Under the façade of the Canongate building is the Canongate Wall. The design for the Canongate Wall stones was by Sora Smithson and it incorporates a range of Scottish stones, carved by Gillian Forbes and Martin Reilly, set in large pre-cast concrete panels. At the lower end of the wall is a townscape based around a sketch by Enric Miralles of Edinburgh's Old Town as viewed from his room in the Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street in Edinburgh.
The 26 quotations, of relevance to Scotland and the Parliament, range from well-loved pieces of poetry to proverbs and psalms. There are quotations in English, Gaelic and Scots and many of Scotland's leading writers are represented.
The original 24 quotations were chosen from a selection of material made available to the Art Group, consisting of three MSPs, Jamie Stone, Kenneth Macintosh and Michael Russell, who were tasked by the SPCB to assist with the implementation of the first phase of the Art Strategy for Holyrood. The material considered included submissions from members of the public.
To mark the tenth anniversary of the Scottish Parliament and ten years of devolution, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body agreed that one or two new quotations should be added to the Canongate Wall. The panel selected two new quotations, bringing the total number of quotations on the Wall to 26. Learn more about the Canongate Wall competition and quotation selection process.
See a list of the 26 quotations on the Canongate Wall.