The Edinburgh Reporter March 2022

3
No bones about it
Jawbones to become a bronze archway at The Meadows
EDINBURGH COUNCIL has agreed to make a
£120,000 replica of the Jawbones in bronze and
replace the whale bones which cannot be put
back in their original outdoor position at The
Meadows as they are too fragile.
The funds already raised from a public
crowdfunding exercise would be used for the
new commission and for the placing of the arch
in a new indoor setting.
The Jawbones were in place for more than a
century, before being removed in May 2014 for
preservation, and a 3D scan has been completed
during the work.
Council conservators say it is no longer
possible for the jawbones to be placed outdoors
again as they would require some form of
support to avoid harm to the public. The risks
and the costs have made that possibility
unviable. The Jawbone is at Powderhall Bronze
where an initial attempt to place one of the
bones upright resulted in cracking, so the
company ceased activity until the council
assessed the options.
The Culture and Communities committee
decided that it would be best to replace them
with a bronze replica. They also need to find a
place for the originals which we understand have
been weathering outdoors for a time while
conservation work continued.
Council officers suggested that the costs of
maintaining the bones outdoors would be around
£5,000 a year - and they would be unlikely to
survive another 15 years even with maintenance.
Council fine art curator David Patterson said:
“The restoration of the Meadows Jawbone has
been a very turbulent journey thus far. We have
now reached the stage where we feel we need
some guidance on how to move forward and we
have proposed options in the report.
Cllr Donald Wilson Culture Convener said:
“I think the feeling is that it needs to be
displayed in a place where it will be seen because
it is such an iconic structure.”
Cllr Max Mitchell wondered what the fate of
the real Jawbone would be and suggested it
should be retained and put on display
somewhere. The council officer confirmed this
was in their sights.
The dismantling of the
Jawbones in 2014
Cllr Brown said he was not previously aware
of the history of the Jawbone and suggested that
the National Museum of Scotland might be a
suitable place for people to see it and learn
about its history.
Friends of the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links
(FoMBL) say they were not consulted. A
spokesman said: “We are disappointed that the
council is keeping quiet about their intentions.
Despite being fully involved at the start of the
project and before that we have not been
consulted about the latest proposals. FoMBL
have provided money for the restoration project
but not replacement. We are not against a
replacement, but we have not yet been consulted
as we would have been in the past. Our view is
that all interested parties should be consulted
Moving into Dundas Street
A NEW name has appeared on
Dundas Street as one of the
galleries moves with the times.
Husband and wife team
James and Flora Harvey are set
to modernise the shop at the
top of the street which forever
and a day has been known as
Anthony Woodd.
Mr Woodd will remain as a
consultant in the business, and
will assist the couple to curate
art for the gallery, but the new
Harvey & Woodd brand will
have a state-of-the-art website
and an exciting programme
of exhibitions.
There are more than 500
artworks on offer from oils to
watercolours, and prints to
sculptures, with a starting price
of £500, and the gallery will
continue to offer a broad
selection of Scottish paintings
for which it is known.
James has more than 30
and the various alternatives discussed in a
meaningful way along with full costings and
comparisons with other jawbone projects such
as the one in North Berwick. I definitely think
there is support for a replacement along with
information board to link with the history of the
1886 international exhibition.”
The arch dates from the International
Exhibition which took place on the Meadows in
1886. The bones were then gifted to the city by
Shetland knitters who had used the archway as
their stall at the expo.
Funding for the conservation was initially
supplied by Edinburgh World Heritage and the
council with public funding from a crowd
funding campaign. Further monies came from
a Shetland-based trust.
years experience in art and
specialises in 19th Century
British Art as well as
contemporary art in the
traditional style.
He said: “Our shared values
on running a traditional gallery
with a focus on regular
exhibitions that welcome and
encourage visitors to our
physical space will be be
supplemented by an improved
online presence.”
Neil Roger
Improve your
neighbourhood
By OLIVIA THOMAS
ENVIRONMENTAL charity Keep
Scotland Beautiful is inviting community
groups working to boost their areas to
join the 2022 Beautiful Scotland and It’s
Your Neighbourhood initiatives.
Groups with an interest in improving
their local environment – from cities
and towns, to villages, parks or
community gardens – are welcome to
register and take part, with a deadline
of 30 April 2022.
Run by the charity in partnership with
the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the
projects give volunteers and groups the
chance to benefit from expert support,
resources and recognition for their
efforts to protect and enhance their local
places. The charity’s team of expert
volunteers also provides mentoring
throughout the year.
Following on the success of last year’s
theme of ‘Climate and Nature Friendly’,
and joining the national celebration of
Scotland’s Stories, 2022’s theme will be
the ‘Year of Stories’. Groups will have the
option to build on last year’s projects or
start new projects and focus activities
around this, finding innovative and
creative ways to tell the tale of their
endeavours.
Catherine Gee, Deputy CEO of Keep
Scotland Beautiful said, “The last year has
been very important for action on
climate change in communities.
Volunteers across Scotland make a huge
contribution to the essential work being
done to tackle the climate and nature
emergency we are facing, helping make
Scotland clean, green and sustainable for
nature and people. As a recognition of
this and of the challenges faced by
groups over the last year, the registration
fee for Beautiful Scotland was removed in
2021 and entry will also be free this year.
“We’d love people from wellestablished
groups, through to those just
starting out, to register for free support
through the Beautiful Scotland or It’s
Your Neighbourhood initiatives this year
– joining a network of passionate people
who they can share their stories with and
learn from.”
www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org