List of Robert Burns memorials

This is a list of over sixty known memorials (statues, busts, fountains and buildings) to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Of these, the oldest outdoor statue is given to be at Camperdown, Victoria, Australia (1830).

Burns Monument at the poet's birthplace, Alloway

Dumfries town centre statue

Scotland

 

Burns Monument, Edinburgh

 

Statue by John Flaxman, Scottish National Portrait Gallery

• Aberdeen – statue near Union Terrace Gardens
• Alloway – monument a short distance from his birthplace
• Arbroath – statue by Dundee sculptor Scott Sutherland in the grounds of Arbroath Library.^[1] Sutherland may be better known for his work of the Commando Memorial.
• Ayr – statue in Burns Statue Square
• Bathgate – Statue or Rabbie Burns with Highland Mary in grounds of Partnership Centre.
• Dalkeith – cast iron drinking fountain originally erected in the High Street in 1899 to commemorate the centenary of the death of Robert Burns in 1896. Removed from the High Street in 1968, the restored monument was relocated back to the High Street in a new location in 2017.
• Dumfries – at the end of the town centre, the statue in white marble of Burns leaning on a tree stump, a dog laying across his foot, is opposite Greyfriars Church. The front panel is inscribed: "Erected by the inhabitants of Dumfries (with the aid of many friends) as a loving tribute to their fellow townsman, the national poet of Scotland. 6th April 1882."
• Dumfries – mausoleum at burial site in St Michaels Churchyard
• Dumfries – Burns House museum^[2]
• Dundee – statue in Meadowside
• Edinburgh – monument on Regent Road, Calton Hill. The marble statue inside by John Flaxman was moved to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh in 1889.^[3]
• Edinburgh – inscription in Makars' Court, outside The Writers' Museum in Edinburgh's Old Town
• Eglinton Country Park – bronze statue in the Visitor Centre.
• Glasgow – statue in George Square, 1877 by George Edwin Ewing, reliefs by J A Ewing, cast by Cox and Son
• Irvine – statue on Irvine Moor
• Kilmarnock – statue of Sicilian marble by William Grant Stevenson. Stood in Kay Park from 1879 until moved to the Burns Monument Centre following a fire started by vandals.^[4] See Burns Monument.
• Kilmarnock – statue at Kilmarnock Cross
• Leith – statue on Bernard Street
• Mauchline – Burns National Memorial
• Montrose – stone statue by William Birnie Rhind (1853–1933) was unveiled in 1912^[1]
• New Cumnock – statue by Castle road
• Paisley – statue in the Fountain Gardens, by F. W. Pomeroy^[5]
• Portpatrick – statue produced by local sculptor James Watt, and erected in Portpatrick in 1923 by the village's Burns Club.^[1] Damaged by storms in the 1980s, it was refurbished and repainted by the Stranraer Burns Club and Portpatrick Bowls Club in 2016. The statue now overlooks the bowling greens.^[6]
• Prestonpans – Burns Bicentennial Memorial, erected by the local Burns Club
• Stirling – statue outside Albert Halls
• Stirling – a white marble bust of Burns, looking to his right, is within the Wallace Monument
• Stonehaven - a stone bust of Burns, and an information board entitled "The Fatherland of Robert Burns", is within the Burns Memorial Garden at the corner of David Street and Belmont Brae.

