no coincidence. The lion faces Edinburgh Castle, the home of the Regiment’s Headquarters as well as its museum.
This statue was designed and sculpted by Kenny Hunter RSA and created at Powderhall Bronze foundry in Edinburgh. Sculpted in clay, refined in resin and finished in bronze, this lion is a metaphor for the Armed Forces’ embodiment of calm readiness and vigilance. The animal form, reminiscent of the lion featured on the Regimental cap badge, was chosen as a timeless symbol, unaffected by the changeability of human physical expression. The lion’s approachability is meant to represent a forward-looking and inclusive outlook, as articulated by the Regiment in its original request for designs.
Kenny Hunter RSA is an experienced Edinburgh-based artist. He has noteworthy experience creating public art works, such as ‘Citizen Firefighter’ in Glasgow and ‘Your Next Breath’ at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh. The stone carving on the pedestal was done by Jack Handscombe.
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