The Burns Monument

About The Burns Monument

The Burns Monument was erected in 1896 - the year of the centenary of the death of Robert Burns. It was originally located at the junction of Dalkeith High Street and South Street.
The cost (at least £200) was met by public subscription initiated by the local Burns Club.
It is believed that Burns visited Dalkeith in 1787 and Dalkeith is referred to in one of his songs. "Sae Far Away" is set to an old air "Dalkeith's Maiden Brig" being a reference to the bridge in the grounds of Newbattle Golf Course. The "maiden" was Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII who crossed the bridge on her way to meet James IV of Scotland - her future husband.
Over the course of time the fountain bowl and cherubs were lost, as was the lantern on the top.
In 1968, the "Fountain” as it was known locally, succumbed to the pressures of modern traffic and was moved firstly to Kings Park then beside the Public Library.
It was completely restored in 2016 as part of Dalkeith Regeneration Project and is now back in the High Street, outside the Tolbooth, opposite St Nicholas Church.