On this day in 1822

Designed by William Henry Playfair and Charles Cockerell, the National Monument of Scotland, on Edinburgh’s Calton Hill, was intended to memorialise those who had demonstrated bravery in Scotland’s history, and inspire the same in future generations.

It was never completed but, if it had been, it would have been modelled on the Parthenon, in Athens. The influence of classic Greek architecture can be seen in the proportions of the pillars and lintels that remain and, indeed, one of the principal campaigners for its construction, was the Earl of Elgin, who had removed the marble sculptures from the original Parthenon and had them shipped to Britain.

Foundation stone laid

The six-ton foundation stone was laid on 27 August 1822, and the following morning’s Glasgow Sentinel revealed that “besides the various coins of his present Majesty that are to be deposited below the foundation stone… is a small neat silver Medal representing its principal front, with an appropriate inscription, cut by an ingenious young Artist, and struck in this city under the immediate direction of Messrs. Forrest & Sons.”

The work that commenced thereafter was of the highest quality. The structure used the best Craigleith stone and, according to Historic Environment Scotland, “it was reputed to have taken ‘twelve horses and 70 men to move some of the larger stones up the hill’.”

Sadly, by the end of the 1820s, money was running short, and the building was never completed.

Monument designated a listed building

In 1966 the structure, as it existed, was designated a category A listed building, with Historic Environment Scotland explaining that “although by no means complete, it is a building of very high quality and workmanship, and represents work by two of the early nineteenth century’s most eminent architects. It has historical and political significance as a Scottish monument to the Scottish troops that died in the Napoleonic Wars. It is of immense significance due to its architectural style, which causes it to be a cornerstone of Edinburgh’s reputation as the ‘Athens of the North’.”

 

...and on this day in 1946

When the Princess Victoria set out in bad weather in January 1953, nobody onboard could have imagined what would befall them. The ferry, which was one of the first drive-on car ferries ever built, had been launched just seven years earlier to ply the route between Stranraer and the Northern Irish port of Larne.

She was a big ship for her time, with capacity for 1500 passengers and 40 cars. She was 94m long, 15m wide, and had a top speed of 19 knots, which equates to around 22mph. Earlier car ferries had generally not featured car decks that were directly accessible from land, and it had previously been routine for vehicles to be loaded from the dockside by crane.

Princess Victoria’s final voyage

Fortunately, the Princess Victoria was well under capacity when she set out on her final voyage. Although there is no definitive passenger list, she was known to be carrying around 130 passengers, and around 50 crew.

There is some dispute as to whether a gale warning was in effect or the weather forecast was fine. However, it would have quickly become clear that conditions were far from optimal when the ship left the shelter of the Scottish coast. As the boat turned towards Ireland, the direction of the wind meant that her rear was fully exposed to the incoming storm. This would not have been such a problem had a second set of doors to the car deck been operational. However, these were broken, so could not be deployed. The only set of doors protecting the hold were thus the only thing that was stopping the sea from getting into the boat – until the storm broke through them.

Princess Victoria sinks

The car deck flooded and the ship began to tip over. It seems likely that it was now only a matter of time before she would sink, despite the captain’s best efforts to complete the crossing by angling the rear of the ship away from the wind.

Princess Victoria had left Stranraer at 7.45 that morning, and the wireless operator put out the first SOS call less around three hours later, about half way through a crossing of just 20 miles or so.

By just after 1pm, the ship was leaning at an angle of around 45 degrees and passengers and crew alike were ordered to get on deck and prepare to abandon the ship. However, even those who made it into the lifeboats weren’t necessarily saved, as the weather smashed some and sank others. In all, more than 130 people were killed in the sinking or the unsuccessful evacuation, which made this the worst peaceful disaster in British maritime history.

Ultimately, the Princess Victoria could not be saved and she was lost beneath the waves. The wreck has never been raised.