The Edinburgh Reporter January 2021

20
FEATURE
The Edinburgh Reporter
Antonine Wall project goes the distance
funding is already secured.
Words and Photos by John
Preece
Two artists working on part
of the three year Rediscovering
the Antonine Wall project are
both Edinburgh College of Art
graduates.
Svetlana Kondakova and Gordon
Simpson of Big Red Blacksmiths.
are involved in the "Antonine
Wall Distance Stones" project.
Their work aims to build better
connections along the length
of the Roman remains of the
Antonine Wall. Archaeological
discoveries here have determined
that the construction of the
Wall involved the erection of
carved stone "Distance Slabs" -
now displayed in the Hunterian
Museum in Glasgow - which
celebrated the achievements of
the Roman Legions responsible
for each section.
In 2017, proposals were
developed for the siting and
interpretation of five replica
Roman Distance Stones across
the length of the wall. The five
stones are situated in each of
the five local authorities that the
Antonine Wall passes through, and
For two of the sites, outline
concepts were developed for
sculptural Roman "heads", in
the form of a legionnaire and an
officer, to be located in prominent
places to raise greater awareness
of the local Roman influence.
In collaboration with Gordon
Simpson the commissioned artist,
Svetlana Kondakova, worked on
the design of a giant weathering
steel sculpture of a Roman
officer’s head to be placed at
Nethercroy, near Kilsyth.
The build started back in
late-February/early March, but
the Covid-19 pandemic put a stop
to much meaningful work, so
installation of the sculpture was
delayed until mid-December.
The six metre tall head in
question is called Silvanus, the
god protector of forests and cattle.
This was suggested and voted
on by locals through an online
naming campaign. He looks to the
North as if contemplating what
might have been.
rediscoveringtheantoninewall.org
Work on the Roman head nears completion at Nethercroy, near Kilsyth
Book gives up Edinburgh's secrets
Secret Edinburgh An Unusual
Guide by Hannah Robinson
Review by Martin P McAdam
I have lived in Edinburgh for the
past 12 years and I pride myself on
learning and getting to know many
of the unusual buildings, locations
and statues in the city.
However, having read Secret
Edinburgh An Unusual Guide, it
turns out I am a novice.
This delightful wee book
contains many wonderful
locations, artefacts, buildings and
visual attractions which I was
completely unaware of.
The book is laid out along
geographic locations and covers
guides to Old Town, New Town
North-Leith, South etc. Each
location is accompanied by a
street map and you can build
your own walking tour around the
attractions that you would like to
visit.
There is a lot of detail in the
book. Each entry provides you with
a good history of the item and is
accompanied by photographs.
Here comes the dilemma - if you
are visiting the city then which of
these locations do you decide to
visit? Will the fact that you already
have the guide dissuade you from
visiting? I don’t think so – I have
learned a lot from the book and
revisiting some of the attractions
gave me quite a number of new
insights.
Well done to Ms Robinson for all
the research.
Buy the book if you live in the city
and want to explore more of it. Buy
the book if you are coming to the
city and want to get off the beaten
path.
Some of the locations are not
normally open to the public and
you may need to book in advance
to get in.
Helpfully, the Unusual Guide
gives website, Facebook and
telephone details where available
as well as bus routes and tram
stops.
Current Covid-19 restrictions may
also restrict access and it is worth
checking.
Plenty of surprises in new book
Hannah Robinson is an
Edinburgh born author,
screenwriter and director.
Crossword Answers by David Albury
She has written two secret guide
books - one to the secret places
of her home city, and one to the
unusual bars and restaurants of
London.
As a screenwriter she has won
three Hollywood script awards.
Her company Palindromicals
(so called because it's creative
from back to front) specialises in
making animations and promos.
Published by Jonglez Publishing.
Across: 1. Nuts and bolts, 9. Inner, 10. Acetylene, 11. Handiwork,
12. Titan, 13. Relief, 15. Clematis, 18. Chat show, 19. En bloc, 22. Offer,
24. Scintilla, 26. Shorthand, 27. Rivet, 28. Frankenstein.
Down: 1. Neither, 2. Tenon, 3. Airliners, 4. Deacon, 5. Overkill, 6. Tryst,
7. Teetotal, 8. Tennis, 14. Leapfrog, 16. Man-at-arms, 17. Coxswain,
18. Choose, 20. Chasten, 21. Birdie, 23. Rotor, 25. Levee.
Gordon Simpson welding panels together inside the Roman head
Edinburgh Sketcher
Mark, the Edinburgh Sketcher,
has a number of printed items
including mugs, tea towels and
gift cards, which feature his ink
and watercolour sketches of the
city.
They are available together with
mounted prints and originals in
a few independent shops around
Edinburgh and on Etsy. Individual
goods are stocked by many shops
in Edinburgh including Paper
Tiger and Art & Craft Collective.
edinburghsketcher.com