Perth mercat cross is located on

King Edward Street King Edward Street is a street running between the High Street to the north and Oriel Square to the south in central Oxford, England. On the east side of the street is the "Island" site of Oriel College, one of the colleges of Oxford Uni ...

in the Scottish city of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

. Erected in 1913, in memory of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

, it stands immediately to the west of Perth City Hall, which was completed a year later, between it and

St John's Centre The St John's Centre is an indoor shopping centre in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The centre is surrounded by The Headrow to the south, Albion Street, Leeds, Albion Street to the west and Merrion Street to the north. The centre makes up t ...

. King Edward Street was created between 1901 and 1902. It is the fifth incarnation of the city's mercat crosses.

Previous versions

The site of the original mercat cross is not known. The second of the crosses stood near The Old Ship Inn on Perth's

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

, between Kirkgate and Skinnergate, during the 17th century. It replaced the original one on the same spot. A special stone in today's pavement marks its former location. The cross was removed in 1651 by the engineers of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

, during his occupation of the city, to provide material for his citadel at the northeastern corner of today's

South Inch South Inch is a large public park in Perth, Scotland. About in size,The South Inch, Perth< ...

. A third version of the cross was erected in 1669,''Perth: The Postcard Collection'', Jack Gillon (2020) after the restoration of Charles II. Since 1765, the top part of this cross, which was demolished, has stood in the grounds of

Fingask Castle Fingask Castle is a country house in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is perched above Rait, three miles (5 km) north-east of Errol, Perth and Kinross, Errol, in the Braes of the Carse, on the fringes of the Sidlaw Hills. Thus it overlook ...

. A fourth cross was the hub of the four routes of the

Perth Corporation Tramways Perth Corporation Tramways operated an electric tramway service in Perth, Scotland, between 1903 and 1929. Its headquarters were at 28 High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or vill ...

, but it was deemed to be an obstruction to street traffic, hence its removal. The design of today's cross is closely based on the original.Perth, South Inch, Cromwellian Citadel
- Canmore.org.uk''Perth, A City Again'', Duncan. J. (2012), p. 299

Design

The cross features the crests of thirteen town

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s, although none of them have any information attached to them.

Gallery

File:Perth mercat cross (c. 1913).jpg, The second of the two crosses that stood on High Street, today marked with an inlay in the brick surface File:St John's Shopping Centre 2024 2.jpg, Looking northwest to St John's Centre File:Perth mercat cross detail.jpg, Carving detail File:Mercat Cross (geograph 7105929).jpg, The top of a 17th-century incarnation of the cross, now located in the grounds of

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Perth, Scotland 1913 establishments in Scotland Monumental crosses in Scotland

Previous versions

Design

Gallery

See also

References