The Scotsman Steps
- Website www.fruitmarket.co.uk/whats-on/…

Before they're anything else, the Scotsman Steps have been a handy shortcut from the north edge of the Old Town to the southern perimeter of the New Town, running as they do from the side of the Scotsman Hotel on North Bridge down to the south entrance of Waverley Station. By 2009 they had fallen into serious disrepair, but the Fruitmarket Gallery (with the support of generous private donors and some public money) commissioned artist Martin Creed to find a way of renewing them, and Creed's simple and elegant solution was to replace each of the 104 steps with a different piece of marble from 26 countries around the world with Italy providing 45 different types.
Nine other countries, not represented with a step or two, also have marble including Britain, Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Oman, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the United States of America.
The result – for all that it usually smells of either wee or disinfectant – is a genuinely beautiful and useful piece of public art.
Step | Marble | Country |
---|---|---|
0 | Black Forest Gold | Pakistan |
1 | Bianco Gioia | Italy |
2 | Pierre Bleu | Belgium |
3 | Picasso Green Light | India |
4 | Fior de Pesco Carnico | Italy |
5 | Rosso Alicante | Spain |
6 | Arabescato Cararra | Italy |
7 | Pietra del Cordoso | Italy |
8 | Crema Valencia | Spain |
9 | Lipica Unito | Slovenia |
10 | Calacatta Oro Vagli | Italy |
11 | Rosso Verona | Italy |
12 | Verde Jasmine | India |
13 | Giallo Siena | Italy |
14 | Brown Fossil | Morocco |
15 | Brecia Sarda | Italy |
16 | Nero Belgio | Belgium |
17 | Rosa Norvegia | Norway |
18 | Grafite | Iran |
19 | Giallo D'Oriente | Turkey |
20 | Grigio Tao | Tunisia |
21 | Rosso Daniel | Spain |
22 | Fior di Pesco Fantastico | Italy |
23 | Giallo Reale Rosata | Italy |
24 | Arabescato Rosso Orobico | Italy |
25 | Botticino Classico | Italy |
26 | Fossil Green | Turkey |
27 | Arancio di Selva | Italy |
28 | Caramel | Brazil |
29 | Breccia Aurora | Italy |
30 | Nero Portoro | Italy |
31 | Verde Giada | China |
32 | Rosa Flavia | Egypt |
33 | Crema Imperiale | France |
34 | Breccia Paradiso | Italy |
35 | Bardiglio Fiorito | Italy |
36 | Rosa Tea | Turkey |
37 | Emperador Dark | Spain |
38 | Azul Bahia | Brazil |
39 | Pinta Verde | Brazil |
40 | Nero Lakis | Greece |
41 | Giallo Silvia Oro Medio | Egypt |
42 | Calacatta Vagli | Italy |
43 | Irish Green | Ireland |
44 | Giallo Provenza | Morocco |
45 | Bianco Laser | Afghanistan |
46 | Grey Saint Laurent | Italy |
47 | Rosa Jasmine | India |
48 | Chocolate | China |
49 | Bianco Sivec | Macedonia |
50 | Pietra Ducale | Italy |
51 | Arabescato Grigio Orobico | Italy |
52 | Rosa Corallo | Italy |
53 | Fantasy Gold | India |
54 | Brecia Venezia | Italy |
55 | Lapislazuli | Bolivia |
56 | Playa Stone | Croatia |
57 | Ebano | Tunisia |
58 | Botticino Fiorito Dark | Italy |
59 | Verde Lemon | Greece |
60 | Nero Michaelangelo | Pakistan |
61 | Rosa Peralba | Italy |
62 | Pietra Orsera | Italy |
63 | Breccia Damacata | Italy |
64 | Verde Rolex | Greece |
65 | Picasso Gold | India |
66 | Grigio Carnico | Italy |
67 | Terrasanta | Italy |
68 | Roso Francia | France |
69 | Rosa Portogalo Dark | Portugal |
70 | Picasso Brown | India |
71 | Violita | Italy |
72 | Veselye Unito | Croatia |
73 | Bardiglio Nuvolato | Italy |
74 | Rosa Sabrina | Iran |
75 | Midas Gold | Turkey |
76 | Rosso Amaranto Darl | Italy |
77 | Repen | Italy |
78 | Verde Italia | Italy |
79 | Azul Cielo | Argentina |
80 | Giallo Daniel | Guatamala |
81 | Paonazzo | Italy |
82 | Lipica Fiorito | Slovenia |
83 | Rosso Lepanto | Turkey |
84 | Trani | Italy |
85 | Piasentina | Italy |
86 | Bianco Namibia | Namibia |
87 | Nero Marquinia | Spain |
88 | Sunset Gold | Lebanon |
89 | Verde Gressoney | Italy |
90 | Breccia Capraia | Italy |
91 | Verde Aquamarine | India |
92 | Rosso Levanto | Italy |
93 | Giallo Reale Giallo | Italy |
94 | Rosso Inferno | Italy |
95 | Fior di Crema | Bosnia Herzegovina |
96 | Picasso Green Dark | India |
97 | Giallo d'Istria | Croatia |
98 | Grigio Antracite | Italy |
99 | Verde Pavone | Iran |
100 | Rosso Asiago | Italy |
101 | Bianco Carrara C | Italy |
102 | Verde Guatamala | India |
103 | Silivia Oro | Egypt |
104 | Azul Macaubas | Brazil |
Text supplied by third party.
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