Edinburgh, 17-39 Cowgate, Livingstone House

The Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (http://www.pmsa.org.uk/) set up a National Recording Project in 1997 with the aim of making a survey of public monuments and sculpture in Britain ranging from medieval monuments to the most contemporary works. Information from the Edinburgh project was added to the RCAHMS database in October 2010 and again in 2012.

The PMSA (Public Monuments and Sculpture Association) Edinburgh Sculpture Project has been supported by Eastern Photocolour, Edinburgh College of Art, the Edinburgh World Heritage Trust, Historic Scotland, the Hope Scott Trust, The Old Edinburgh Club, the Pilgrim Trust, the RCAHMS, and the Scottish Archive Network.

Door on Cowgate has two high relief carved stone label stops, flowers and leaves on left, grapes and vines on right (very deeply cut). The same door has two shields in corners of stone door frame: left shield has torch with two crossed staffs entwined with snakes; right shield has lettering and date.

Frieze of thirteen carvings above corner door on curve at base of turret, (left to right): (1) snake (?) (eroded), (2) apples and leaves, (3) portrait (?) head with moustache, (4) flower (?) (eroded), (5) [?] (eroded), (6) marrows (?), (7) frog or toad and toadstools (8) acorns and branch, (9) devil's head, (10) plums on branch, (11) thistle, (12) grapes and vine, (13) flower and leaves.

Built as an extension of the Livingston Institute for the Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society.

Inscriptions : On right shield above door (raised letters and numbers):

E.M. / M.S. / 1903

Signatures : None Visible

Design period : 1902 - 1903

Year of unveiling : 1903

Information from Public Monuments and Sculpture Association (PMSA Work Ref : EDIN0062)