Mason's Pillars, The Meadows (West), Edinburgh is a Grade B listed building in the City of Edinburgh local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 14 December 1970. Monument.
Mason's Pillars, The Meadows (West), Edinburgh
- WRENN ID
- watchful-ashlar-aspen
- Grade
- B
- Local Planning Authority
- City of Edinburgh
- Constituency
- Edinburgh East and Musselburgh MP: Chris Murray (Lab)
- Country
- Scotland
- Date first listed
- 14 December 1970
- Type
- Monument
- OS grid reference
- NT 251 727
- Coordinates
- 55.94202, -3.2003
- Source
- Historic Environment Scotland listing
Description
Mason's Pillars, located in The Meadows, Edinburgh, were designed by Sir James Gowans in 1886. These are a pair of tall octagonal stone pillars, each standing 26 feet high, topped with 7-foot high unicorns that hold metal banners. They are positioned on either side of Melville Drive. The pillars are constructed from 18 courses of stone sourced from 17 different quarries. The bases, center bands, and unicorns are made of red sandstone, while the shafts and caps are primarily yellow freestone. Each pillar features four angular sides that are recessed and panelled, with moulded bases. The center band displays heraldic shields on all four sides, along with panels containing inscriptions at each of the four angles. The caps are adorned with heraldic shields on eight sides. The foundations of the pillars are made of concrete, with depths of 5 feet and 7 feet.
Local climate
Mason's Pillars, The Meadows (West), Edinburgh sits in a wetter-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 970 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 76% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 53% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 43 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 25 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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