I see how Nashville succeeded where Edinburgh failed

Rising from a grassy mound to dominate the skyline is the world’s only exact-size replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, explaining the Music City’s alternative moniker of the ‘Athens of the South’. Unlike the one in my hometown of Edinburgh, the self-proclaimed ‘Athens of the North’, this one is complete, snagged and signed off, while the National Monument of Scotland, aka ‘Scotland's Folly’ and ‘Edinburgh's Disgrace’, remains long-unfinished business topping off Calton Hill.

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While Nashville’s parthenon was originally built for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition fair in 1897 and completed in 1925, our own replica Greek temple was started in 1826 as a monument to the soldiers and sailors killed in the Napoleonic Wars and when the cash ran out in 1829, it was left standing as it does now, apart from the occasional repair.

I’ve always loved ‘Edinburgh’s Folly’, symbol of ambition meeting reality and our make the best of things attitude, our willingness to embrace glory in defeat and revel in yet another romantic disaster. It chimes with our national character and attitude to everything from football to freedom. But was I jealous when I saw the Nashville version? Hell yeah!

You can’t help smiling when you see what our Folly might look like were it complete, its serried rows of columns punching upwards into muggy rainclouds that have gathered in the late afternoon heat to release welcome rain in tribute to its would-be twin dripping in the dreich of Auld Reekie thousands of miles away.

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And that’s not all, because once you’ve finished marvelling at the exterior, venture inside and be wowed by a 42ft gilded statue of Athena, like the one that originally stood in the Parthenon in Athens, complete with golden snakes, and surrounded by sculptures and artwork honouring Nashville’s local heroes from activists to musicians and athletes.

So how did Nashville succeed where Edinburgh failed?

It turns out the people paid. This was a problem in Scotland where plans to complete our National Monument foundered through lack of funds and enthusiasm. Not so in Nashville where the citizens coughed up to build a monument worthy of their city, so pleased with the plaster and wood version they built a permanent one.

Another reason Nashville pulled off their Parthenon is because they had the bright idea of crafting it out of concrete. Smart. Meanwhile in Edinburgh the fine-grade local Craigleith sandstone chosen, apart from being mighty pricey, was incredibly heavy - the foundation stone weighed six tonnes and some of the biggest took 12 horses and 70 men to heave them up the hill. No surprise that 12 columns in, everyone got tired and went home.

Or did they lean against the monument for a while to take in the magnificent views, the sun sinking down over the hills of Fife making the waves of the Forth glisten, pat their pockets and think about the future - after all there would be a parliament to pay for. And let’s not talk about the trams…

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