<< Our Photo Pages >> Edinburgh Runestone - Carving in Scotland in Midlothian
Submitted by Anne T on Sunday, 07 January 2018 Page Views: 3340
Early Medieval (Dark Age)Site Name: Edinburgh RunestoneCountry: Scotland
NOTE: This site is 0.179 km away from the location you searched for.
County: Midlothian Type: Carving
Nearest Town: Edinburgh
Map Ref: NT2598972937
Latitude: 55.943755N Longitude: 3.186538W
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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Anne T visited on 18th Feb 2020 - their rating: Cond: 3 Access: 4 Edinburgh Runestone, George's Square: A friend very kindly told me this stone has now been relocated, although it is still in the process of being bedded into its new spot, with the concrete shuttering still around its base.
The red cross on the eastern narrow side of the stone has now been picked out in red paint. The plain, southern side, is presumably to be hidden by shrubs once the bed is replanted.
Anne T visited on 18th Sep 2018 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 3 Access: 4 New site of the Edinburgh Runestone (not been moved yet): As we were going to a building near to hear, we thought we’d do a detour to this part of the University.
We wandered around George Square first of all, but only found a modern sculpture called The Dreamer. We then identified 50 George Square (taken from the BBC article about the relocation of the stone), but only spotted a large hole in the middle of a square flower bed, hedged by low privet, around the side of the building. Having walked all around it, we went into check and I asked the security guard at the reception desk. He told us the stone hadn’t yet been moved, but the hole had been dug in preparation. I thanked him and went to take a photograph of the new site.
Anne T visited on 19th Dec 2017 - their rating: Cond: 3 Amb: 2 Access: 4 The Edinburgh Runestone: Getting to this stone was rather precarious! It was easy to walk up the 40 degree slope by clutching onto the nearby railings around the stone. Getting down was more difficult and left my friend with mud all over his walking boots. The stone is obviously in the middle of being moved - it has been strapped up and well protected. I'm glad its going to a much more accessible site. On my next trip up to Edinburgh I'll make a point of going to see this stone in its new location.
Average ratings for this site from all visit loggers: Condition: 3 Ambience: 2.5 Access: 4
Originally located at NT 2526 7352, near Edinburgh Castle, this 11th century Swedish runestone is recorded as Canmore ID 52498, which tells us: "Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Swedish runestone. Measurements: H 1.36m above ground level, W 1.00m, D 0.38>0.08m at the top. Stone type: granite. Place of discovery: Little Ramsingarde, Westmanland, Sweden. Present location: set upright below the Castle Esplanade in the south-east corner of Princes Street Garden. Enclosed within the high railing which separates the zone reserved for the supports for seating for the annual Tattoo from the public Gardens. Evidence for discovery: brought from Sweden and presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland by Alexander Seton before 1822. Present condition: weathered and damaged at the top. The carving has been picked out in red paint." An entry from 1953 adds: "Of no local archaeological value."
On 15th November 2017, an article appeared on the BBC news website - see Viking age gravestone to be moved after 200 years>, and I was able to find this whilst visiting Edinburgh in December. The stone, one of only 3 Swedish runestones in the UK, was being prepared to be moved.
The Society of Antiquarians of Scotland have also prepared a draft application for moving this scheduled monument, which is a very interesting read - cut and paste 'portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600018467' into your web browser for their pdf (Moving and Conserving the Edinburgh Runestone).
Currently the stone can viewed by looking over the north wall of the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle, or from a steep (muddy) footpath from Princes Street Gardens. The Swedish Runestone is to be relocated to the city's George Square outside the school of Scandinavian studies.
Note: 18th February 2020: The runestone is now located at NT 2598 7293, and whilst the stone is currently in place, the area it is located in is yet to be planted. The side with the runes can be viewed nearest the building.
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