Edinburgh's disgrace.

The story I heard.

There was an Edinburgh man back before the Crimean war who was jealous of Glasgow's reputation for Art and Culture, whilst Edinburgh was known for finance and a strong west wind.

So he decided to build a cultural center, an art college and meeting place for great minds. He chose Calton Hill as the best place and designed a huge building based on the Parthenon. He raised money from rich and famous sponsors and sought approval from the intellectual elite.

Then came the Crimean War, but undeterred the man started building his wonderful cultural centre. But he ran out of money when only a few columns were built. So he approached the local government who gave him a grant.

A newspaper took the matter up declaring it was a disgrace that the government was spending money on follies on hills when Edinburgh didn't have a dedicated war memorial. A disgrace!

Then the war ended and public sentiment had changed and there was an election and the other side got in and withdrew the grant and the man was left bankrupt with only those columns on the skyline as a memory of his ambition.

The newspapers said it was a disgrace that the folly stood there showing Edinburgh's vanity when there was still no dedicated war memorial. A disgrace!

Then WWI and WWII came and went, by which time the columns were generally known as Edinburgh's disgrace, because we STILL didn't have a dedicated war memorial. A disgrace!

So in the end the sensible, practical, Cooncilors of Edinburgh had a ceremony and made a declaration, and how those columns are the dedicated war memorial of Edinburgh.

Bit like the tram works really.