20FEATUREThe Edinburgh ReporterAntonine Wall project goes the distancefunding is already secured.Words and Photos by JohnPreeceTwo artists working on partof the three year Rediscoveringthe Antonine Wall project areboth Edinburgh College of Artgraduates.Svetlana Kondakova and GordonSimpson of Big Red Blacksmiths.are involved in the "AntonineWall Distance Stones" project.Their work aims to build betterconnections along the lengthof the Roman remains of theAntonine Wall. Archaeologicaldiscoveries here have determinedthat the construction of theWall involved the erection ofcarved stone "Distance Slabs" -now displayed in the HunterianMuseum in Glasgow - whichcelebrated the achievements ofthe Roman Legions responsiblefor each section.In 2017, proposals weredeveloped for the siting andinterpretation of five replicaRoman Distance Stones acrossthe length of the wall. The fivestones are situated in each ofthe five local authorities that theAntonine Wall passes through, andFor two of the sites, outlineconcepts were developed forsculptural Roman "heads", inthe form of a legionnaire and anofficer, to be located in prominentplaces to raise greater awarenessof the local Roman influence.In collaboration with GordonSimpson the commissioned artist,Svetlana Kondakova, worked onthe design of a giant weatheringsteel sculpture of a Romanofficer’s head to be placed atNethercroy, near Kilsyth.The build started back inlate-February/early March, butthe Covid-19 pandemic put a stopto much meaningful work, soinstallation of the sculpture wasdelayed until mid-December.The six metre tall head inquestion is called Silvanus, thegod protector of forests and cattle.This was suggested and votedon by locals through an onlinenaming campaign. He looks to theNorth as if contemplating whatmight have been.rediscoveringtheantoninewall.orgWork on the Roman head nears completion at Nethercroy, near KilsythBook gives up Edinburgh's secretsSecret Edinburgh An UnusualGuide by Hannah RobinsonReview by Martin P McAdamI have lived in Edinburgh for thepast 12 years and I pride myself onlearning and getting to know manyof the unusual buildings, locationsand statues in the city.However, having read SecretEdinburgh An Unusual Guide, itturns out I am a novice.This delightful wee bookcontains many wonderfullocations, artefacts, buildings andvisual attractions which I wascompletely unaware of.The book is laid out alonggeographic locations and coversguides to Old Town, New TownNorth-Leith, South etc. Eachlocation is accompanied by astreet map and you can buildyour own walking tour around theattractions that you would like tovisit.There is a lot of detail in thebook. Each entry provides you witha good history of the item and isaccompanied by photographs.Here comes the dilemma - if youare visiting the city then which ofthese locations do you decide tovisit? Will the fact that you alreadyhave the guide dissuade you fromvisiting? I don’t think so – I havelearned a lot from the book andrevisiting some of the attractionsgave me quite a number of newinsights.Well done to Ms Robinson for allthe research.Buy the book if you live in the cityand want to explore more of it. Buythe book if you are coming to thecity and want to get off the beatenpath.Some of the locations are notnormally open to the public andyou may need to book in advanceto get in.Helpfully, the Unusual Guidegives website, Facebook andtelephone details where availableas well as bus routes and tramstops.Current Covid-19 restrictions mayalso restrict access and it is worthchecking.Plenty of surprises in new bookHannah Robinson is anEdinburgh born author,screenwriter and director.Crossword Answers by David AlburyShe has written two secret guidebooks - one to the secret placesof her home city, and one to theunusual bars and restaurants ofLondon.As a screenwriter she has wonthree Hollywood script awards.Her company Palindromicals(so called because it's creativefrom back to front) specialises inmaking animations and promos.Published by Jonglez Publishing.Across: 1. Nuts and bolts, 9. Inner, 10. Acetylene, 11. Handiwork,12. Titan, 13. Relief, 15. Clematis, 18. Chat show, 19. En bloc, 22. Offer,24. Scintilla, 26. Shorthand, 27. Rivet, 28. Frankenstein.Down: 1. Neither, 2. Tenon, 3. Airliners, 4. Deacon, 5. Overkill, 6. Tryst,7. Teetotal, 8. Tennis, 14. Leapfrog, 16. Man-at-arms, 17. Coxswain,18. Choose, 20. Chasten, 21. Birdie, 23. Rotor, 25. Levee.Gordon Simpson welding panels together inside the Roman headEdinburgh SketcherMark, the Edinburgh Sketcher,has a number of printed itemsincluding mugs, tea towels andgift cards, which feature his inkand watercolour sketches of thecity.They are available together withmounted prints and originals ina few independent shops aroundEdinburgh and on Etsy. Individualgoods are stocked by many shopsin Edinburgh including PaperTiger and Art & Craft Collective.edinburghsketcher.com
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