Sir Walter Scott was a prominent Scottish writer, historical novelist and poet in the early 19th century. He was born in Edinburgh in 1771, the son of a solicitor of the same name. A childhood bout of polio left him lame in his right leg, but nonetheless he grew up to be a fit and strong man, over six feet tall. Walter Scott was always interested in learning about Scottish history and ballads. He learnt many tales of Scottish history at his grandmother's knee at Sandyknowe Farm. After completing his studies in art and the law at Edinburgh High School and Edinburgh University, he began working for his father and by 1792 had been called to the bar. In 1797 he married Margaret Charlotte Charpentier and they had five children over the forthcoming years. In 1799 Scott was made Deputy Sheriff of Selkirk, all a far cry from his future writing career. However, he had developed an interest in collecting old ballads and had translated some German works into English. Scott was first noticed for his poems. His first publication was "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border" in 1802. Apparently he burnt the first edition when his friends did not give it favourable approval, but his reworking of his first work eventually found success. The "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border" was inspired by Smailholm Tower a 15th century tower near Kelso. It was his second publication in 1805 entitled "The Lay of the Last Minstrel" that brought him lasting fame. He started a publishing company of his own with his friend James Ballantyne, but it failed with huge debts which he spent his life repaying from his writing income. He wrote the historical novel "Marmion" in 1808 and his famous "Lady of the Lake" in 1810. He then deviated into writing several historical novels including "Waverley" which dealt with the historic 1745 Uprising. "Rob Roy", one of his best known works, was a portrait of one of Scotland's best known heroes, and was sold out in two weeks. His fame led to him being offered the position of Poet Laureate in 1813, which he declined. In 1819, his best-seller "Ivanhoe" was published, set in the age of Richard the Lionheart, and many more great novels followed. Following the death of Sir Walter Scott on 21st september 1832 there was a widespread feeling in Edinburgh that a monument should be erected to his memory. The initial decision to proceed was taken at a public meeting on 5th October, and a competition was declared in order to select a design for the monument. The competition was won by George Miekle Kemp. Kemp was a working joiner who had attained recognition as an accomplished draughtsman, especially through his drawings of Melrose Abbey and Glasgow Cathederal. In 1838 Kemp was awarded the contract to build the monument. At the same time John Steell, later Sir John and H.M. Sculptor for Scotland, had been declared winner of a competition to select the sculptor of the statue of Sir Walter Scott to be included in the monument. In the autumn of 1844 the last stone was placed in the pinnacle by Kemp's young son, Thomas. The monument including the statue was officially inaugurated on 15th August 1846. The Scott Monument is 200 ft. 6in high and 55ft. square at the base; the highest gallery is reached by climbing a total of 287 steps. It is constructed of Binnie stone, taken from shale workings near Linlithgow; this stone contains natural oils which are said to aid its preservation. Sir John Steell's statue of Sir Walter Scott is executed in Carrara marble and is more than double life-size. The monument has 64 niches, in each of which, in accordance with the original design, a statuette has been placed. Several of these were contributed at the time of the original inauguration, and a movement instigated by James Ballantyne in 1870 brought the total to 32. The remainder were provided as a result of a motion placed before the town Council by Bailie Thomas Hall in 1881. All the statuettes represent characters from the works of Sir Walter Scott. Have a nice day.