Australia

• Adelaide, South Australia – A standing Burns in marble holds a book with the right arm, and the left poised away from the body. The statue is outside the State Library of South Australia. Erected May 1894, by the South Australian Caledonian Society.
• Ballarat, Victoria – statue of a standing Burns with a dog to his left, in Sturt Street (corner of Lydiard Street) Ballarat. On the grey granite plinth the front panel details his dates and places of birth and death, followed by stanzas from There was a man from Kyle. The other three sides have stanzas from various poems about humanity and learning.
• Bendigo, Victoria – bust in the Bendigo Art Gallery
• Brisbane, Queensland – statue at Centenary Place. Erected about 1929 by the Brisbane Caledonian Society and Burns Club. In the park is another statue of a similar name,^{[clarification needed]} that of Thomas Joseph Byrnes, Premier of Queensland.
• Camperdown, Victoria – statue, possibly the oldest existing outside Burns statue, carved in 1830, and the first one in the Southern Hemisphere.^[7] Based on a 1786 live painting of Burns, it was displayed at a Crystal Palace exhibition before coming to Australia. Due to vandalism in 2009, the plinth remains in the botanic park but the statue has been moved to the shire council chambers. It is presently being considered for restoration.^[8][9]
• Canberra, ACT – statue outside the eponymous Burns Centre, National Circuit, Forrest (1935)
• Melbourne, Victoria – statue in Treasury Gardens, with bronze friezes decorating the plinth. The granite plinth is beneath a standing Burns in bronze, with right foot slightly forward, and the right arm almost crossed above the left across the chest. "Erected under the auspices of the Caledonian Society Melbourne 1904", the front brass states the last name of the poet. The plinth followed clockwise displays almost-identical reliefs of scenes from his poems, To a mountain daisy (1786), Tam O'Shanter (1790), and The cotter's Friday night (1785). The sculptor George Anderson Lawson also had later-erected memorials in Vancouver (1928) and Montreal (1930), Canada.
• Sydney, New South Wales – statue of Burns with plough, outside the Art Gallery of New South Wales

•  
  State Library of South Australia, Adelaide
•  
  Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (1935)
•  
  Robert Burns Memorial in Centenary Place, Brisbane

Canada

• Edmonton, Alberta – statue in bronze of Burns kneeling, in the grounds of the Hotel Macdonald, by John Warner^[10]
• Fredericton, New Brunswick – statue on the Green, by the banks of the Saint John River, across from the Provincial Legislature. The Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew sponsored the erection in the Kilmarnock style in 1906.^[11] Absent from 2008 to 2011, the statue has been remodelled for flood-proofing.^[12]
• Halifax, Nova Scotia – statue erected in 1914 by the North British Society. See Victoria Park.^[13]
• Montreal, Quebec – statue in Dominion Square, erected 1930. See Robert Burns Memorial (Montreal).
• Toronto, Ontario – the erect Burns in brass is on top of a light granite plinth in Allan Gardens. Erected 21 July 1902, "to the memory of the poet by his admirers". Scenes reflecting The cotter's Friday night (1785), Tam o' Shanter, John Anderson my jo, and possibly To a mountain daisy (1786).
• Vancouver, British Columbia – statue in Stanley Park. See Robert Burns Memorial, Stanley Park.
• Victoria, British Columbia – near the southern car park in Beacon Hill Park – his statue sits, almost kneeling, with his arm around Highland Mary. In the grey granite plinth front face, beneath a rampant lion upon a shield, is inscribed "To the memory of Scotia'an immortal bard. Born 1759. Erected by his admirers 1900." Going clockwise from the front panel, an inscription "The golden hours, on angel wings flew o'er me and my dearie;" above a lion's head drinking basin, a shield with the saltire, and a coloured framed picture of the bard (perhaps added after erection) with the words above, "For dear to me as light and life was my sweet Highland Mary."
• Windsor, Ontario – large bronze bust presented to the City of Windsor by The Border Cities Burns Club in June 1952. Located on the east side of Jackson Park, beside the parking lot.^[14]
• Winnipeg, Manitoba – statue in the grounds of the Provincial Legislature, on Kennedy Street. It was erected in 1936 by the Winnipeg Burns Club.^[15]

•  
  Montreal Statue by George Anderson Lawson dedicated to Burns in tribute to its founding Scottish community.
•  
  Burns statue in Victoria Park (Halifax), Halifax, Nova Scotia by George Anderson Lawson
•  
  Burns statue in Jackson Park, Windsor, Ontario

England

 

Victoria Embankment Gardens, London

• London – statue in the Victoria Embankment Gardens (1884). See Robert Burns (Steell).
• London – memorial bust in Poets' Corner, Westminster Abbey (1885)
• Newcastle upon Tyne – statue in Walker Park. The statue was erected to commemorate the visit by Burns to Newcastle in 1787

