The Balmoral Hotel and Arthur's Seat at twilight

Balmoral Hotel

Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel stands on the corner of North Bridge and Princes Street. The hotel was designed by William Hamilton Beatie. Its construction took place alongside that of the new North Bridge, and was completed in 1902. Formerly called the North British Hotel, it was owned by the North British Railway Company. It was sold by British Rail in the 1980's, and reopened in 1991 under its new name following extensive refurbishment. Its distinctive clock tower forms an unmistakable part of Edinburgh's skyline. It stands at just under 60 metres, with the clock face itself, designed by Hamilton and Inches, being taller than a double-decker bus.

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811)

At the top of the Melville Monument column stands a statue of Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville (1742-1811). He was the Scottish Lord Advocate, an MP for Edinburgh and Midlothian, and the First Lord of the Admiralty. Dundas was a contentious figure, provoking controversies that resonate to this day. While Home Secretary in 1792, and first Secretary of State for War in 1796 he was instrumental in deferring the abolition of the Atlantic slave trade. Slave trading by British ships was not abolished until 1807. As a result of this delay, more than half a million enslaved Africans crossed the Atlantic. Dundas also curbed democratic dissent in Scotland, and both defended and expanded British empire, imposing colonial rule on indigenous peoples. He was impeached in the United Kingdom for misappropriation of public money, and, although acquitted, he never held public office again. Despite this, the monument before you was funded by voluntary contributions from British naval officers, petty officers, seamen, and marines and was erected in 1821, with the statue placed on top in 1827.

In 2020 a plaque was installed beside the monument, dedicated to the memory of the more than half-a-million Africans whose enslavement was a consequence of Henry Dundas’ actions.