Phantassie House, Balusters
Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned), Baluster(S)
Site Name Phantassie House, Balusters
Classification Commemorative Monument (Period Unassigned), Baluster(S)
Alternative Name(s) Phantassie House Policies; Rennie Memorial, East Linton
Canmore ID 277397
Site Number NT57NE 40.01
NGR NT 59605 77155
Datum OSGB36 - NGR
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/277397
- Council East Lothian
- Parish Prestonkirk
- Former Region Lothian
- Former District East Lothian
- Former County East Lothian
NT57NE 40.01 59605 77155
(Rennie Memorial, East Linton: location cited as NT 59065 77155).
Information from Prof R Paxton, September 2005.
This memorial is presumably to be equated with the memorial balusters that are noted in the BSAHI List entry (dated 5 February 1971) for Phantassie House (NT57NE 40.00). No description is available, and it is unclear whether or not they are covered by the Listing provision.
The cited location places the memorial to the S of the steading NT57NE 39.
Information from RCAHMS (RJCM), 30 November 2005.
Construction (1936)
Originally , plaque placed s side of East Linton. Erected by local subscription.
Modification (1981)
Relocated to Phantassie, where John Rennie was born. Rededicated by Lord Wemyss and move funded by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Project (2007)
This project was undertaken to input site information listed in 'Civil engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' by R Paxton and J Shipway, 2007.
Publication Account (2007)
This memorial consists of a bronze relief of Rennie’s head by Alexander Carrick and a plaque that were originally erected in 1936 by local subscription on the south side of the former A1 trunk road bypass of the town. The bronze-work is mounted on the back wall of a curved ornamental masonry pedestrian area which contains a baluster recovered from the demolition of Waterloo Bridge over the Thames engineered by Rennie from 1811–18.
In 1981, by which time traffic had increased greatly on the A1 making access to the memorial difficult, the Scottish Group of PHEW [Panel for Historic Engineering Works] was instrumental with East Lothian Antiquarian Society in arranging with Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, then building Torness Power Station, for its relocation 116adjoining the old road in the grounds of Phantassie, the house in which Rennie was born. McAlpine generously relocated the memorial as a goodwill gesture. It was re-dedicated by the Earl of Wemyss on 20 September 1981.
R Paxton and J Shipway 2007
Reproduced from 'Civil Engineering heritage: Scotland - Lowlands and Borders' with kind permission of Thomas Telford Publishers.