New Zealand

• Auckland, North Island – a brass statue in The Domain erected in 1921, with Burns leaning on a plough, on top of a stone plinth.^[16] The front panel of the plinth is inscribed: "To the immortal memory of Robert Burns 1759–1796. The peasant bard of Scotland. The strong advocate of universal freedom and the brotherhood of man."
• Dunedin, South Island – statue in The Octagon. One of the city's founding fathers was the poet's nephew Thomas Burns. See Robert Burns (Steell).
• Hokitika, South Island – statue in Cass Square^[17]
• Timaru, South Island – statue in Timaru Botanic Gardens

•  
  Auckland Domain
•  
  The Octagon, Dunedin
•  
  Timaru Botanic Gardens

United States

 

Statue in Springfield Park, by the Robert Burns Association of Jacksonville, Florida

• Albany, New York – statue in Washington Park, unveiled 1888.^[18] Sculptured by Albany-born Charles Calverley, the commissioning was part of a will bequest.^[19] See Statue of Robert Burns (Albany, New York).
• Atlanta, Georgia – replica of Burns' birthplace cottage belonging to the Burns Club Atlanta, constructed in 1911. See Burns Cottage (Atlanta).
• Barre, Vermont – statue in front of the old Spaulding High School building. See Robert Burns Memorial (Barre).
• Boston, Massachusetts – bronze statue in the Back Bay Fens, by Henry Hudson Kitson and erected in 1920, moved to Winthrop Square in 1975^[20][21] and relocated back to its original location in 2019.^[22]
• Cheyenne, Wyoming – bronze statue erected in Gilchrist Park in 1929, by Scottish sculptor Henry Snell Gamley (1865–1928)^[1]
• Chicago, Illinois – statue in Garfield Park, cast in Edinburgh by William Grant Stevenson, it was commissioned in 1906. Burns stands erect, his right hand clasped to his lapel, the left holding a book. Appearing on each face of the plinth is a single line of four different poems. By 2010, the bronze friezes had been removed.^[23][24]
• Denver, Colorado – bronze statue in the City Park, donated by the Scots Caledonian Club of Colorado and erected on July 4, 1904. Across the granite base, "A poet peasant born who more of fame's immortal power unto his country brings than all her kings". The sculptor was William Grant Stevenson (1849–1919), who also did the original Kilmarnock statue.^[25][24]
• Detroit, Michigan – bronze statue by George Anderson Lawson in Ayr, Scotland, in 1891, it was moved to Cass Park near the downtown and erected in 1921 sponsored by the City of Detroit Burns Club and the ladies auxiliary, The Jean Amour Club.^[26]
• Houston, Texas – Bust of Robert Burns in the International Sculpture Garden of Hermann Park. Done by Hungarian-American sculptor Ferenc Varga in 2002.^[27]
• Jacksonville, Florida – a deteriorating limestone bust on a large plinth in Springfield Park, erected in 1930 by the Robert Burns Association of Jacksonville. The four panels were stolen during World War II, allegedly sold for scrap steel.^[28][29] It is located near the corner of Main and Phelps Streets.^[30]
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin – bronze statue in Burns Triangle between Prospect and Farwell Avenues on Knapp Street, donated in 1909 by a prosperous grain merchant of Scottish descent named James Anderson Bryden. The sculptor was William Grant Stevenson. The statue is based upon Stevenson's Kilmarnock style. The statue was unveiled on June 26, 1909.^[24]
• New York City – the statue in Central Park is a twin to the statue in London, and was dedicated in 1880. See Robert Burns (Steell).
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – statue at Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Gardens
• Quincy, Massachusetts – statue in Robert Burns Park, dedicated in 1925 and moved to the Granite Street in 1971^[31][32]
• San Francisco, California – statue near the Rhododendron Grove, off JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, erected in 1908.^[33] Melvin Earl Cummings' originally commissioned work was sent for casting and was destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire, and had to be redone.
• St. Louis, Missouri – statue on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis, where he was a favourite poet of many of the university trustees.^[34] Artist Robert Aitken (1878–1949) completed the eight-foot high bronze, "erected under the auspices of the Burns Club of St. Louis by admirers of Robert Burns and his genius. 1928."

