Jawbone narrowly avoids listing!

Photo:  Lisa Jarvis

An attempt to have the Meadows Jawbone Arch listed has failed.

I understand the attempt to have it listed was with a view to accessing funding via a WREN grant. Listing is thought likely to have improved chances of such a grant.  Scotland's listing team notified Edinburgh Council's Conservation Officer earlier this month of the result of their investigations:

"The Jawbone Arch is considered to be a component feature in defining the character of the Meadows . . . and is affiliated with the Edinburgh international Exhibition of 1886 rather than the whaling industry. . .
"A number of standalone whalebone arches survive across the United Kingdom and are not normally considered to meet the criteria for listing - there is one exception found in Lewis.
"Although a rare survival, the arch is a lightweight structure, one of several surviving commemorating a major Edinburgh event, with a historical association at a regional level.  However, the historical association is considered of regional interest and the arch is considered of regional interest and the arch is not considered to be of special architectural interest."

Which opens the way for a local business or donor to assist in sprucing up this striking and well loved  landmark.

NB Although part of the Meadows, the Jawbone is just outside the Southside and Newington ward.