Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH) is an independent charity in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

established in 1999. It is tasked with conserving, enhancing and promoting Edinburgh's

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

" Old and

New Towns A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

of Edinburgh", which was designated in 1995. It was created through donations from the City of Edinburgh Council and

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland ( gd, Alba Aosmhor) was an executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage, and promoting its understanding and enjoyment ...

. The EWH has worked on over 1,500 projects across Edinburgh in the areas of conservation, learning, and planning. Some of these projects include restoring Edinburgh's historic graveyards, original street lighting, and monuments.

History

By the 1960s, parts of the New Town of Edinburgh were in poor condition and in risk of being demolished. In 1971, the Edinburgh New Town Conservation Committee was formed to give grants to home owners for repairs. In 1985, the Edinburgh Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal, later the Edinburgh Old Town Renewal Trust, was formed with an emphasis on stimulating social and economic regeneration. In 1999, the two organizations were merged.

Melville monument

In 2008, the

Melville Monument The Melville Monument is a large column in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland, constructed between 1821 and 1827 as a memorial to Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville. Dundas was a dominant figure in Scottish and British politics during much ...

in St Andrew Square was restored as part of the Twelve Monuments Project, a joint initiative of Edinburgh World Heritage and the City of Edinburgh Council. In August 2020, EWH were the Agents in a planning application to erect a plaque on the monument. The plaque was intended to honour victims of slavery whose enslavement was connected to

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, PC, FRSE (28 April 1742 – 28 May 1811), styled as Lord Melville from 1802, was the trusted lieutenant of British Prime Minister William Pitt and the most powerful politician in Scotland in the late 18t ...

. A descendant criticised the characterisation of Dundas as ‘biased’, ‘defamatory’ and ‘historically inaccurate’.Horne, M (2020)
Rewording of Henry Dundas plaque bad history...
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References

External links

Official website
1999 establishments in Scotland Charities based in Edinburgh Conservation in Scotland {{Edinburgh-stub