New home for Edinburgh Stone

Dunedin (Wednesday, 19 April 2017) – The city’s Edinburgh Stone has moved upriver to a new home.

The Edinburgh Stone has been relocated to the steps on the western bank of the Water of Leith, opposite the University of Otago’s Clocktower. The move was prompted by a request from the Dunedin-Edinburgh Sister City Society, which worked with the University to select a site.

Chair of the Dunedin-Edinburgh Sister City Society Bruce Nicholson says, “We are thrilled with the new prominent location of the Edinburgh Stone beside the Water of Leith displaying our strong ties with our sister city Edinburgh. Two cities different on the surface, but united and rock solid.”

The Dunedin City Council organised the moving of the stone and will be responsible for its maintenance. The move cost around $20,000.

Dunedin Public Art Gallery Director Cam McCracken, who had a liaison role in organising the move, says, “We’re delighted with the new location for this art work. The site is one of the most iconic in Dunedin and so is a fitting place to celebrate our special relationship with Edinburgh.”

The Water of Leith has been widened and beautified along its path through the campus, and the area opposite the Clocktower has been landscaped recently.

University of Otago Property Services Division Director Barry MacKay says, “The University is pleased to have the opportunity to provide a new home for this commemorative stone, particularly because we have such strong links to Scotland.”

Members of the Free Church of Scotland – Thomas Burns and James Macandrew – lobbied for the endowment of land for the University, which followed the Scottish model when it was founded in 1869.

A simple ceremony will be held on Thursday to mark the relocation.

The DCC’s Community Advisor Arts Cara Paterson says, “This art work celebrates the sister city relationship. The new site makes a fitting connection back to the Water of Leith that our sister cities share.”

The Edinburgh Stone’s distinctive shape was formed from Aberdeenshire granite rock by Sylvia Stewart in 2007. The Stone was gifted to the city and placed between the Forsyth Barr Stadium and the Water of Leith in November 2011.

A sister piece named Ōwheo, made from a basalt volcanic magma rock lifted from the Water of Leith in 1999, sits on the Edinburgh waterfront. Ms Stewart worked with Kāi Tahu to select the Dunedin rock, and it was blessed before being removed from the stream.

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