Sir Walter Scott, the greatest novelist of his day, died at the age of 62 on the 21st September 1832. Within a few weeks a crowded meeting, attended by 'the greatest number of noblemen that had ever been found assembled in public meeting in our northern capital for many years', was held in Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms and a Committee was nominated to raise subscriptions for the erection of some form of memorial to Scott.

The earliest response to the appeal seems to have been from certain bankers in St Petersburg, who collected 1,525 roubles. Other contributions included 300 pounds from King William IV and 500 pounds from five of the Scottish banks in appreciation of Scott's determined efforts to clear his debts. By May 1833 the subscriptions had reached 5,725 pounds, and two years later nearly 7,000 pounds.

No definite decision on the form of the Monument had been reached, and plans, detailing a Gothic Cross, prepared by the architect David Roberts, at the invitation of the Committee, had been rejected on the grounds of cost.

Early in 1836, it was decided that the matter should be thrown open to public competition. Advertisements were placed in 32 newspapers inviting designs for a memorial structure which was to cost around 5,000 pounds. Premiums of 50 guineas were offered for the three proposals judged to be the most deserving of commendation.

Fifty-four designs were received. These included: 22 Gothic structures, 11 statues with architectural ornament, 14 Grecian temples, 5 pillar monuments, an obelisk and a fountain. There had been much discussion about the architectural style that should be used for the monument. Turner, the painter, favoured a large Egyptian Obelisk, others were in favour of a Gothic structure as this was well known to be Scott's favourite style, whilst a further group considered that a Gothic building would be inappropriate amongst Edinburgh's Georgian architecture.

After careful scrutiny of the entries, the Committee awarded the first prize to a Mr. Rickman, the second to Mr. Charles Fowler and the third to the design submitted under the pseudonym John Morvo, the name of a medieval master mason at Melrose Abbey. All the winning designs were for Gothic Crosses.

John Morvo for a short time remained 'The Unknown', which would probably have appealed to Scott, as the Waverley Novels were originally published anonymously 'by the author of Waverley' and he became famous as 'The Great Unknown'. It was soon revealed that John Morvo was George Meikle Kemp, who had trained as a joiner before taking up the study of architectural drawing. He had completed his plans for the Monument in five days, and used a pseudonym to avoid any prejudice against his non-professional background and lack of qualifications. Kemp had also just been involved in a controversial dispute with James Gillespie Graham over plans for Glasgow Cathedral.

The Committee continued to disagree on the respective merits of the designs and further drawings were requested. Kemp worked to improve the detail and design of his original concept and finally, in March 1838, his plans were accepted. The design for the statue of Scott had also been the subject of a public competition and the proposal for a seated figure of Scott with his deerhound Maida at his side, by John Steell, which 'excited universal admiration', was selected from the thirty entries received.

Kemp's final design was for a Gothic tower of beautifully carved sandstone, incorporating an abundance of motifs and features, and typical of the Gothic style in its pointed arches, ribbed vaults, flying buttresses and crocketed pinnacles. The lower stages of the Monument are reminiscent of the diagonal buttresses of Melrose Abbey, however, the upper, more intricate work finds its inspiration further afield. In 1825, Kemp had travelled on the Continent and the upper tower of the Monument shows signs of the influence of the west tower at Reims Cathedral, the spire of Antwerp Cathedral and most particularly the central tower of the 15th Century St Maclou at Rouen with its flamboyant late Gothic tracery. Kemp also seems to have incorporated some of the form and detail from David Roberts proposals for the Monument, which had been much admired by the Committee, in his final successful design.

Some critics felt that the design was too much a copy of Melrose Abbey and there was concern that flaws in the construction would mean that the Monument could not be built. Kemp, however, had always admitted that he was influenced by Melrose Abbey, where he had a brief encounter with Sir Walter Scott, and the eminent architect William Burn testified to the 'constructive skill and correctness of principle' embodied in the design. There was also some concern that Kemp was unqualified and relatively obscure, these arguments were countered by the substantial public support which Kemp and his design received.

The more enthusiastic supporters of the design by Kemp described it as 'a model of beauty and proportion, perfect in its character and details' and 'a magical exaltation of surpassing loveliness'.

Agreement on the design of the Monument having been reached, the next problem that arose was the selection of a site. Suggested sites included: the area west of St Giles, the west end of Princes Street opposite St John's Church, Charlotte Square, Calton Hill, Moray Place and Randolph Crescent. One proposal was that it should be located opposite the top of West Bow so that it would be seen on the approach to the Castle. Kemp had completed his design with a site at the eastern boundary of Charlotte Square gardens in mind. The Committee finally decided on the site in East Princes Street Gardens, opposite South St David Street, which required a special Act of Parliament, passed in May 1840, to relax the strict prohibition against building in the Gardens.

