Greek joins the team to conserve Edinburgh's Parthenon

It is well known that the National Monument on Calton Hill was inspired by the Parthenon in Athens, so who better to be involved with the conservation of the building than a Greek?

Dimitris Panagiotidis from Edinburgh based architects Gray, Marshall Associates will be part of the team co-ordinating the repair work to the building, as part of the Twelve Monuments Restoration project.

The National Monument was designed by Charles Cockerell and William Playfair, with work starting in August 1822 but never completed. It was modeled on the Parthenon in Athens and intended to be the National Memorial Church, to commemorate Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic War, and national Mausoleum for illustrious Scotsmen.

The Twelve Monuments Restoration project, is a three-year programme funded by Edinburgh World Heritage and the City of Edinburgh Council which will restore some of the city’s famous statues and monuments.

The conservation project will mainly involve high level stonework repairs to the enormous stone lintols at the top of the monument, including adding new lime mortar to joints and re-bedding one of the slabs. The work is expected to cost around £60,000 and will start in October, with a completion date of November 2008.