•  
  Central Park, New York
•  
  Garfield Park, Chicago
•  
  Schenley Park, Pittsburgh
•  
  Burns Commons, Milwaukee
•  
  Washington Park, Albany, New York

Other countries

• Belfast, Northern Ireland – a small pedestal and bronze statue stands in the reception area of the Linen Hall Library, being presented to the people of Belfast in 1893^[35]
• Tallinn, Estonia – statue (bust) in Scottish Park (Šoti Park), Uus 31 (street), beside the Old Town. Formerly the home of Tallinn's Scottish Club (Šoti Klubi), the park is now associated with the Leib restaurant. Opposite the Burns bust is the later bust of Sir Sean Connery, erected 2011.^[36]

Statue styles

Other than text of his poems, a plow may be present to represent his earlier vocation as a farmer. Several statues show Burns' dog, Luath.

A number of statues of Burns, and the friezes around the plinths, are reproductions of an original work.

Sculptor George Anderson Lawson's original work of Burns with right arm folded above the left, in Ayr, Scotland, in 1892 can be seen at:^[37]

• Belfast, Northern Ireland (1893), a smaller copy
• Melbourne, Australia (1904)
• Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (1914)
• Detroit, Michigan, USA (1921)
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (1928)
• Montreal, Quebec, Canada (1930)
• Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (1936)

It has also been reported a second small copy was presented to the Sorbonne University, Paris, France, in 1938. It was then hidden during the German military occupation of France, and so avoided being melted down. Its present whereabouts is unknown.^[38]

William Grant Stevenson's Kilmarnock design of Burns holding a book in the left hand whilst the right hand holds the lapel, can be seen at:

• Denver, USA (1904)
• Chicago, USA (1906)
• Milwaukee, USA (1909).

The Frederickton, Canada (1906) statue is also in the Kilmarnock style.

John Steell has four copies of Burns seated on a stump, looking pensively to the upper right:

• New York City, USA (1880)
• Dundee, Scotland (1880)
• London, England (1884)
• Dunedin, New Zealand (1887).

Gallery

•  
  Adelaide, Australia
•  
  Adelaide, Australia, close-up
•  
  Arbroath, Scotland
•  
  Ballarat, Australia
•  
  Ballarat, Australia, close-up
•  
  Brisbane, Australia
•  
  Detroit, Michigan, USA
•  
  Dumfries, Scotland
•  
  Dumfries, Scotland, close-up
•  
  Dumfries, Scotland, Burns's mausoleum
•  
  Glasgow, Scotland
•  
  Melbourne, Australia
•  
  Melbourne, Australia, close-up
•  
  Montreal, Quebec, Canada
•  
  Montreal, Quebec, Canada, close-up
•  
  Tallinn, Estonia
•  
  Toronto, Ontario, Canada
•  
  Toronto, Ontario, Canada, close-up
•  
  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
•  
  Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

See also

•  Poetry portal
•  Scotland portal
•  Visual arts portal

• Burns memorials by sculptor John Steell

Bibliography

• Sharon Alker, Leith Davis, and Holly Faith Nelson (eds), "Robert Burns and Transatlantic Culture", Ashgate Publishing, 2012, ISBN 1283429306.
• Thomas Keith, "Burns Statues in North America, a Survey" in Robert Burns & America, ed. by G. Ross Roy (Fife, Scotland & Columbia, SC: Thomas Cooper Library & Akros Publications, 2001): 23-33
• Thomas Keith "Burns Statues in North America," in The Burns Chronicle (Kilmarnock, Scotland: The Burns Federation, 2001): 71-83
• Elizabeth A. Sudduth (compiler), "The G. Ross Roy Collection of Robert Burns: An Illustrated Catalogue", ISBN 978-1-57003-829-7.

