200th anniversary celebrations of Sir Walter Scott's, The Lady of the Lake

The Lady of the Lake and Scotts enduring legacy

The summer dawns reflected hue
To purple changed Loch-Katrine blue
Mildly and soft the western breeze
Just kissed the lake, just stirred the trees

The birth of a literary classic

Sir Walter Scotts poem The Lady of the Lake has its 200 year anniversary in 2010. A publishing sensation of its day, the poem became a global bestseller. The legacy of the epic has spread far and wide - from an established Scottish tourist trail to the U.S presidential ceremonial march.

Sir Walter Scott, one of Edinburghs' most famous sons, was born in 1772 and spent his formative years between the capital and family in the Scottish Borders. Of his vast biography of work, his Waverley Novels including Rob Roy and Ivanhoe are perhaps his best known. It was however, his epic poem The Lady of the Lake, a best selling phenomenon, that first brought him to the attention of the wider world and secured his place in Scotland's literary history. Scott wrote the poem during a family holiday to the Trossachs in 1809. He made the area the setting for this famous story of the conflict between King James V and the Clan Douglas and detailed a landscape of mountains, glens and lochs previously unknown to the wider world. The epic was published in May 1810, to great public and critical acclaim and went on to sell over 25,000 copies in eight months, breaking all poetry sales records of the day.

The birth of Scottish tourism?

The poems setting and descriptions of the Scottish landscape helped create a new interest in the Trossachs and the surrounding area. The surge of tourism and visitors to the area following the success of the poem, became as sensational as the poem itself. Edgar Johnson, Scotts major biographer put the popularity in context: "The lake had formerly been visited by 50 or 60 carriages a year; within the first six months after the publication of The Lady of the Lake the numbers rose to 297..." It became more fashionable to see the Trossachs than to make the Grand Tour of Europe. To commemorate the publication, The Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park will be hosting Scottsland a full timetable of events highlighting the literary and artistic connections of the National Park between June and October 2010. Events include a literary and art trail around Loch Katrine, the lake that Scott centred the poem around, a traditional Scottish music event, the Trossachs Film Festival and guided walks and cruises.

American Presidential Connections

Hail to the chief who in triumph advances!
Honoured and blessed be the ever-green Pine!
Long may the tree, in his banner that glances,
Flourish the shelter and grace of our line!

The success of the Lady of the Lake spread Scotts fame throughout Europe and across to America. The influence and impact of the poem also spread just as far and wide. The poem was developed into a stage production which was performed in London, Edinburgh and Philadelphia. Music was written and chosen for the shows, one of the songs, Hail to the Chief featured the words from the section of the poem Scott called The Boat Song. The song was first used in an official capacity in 1815 to mark the end of the war and to commemorate the late George Washington. The first living president to be greeted with the song was Andrew Jackson in 1829. In 1954 the Department of Defence named Hail to the Chief as the official presidential march and tribute of the U.S President. The song has since been used to acknowledge the arrival of American presidents at official and formal occasions.

Commemorating Scott

Scotland has long honoured and commemorated the author. The Scott Monument takes pride of place on Edinburgh's famous Princes Street. At 200ft tall with 287 steps to the top, the viewing platforms boast incredible views of the city skyline, overlooking the Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle. The monument was officially opened in 1846, 14 years after Scotts death. The gothic monument is adorned with characters from Scotts novels and statues of 16 other Scottish poets. Abbotsford House in Melrose in the Scottish Borders was Scotts family home from 1812. The house was developed and extended by Scott from an original four room cottage to the imposing house it is today. A new visitor centre is proposed for the house to provide educational programmes and exhibitions to ensure that Scotts work and legacy endures for another 200 years and beyond.

The rebirth of a classic

To mark the bicentenary the Association of Scottish Literary Studies in connection with the National Park have published a new edition of The Lady of the Lake. The edition features new illustrations by Scottish artist Linda Farquharson. Professor Douglas Gifford, Honorary Librarian at Scotts former home Abbotsford House, wrote the introduction to the new edition and believes that, the time is right for Scotts great epic poems to be re-valued, as they light up so many periods and places of Scotland and Britain, and for The Lady of the Lake to be seen as the astonishing creation of its age.