New quotes unveiled on the Parliament’s Canongate Wall

Earlier this year, over 5,000 public votes were cast from people all over Scotland who chose which works by previous Scots Makars Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie should feature.

The winning quotations were sent to Perthshire-based stone carver Gillian Forbes, assisted by apprentice Cameron Wallace, who carried out the letter-cutting process for the new quotes as well as many of the original ones already featured. 

In total 29 quotations now feature on the Canongate Wall from Scottish writers and thinkers as well as popular proverbs and poems which are letter-cut into stones sourced from across Scotland. The Wall was designed by artist Soraya Smithson which pays tribute to the design ideas of Holyrood lead architect Enric Miralles.   

The winning quotations are: 

Liz Lochhead

this
our one small country… 
our one, wondrous, spinning, dear green place. 
What shall we build of it, together 
in this our one small time and space? 

– from Grace, A Handsel, New & Collected Poems, 2012

Stone cut into Achnaba Schist from Lochgilphead. 

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Jackie Kay

Where do you come from?
'Here,' I said, 'Here. These parts.'

– from In my country, Darling: New & Selected Poems, 2007

Stone cut into Ailsa Craig Granite from Ayrshire.

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Kathleen Jamie

Be brave: 
by the weird-song in the dark you’ll find your way. 

– from The Storm, The Bonniest Companie, 2015

Stone cut into Dalbeattie Granite from Dumfriesshire.

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Presiding Officer Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP said:

“Adding new quotations onto one of Scotland’s most prominent public sculptures is a celebration of the talent and skill of women who are performing at the very top of their professions. 

“The inspirational words of our three poets – Liz Lochhead, Jackie Kay and Kathleen Jamie - combine with the skill of stone carver Gillian Forbes, making these quotes something of real beauty using stone from across Scotland.  This is only possible thanks to the original vision of Enric Miralles and artist Soraya Smithson, who designed the wall as a permanent reminder of our rich cultural heritage.

“I’m proud to unveil these new quotes, which ensure that this piece of living public sculpture reflects the writing talent we have in Scotland today.”   

Liz Lochhead, Makar from 2011 to 2016, said:

“It’s a big part of my life, being a Scot, being somebody who has a parliament, and getting some of my words on the walls here, it’s fantastic.”

Jackie Kay, Makar from 2016 to 2021, said: 

“It’s a huge honour and so extraordinary to be carved into stone.  It’s so strange to think of your words surviving you – but in a sense, that’s every writer’s dream.”

Kathleen Jamie, Makar from 2021 to 2024, said: 

“Poetry is very democratic. It’s available to anybody – through libraries, through memory. It’s free, and it’s absolutely of our culture.” 

Background

Watch Liz Lochhead talk about the inspiration behind the quotes

Watch Jackie Kay talk about the inspiration behind the quotes

Watch Kathleen Jamie talk about the inspiration behind the quotes

Watch stone carver Gillian Forbes talk about her work letter-cutting the quotes into stone

A brief history of the Canongate Wall

The Canongate Wall was designed by artist Soraya Smithson, at the invitation of architect Benedetta Tagliabue of EMBT, following the death of her fellow architect and husband Enric Miralles in July 2000.  The wall contains a range of Scottish stones, letter-cut by Gillian Forbes, Martin Reilly and Gardner Molloy with a variety of quotations.  The design pays tribute to the creative ideas and imagination of the Scottish Parliament's lead architect, Enric Miralles.

At the lower end of the wall is a townscape based around sketches by Enric Miralles of Edinburgh's Old Town, as viewed from the Balmoral Hotel.

The 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 an Art Steering Group, including previous MSPs – Jamie Stone, Kenneth Macintosh and Michael Russell.  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 SPCB agreed that two new quotations should be added to the Canongate Wall.  Public suggestions were invited via the Parliament website and via postcards distributed to book festivals and libraries across Scotland, and almost 300 suggestions were received.  A panel of MSPs and external experts, including a Scottish Poetry Library representative and the poet Douglas Dunn, met to consider these suggestions.  The panel selected two new quotations, one by Mary Brooksbank, the first woman to be represented on the Wall, and Norman MacCaig, bringing the total number of quotations to 26.

Learn more about the Canongate Wall, including the full list of quotations and images