References

1. Sibbald, David. "Monuments and Memorials to Robert Burns around the world". Monuments and Memorials to Robert Burns around the world. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
2. "Burns House". Dumfries and Galloway Museums Service.
3. Monuments and Statues of Edinburgh, Michael T.R.B. Turnbull (Chambers) p.4
4. "Burns Statue, Kilmarnock". Future Museum. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
5. http://www.rescuerabbie.com 10 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
6. "Club Nights". Dumfries Burns Howff Club. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
7. Sibbald, David. "Camperdown". Monuments and Memorials to Robert Burns around the world. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
8. "Robert Burns statue" (PDF). Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club. 1 January 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
9. "ROBERT BURNS STATUE – Victorian Heritage Database". Heritage Council Victoria. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
10. "Robert Burns - Edmonton, Alberta - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". Waymarking.com. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
11. "Robbie Burns Statue". My New Brunswick: Discover the picture province. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
12. "Revamped Robert Burns statue unveiled". CBC News. 10 September 2011. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
13. "Robert Burns - Halifax, NS, Canada - Dead Poets' Society Memorials on Waymarking.com". Waymarking.com. 21 June 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
14. "Robert Burns Statue". City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
15. Goldsborough, Gordon (13 October 2014). "Historic Sites of Manitoba: Robert Burns Statue (Kennedy Street, Winnipeg)". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
16. (PDF). Auckland War Memorial Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 October 2008.
17. "Barney Mowat, Hokitika piper". West Coast Times. Retrieved 27 January 2009. Barney Mowat, Hokitika piper, pays toast to Robert Burns statue at Cass Square. West Coast Times 27 January 2009
18. "Park History: 1800–1986". Washington Park Conservancy. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
19. "Charles Calverley Portfolio for Robert Burns Statue MG 240" (PDF). Albany Institute of History and Art. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
20. Sibbald, David. "Burns Statue Boston". Monuments and Memorials to Robert Burns around the world. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
21. "Robert Burns". Boston Art Commission. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
22. "Robert Burns statue returned to the Back Bay Fens". 31 October 2019.
23. "Garfield Park [Robert Burns – by W. Grant Stevenson]". Public Art in Chicago. 25 May 2010. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
24. Goodwillie, Edward (1911). The World's Memorials of Robert Burns. Detroit, Michigan: The Waverly Publishing Co. pp. 118–120, 124–130, 134–136. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
25. "Robert Burns found in Denver City Park – There since 1904". The Celtic Connection. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
26. "Statue of Robert Burns". Detroit, the history and future of the Motor City. 5 December 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
27. "Robert Burns". City of Houston. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
28. "Robert Burns Lives! Plea for the Jacksonville Robert Burns Memorial". Electric Scotland. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
29. "Robert Burns - Jacksonville, FL - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". Waymarking.com. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
30. "Urban Parks: Confederate Park". Metro Jacksonville. 20 April 2009. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
31. "Robert Burns - Quincy, MA - Statues of Historic Figures on Waymarking.com". Waymarking. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
32. "Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey, Granite Street/Burgin Parkway". Thomas Crane Library. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
33. "Golden Gate Park – Robert Burns". Public Art and Architecture from Around the World. 26 February 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
34. "Robert Burns". St. Louis Regional Arts Commission. Retrieved 10 April 2017.
35. Kennouche, Sofiane (21 January 2016). "The history of Robert Burns statues around the world". The Scotsman, Scotland's national newspaper. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
36. "Sean Connery honoured with Estonian sculpture". The Telegraph (UK). Retrieved 21 January 2017.
37. "Vancouver's Robert Burns statue is a copy of the George Lawson original from Ayr Scotland". Robert Burns & Burns poetry. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
38. Alker, Sharon; Davis, Leith; Nelson, Holly Faith (22 June 2012). Robert Burns and Transatlantic Culture. Ashgate Publishing. p. 220. ISBN 978-1283429306.

 

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