George Meikle Kemp
Architect of The Scott Monument in Princes Street, Edinburgh
Short biography of George Meikle Kemp, who designed and built the Scott Monument in Princes Street, Edinburgh
Scott Monument
One of the best-known landmarks in Edinburgh is the monument to Sir Walter Scott in Princes Street. Its architect was George Meikle Kemp. The son of a shepherd, Kemp was born on 25 May 1795 at Moorfoot, Midlothian. At the age of ten his interest in ancient buildings was sparked by a visit to Rosslyn Chapel.
Beginnings
On 14 June 1809, the fifteen year-old was apprenticed to Mr Andrew Noble, a master-wright and carpenter, at Noble Lodge, Redscaurhead, Peeblesshire, and the site of the present Geroge Meikle Kemp Memorial.. Completing his apprenticeship in 1813, he was offered a job in a mill-wright’s workshop in Galashiels. Living close to the Border abbeys, Kemp often visited Dryburgh, Jedburgh, Kelso, and Melrose, sketching and noting differences of style.
Melrose Abbey
He was particularly interested in Melrose Abbey. It seemed that one John Morvo from Paris had been involved in building part of Melrose Abbey, and his name appears on an inscription on the walls of the south transept of the nave, bearing the date 1505. In 1836, when Kemp submitted his designs for the Scott Monument, he signed them … John Morvo.
After a year in Galashiels, Kemp returned to Edinburgh to work as a joiner, often putting in ten-hour days, devoting what spare time he had to drawing, perspective and studying the architecture of old Edinburgh. Kemp was a painfully shy man. One manifestation of this was his extreme aversion to hand-shaking, often greeting even intimate friends with no more than an emphatic smile.
Bowhill
In 1817, while in Lancashire, he walked fifty miles to York in order to see the Minster. Later he moved to Glasgow, and by 1824 Kemp, now a skilled artisan, had moved to London. After a further year he journeyed to France before returning to Edinburgh as a self-employed joiner and carpenter. A significant turning point in his life came when he was introduced to the architect William Burn, who engaged him to prepare working drawings for the mansion-house of Bowhill, which was under construction. By now an accomplished draughtsman, Kemp, in around 1830, revisited Melrose Abbey, where he drew three large, exquisitely detailed views of the ruins. These drawings attracted considerable interest, and eventually featured in the exhibition held by the Edinburgh Architectural Association at the Royal Scottish Academy in 1883.
Competition
In 1836 the press announced a competition requesting designs for the construction of the proposed ‘Scott Monument’ in Edinburgh. Fifty guineas were offered for each of the three best designs. Living at No. 7 Saunders Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh, Kemp completed his drawings for the competition within five days, submitting them under the name of John Morvo. He came third. But meanwhile the organising committee had had second thoughts and solicited further entries. Kemp resubmitted, and on 28 March 1838 the acting committee recommended the adoption of his design, stating that the statue of Sir Walter Scott should be executed by John Steell RSA, Her Majesty’s Sculptor for Scotland.
On 15 August 1840 the foundation stone of the Scott Monument was laid, and work was successfully completed on Saturday, 26 October 1844. Sadly, its architect did not live to see its full splendour.
Death
On the evening of Wednesday, 6 March 1844, Kemp had been consulting with Mr Lind, the contractor for the building of the monument. He set out to walk home to Morningside via the Canal. It was a foggy night, and it is speculated that he lost his bearings, and fell into the water, where he was trapped by the cloying mud, and he drowned.