Kemp considered that a foundation on rock was essential for the stability of the Monument and this required costly excavation work down to 16 metres below the level of Princes Street. The estimated costs had almost doubled when Kemp, with a few of his friends, was lowered to the base of the excavations to lay the first stone of the Monument on the solid rock.

The official ceremonial foundation stone laying took place on the 15th August, 1840, the 69th anniversary of Scott's birthday. The day was declared a general holiday and the streets were filled with crowds of eager spectators. Thousands of representatives from Masonic Lodges throughout Scotland formed an 'imposing procession' from the Old College to the Monument site and, after the firing of a 21 gun salute, Lord Provost Sir James Forrest laid the foundation stone. The stone contained a glass jar in which the following items were deposited: the Edinburgh Almanac for 1840; copies of 6 Edinburgh newspapers: the Edinburgh Evening Courant, The Caledonian Mercury, The Edinburgh Advertiser, The Scotsman, The Edinburgh Observer and The Witness; the coins of the realm; copies of the inscription plates; a plan of the city and county of Edinburgh; a medal specially struck for the occasion and a list of the names of subscribers.

Building proceeded steadily under Kemp's supervision, despite financial crises that required further energetic fund-raising, until, on a dark and foggy evening in March, 1844, Kemp, who had been visiting his contractor in Fountainbridge, stumbled and fell into the canal. The thick mud pulled him down and his body was not recovered for five days. He was buried in St Cuthbert's Churchyard on the 22nd March 1844, with over a thousand mourners forming a procession behind the coffin that was carried by workmen from the Scott Monument. Kemp's wife had previously declined an offer that his body should be interred in a crypt below the Monument.

Supervision of the building work passed to William Bonnar, Kemp's brother-in-law, who was seriously criticised for increasing the height of the Monument from the 176 feet detailed in Kemp's drawings to 200 feet. The capping stone was placed on the top pinnacle, by Kemp's young son, in October, 1844, however, nearly two years elapsed before Steell installed his twice life size statue of Scott under the vaulted canopy of the Monument. The statue had been carved from a 30-ton block of Carrara marble, which had crashed through the bottom of the boat when it was being loaded in Italy and required 25 horses to drag it from Leith to Steell's studio in Princes Street. It was the first marble statue in Scotland.

The official unveiling ceremony took place on the 15th August, 1846 and, and despite rainy weather, the day was one of 'public rejoicing, all business being suspended'. The official procession, preceded by a mounted military band and a company of dragoons, started from the Royal High School at 2.15pm, when the heavy rain had eased off. The ceremony itself began with a 9-gun salute, followed by Masonic ceremonies and speeches. The Lord Provost described Steell's chisel as having 'moulded the rude block into all but the breathing form and features of Scotland's darling son'. Another gun salute ended the inauguration ceremony, and the procession marched back to the Royal High School, 'a moving stream of umbrellas, with long lines of stationary umbrellas for its banks'. The final cost of the Monument and statue amounted to almost 16,000 pounds.

One of the main features of Kemp's design for the Monument were the 64 niches which were intended to hold statues representing characters from Scott's novels and poems. Eight of these were filled during the erection of the Monument, and the centenary of Scott's birth in 1871 resulted in funds being raised for a further 24, however, the final 32 statuettes were not in place until 1882. They include representations of Jeannie Deans, The Last Minstrel, the Glee Maiden, Dandie Dinmont and Rob Roy.

There was great 'appreciation, respect, admiration and affection' for the Monument on its completion, however, the praise was not universal. Eminent detractors included Charles Dickens who, in 1847, wrote that he considered the Scott Monument 'a failure. It is like the spire of a Gothic church taken off and stuck in the ground' and Ruskin, who described it as 'a small vulgar Gothic steeple on the ground'.

The merits of the Scott Monument have been the subject of debate over the years, however, it continues to be a popular tourist attraction, perhaps more often for the spectacular views from the upper levels than any connection with Sir Walter Scott. There is certainly no doubt that Kemp's huge stone edifice, the largest memorial building in Edinburgh, has remained a tangible symbol and reminder of Scott, the 'Wizard of the North' and one of Edinburgh's most famous sons, as well as enriching the architecture of the city.