By The University of Edinburgh
A story from the Centre for Research Collections
Sir Walter Scott, Bart. (1839) by Sir Henry Raeburn; John HorsburghThe University of Edinburgh
The best-selling poems and novels of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) transformed Scottish tourism. No longer an experience for the elite, his works have brought both British and international visitors to places all over Scotland.
Almost 200 years since his death, tourists continue to visit the places immortalised in his stories and those preserved in his memory.
Melrose Abbey, Roxburghshire (1834) by David Roberts; Joseph Clayton BentleyThe University of Edinburgh
Storied places
The Lay of the Last Minstrel (1805) brought tourists flocking to the Scottish Borders, and particularly to Melrose Abbey. Scott’s lines 'If thou would'st view fair Melrose aright, | Go visit it by the pale moonlight’ gave rise to a ritual of visiting the ruins after dark.
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Buried in the monastery is the heart of Robert the Bruce, the King of Scots from 1306 until his death in 1329.
St Mary's Loch & Dryhope Tower (1834) by John Fleming; Joseph SwanThe University of Edinburgh
St Mary’s Loch, celebrated in Marmion as ‘lone St Mary’s silent lake’ was another popular destination.
Lady of the Lake (1811) by Richard Westall; Francis EngleheartThe University of Edinburgh
The publication of The Lady of the Lake (1810) is a crucial moment in the discovery of the Highlands by British and overseas tourists. An overnight success, it immediately brought many visitors, book in hand, to the Trossachs.
Loch Katrine (1847/1854) by Horatio McCulloch; Thomas PickenThe University of Edinburgh
The picturesque Ellen’s Isle in Loch Katrine was named in honour of the poem’s heroine, Ellen Douglas.
Stirling Castle (1840) by George Cattermole; Edward RadclyffeThe University of Edinburgh
Scott’s first novel, the anonymously published Waverley (1814), brought an influx of visitors to the Highlands and gave existing historical attractions, like Stirling Castle, a new romantic glamour.
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Today costumed characters at Stirling Castle mingle with visitors to bring the childhood home of Mary Queen of Scots to life.
Loch Lomond (1836) by Henry Melville; Robert SandsThe University of Edinburgh
With its vivid descriptions of the West Highlands, Rob Roy (1818) had the greatest impact on the tourist industry.
Its hero, Francis Osbaldistone, is shown here crossing Loch Lomond in a scene re-enacted by many visitors.
St Anthony's Chapel (1832) by Edward Finden; George BarretThe University of Edinburgh
The Edinburgh setting of The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818) brought tourists to Scotland’s capital. Here they visited established attractions like the Castle and Holyrood Palace.
They also visited more unusual sites like St Anthony’s Chapel, the scene of a sinister nocturnal encounter in the novel.
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Located on the north side of Arthur's Seat in Holyrood Park, the ruins offer excellent views over North Edinburgh, Leith and the River Forth.
The Scott Monument (1845) by David Octavius Hill; Robert AdamsonThe University of Edinburgh
Monuments to his memory
The Scott Monument in Edinburgh’s Princes Street, opened in 1846, is the largest monument ever erected to a writer.
The Monument is the first sight that greets visitors emerging from Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, itself named in Scott’s honour.
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There are 287 steps to the viewing platform at the top of the Monument, from where visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of Edinburgh and the surrounding countryside.
Abbotsford, the Seat of Sir Walter Scott, Bart (1829) by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd; Thomas BarberThe University of Edinburgh
Scott’s country home of Abbotsford near Melrose was designed to showcase the writer and his work. Even during Scott’s lifetime, it attracted many visitors.
This early engraving feature members of Scott’s family, providing a curious public with a glimpse of Scott’s domestic life.
The Study, Abbotsford (1907/1963) by John Valentine and SonThe University of Edinburgh
Filled with mementoes of his literary career, and preserved as it was when Scott died, Abbotsford became a model for many later displays in writer’s houses.
Sir Walter Scott's Tomb, Dryburgh Abbey (1858/1890) by William Banks and SonThe University of Edinburgh
The "Scott tour" traditionally ended with a visit to his tomb in the picturesque ruins of Dryburgh Abbey in the Scottish Borders.
This engraving shows Victorian visitors paying their respects at the author’s grave.
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Although Scott had an ancestral right to be buried at the Abbey, many commentators agree that he deliberately chose it. The site was both reminiscent of his own works and appropriate for a romantic poet with a passion for antiquities.
West End of Loch Katrine (1834) by John Fleming; Joseph SwanThe University of Edinburgh
The Edinburgh University Library’s Corson Collection of Sir Walter Scott Materials includes nearly 7,000 books and over 10,000 artworks. You can find out more about them through the Walter Scott Digital Archive.
Story by Dr Paul Barnaby, Scottish Literary Collections Curator, University of Edinburgh Centre for Research Collections.
