Scotland's Shrine: The Scottish National War Memorial

First mooted in 1917, The Scottish National War Memorial was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales, on 14th July 1927. Paid for by public subscription, this remarkable architectural and artistic achievement articulated a nation's grief. Designed by Sir Robert Lorimer, who led a team of artists and craftsmen, it is one of the most ambitious and successful pieces of public art of its time. Intended to make the Memorial accessible to a wide audience, this unique and beautiful publication will give an account of its fascinating history. The Memorial's many different art works include sculpture in bronze, wood and stone and outstanding stained glass. Highly accomplished, each element of the Memorial's design reflects how this is a monument to peace not just to war. Tracing the Memorial's eventful history from its genesis through to its construction and its eventual opening, Duncan Macmillan discusses all aspects of the Memorial from its design to the individual artists that contributed to its creation. Including contextual links to other similar projects, this publication will provide the definitive account of this significant public monument, which continues to commemorate Scottish casualities of war.

Table of Contents:
Contents: Foreword; Part One: From proposal to completion via controversy; Part Two: The artists, the building and the decoration; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Duncan Macmillan is Professor Emeritus of the History of Scottish Art and former Curator of the Talbot Rice Gallery in the University of Edinburgh. Art critic of The Scotsman he is also the author of Painting in Scotland: the Golden Age (1986), Scottish Art 1460-1990 (1990, enlarged edition in 2000) and Scottish Art in the 20th Century (1994). 

Review :
this poignant account of the building of the Scottish National War Memorial is a must-read (Scottish Field Magazine, Sept 2014) an important and beautifully constructed book about an institution well-meriting the same descriptive adjectives. Like the Memorial too, this book has been long in* the making and required both immense thought and the employment of skilled and committed artists; the private funding of both projects led to their successful completion and the results, in both cases, are such that all involved can and should feel proud of their achievements. (Society for Army Historical Research Summer 2015) This book makes no such claim and so it is the duty of your reviewer to make that claim for it: as a beautifully illustrated and very well researched and written account of the Scottish National War Memorial, it is unlikely to be bettered. It is commended without qualification as is, if you have not yet made it, a visit to the Memorial itself. (Society for Army Historical Research Summer 2015)