Sir John Steell

1804 - 1891

Sculptor. Although born in Aberdeen, Steell moved to Edinburgh at a young age. He was appointed Queen Victoria's Sculptor in Scotland in 1844, and created many of the public statues in Edinburgh. These include the equestrian statues of the Duke of Wellington outside Register House, which was dubbed 'the Iron Duke in bronze by Steell', Alexander and Bucephalus in front of the City Chambers, together with the statue of Sir Walter Scott at the centre of the Scott Monument.

He was knighted in 1876, after the unveiling of his Prince Albert Memorial in the middle of Edinburgh's Charlotte Square.

Steell is buried in the Old Calton Cemetery (Edinburgh).

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©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.