Pillars, The Meadows (East), Edinburgh is a Grade B listed building in the City of Edinburgh local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 14 December 1970. Ornamental pillars.

Pillars, The Meadows (East), Edinburgh

WRENN ID
gaunt-gravel-storm
Grade
B
Local Planning Authority
City of Edinburgh
Constituency
Edinburgh South MP: Ian Murray (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
14 December 1970
Type
Ornamental pillars
OS grid reference
NT 261 725
Coordinates
55.94031, -3.18328
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Pillars, The Meadows, Edinburgh, were designed by John Lessels in 1880. They consist of two square freestanding polished ashlar pillars, each topped with carved heraldic beasts: a lion on the northern pillar and a unicorn on the southern pillar. These pillars support the castle emblem of the City of Edinburgh. The base features a pedestal with architraved panels and rope-moulded nook-shafts at the corners, along with miniature carved capitals. There is a foliate frieze that sweeps up to the cornice, and a plinth that supports the heraldic statuary. The shield on the northern pillar reads: "The Right Hon Thomas J Boyd, Lord Provost 1880," while the shield on the southern pillar states: "Presented to the City of Edinburgh by Messrs T Nelson and Sons."

Local climate

Pillars, The Meadows (East), 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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