10 Pounds Sterling 2009. World Heritage Site, Kingdom of Great Britain
| in Banknotes Book | Number: SC348a |
| Years of issue: | 25.01.2009 |
| Edition: | |
| Signatures: | Chief Executive: Mr. David Thorburn |
| Serie: | Scotland |
| Specimen of: | 25.01.2009 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 143 x 75 |
| Printer: | TDLR (Thomas de la Rue & Company), London |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
The portrait of Robert Burns, the inkwell and feather pen of poet, denomination in numeral £10 and the cornerstones.
Avers:
On the banknote are shown:
On left and right sides - the cottage, birthplace of Robert Burns (windows of the house are also shown in the center of the bill).
To the right of center - a portrait of Robert Burns, hologram window with a portrait of the poet and several denominations in numerals 10, a string and an episode of the famous Burns poem "Tam o 'Shanter".
In the upper right corner is Scottish landscape - namely, the shore of river Doon, in the village of Alloway (the birthplace of the poet), where he, sitting on its bank, wrote his "Tam o 'Shanter".
Now more about everything:
The engraving on banknote is made after this first portrait of Robert Burns by Scottish painter Alexander Nasmyth, 1787. Today this painting is in Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
More about Robert Burns you can read here.
On right and left sides and, partially, centered is the Burns Cottage in Alloway - the birthplace of Robert Burns.
Robert Burns the first born of William Burnes's seven children spent the first seven years of his life here. William Burns (his father) feued this seven acre plot, which became the site of the cottage.
To the right, on top of the house, is Scottish landscape - the coast of River Doon, which flows into the Irish sea in Alloway, and sitting on the bank of which, Burns wrote his famous poem "Tam o 'Shanter".
More about this poem you can read here.
On right side is an excerpt of the poem "Tam o' Shanter", as well as the picture, depicting the witch, grabbed the mare's tail, just before the bridge Brig o 'Doon.
More about this excerpt you can read here..
Denominations in numeral and in words are centered, also in numerals in 3 corners.
Revers:
On the banknote is a collage of old and new parts of the city of Edinburgh (Cultural site Old and New Towns of Edinburgh), which have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in the UK in 1995.
Now more about this:
Centered is the old town in Edinburgh.
The Old Town (Scots: Auld Toun) is the name popularly given to the oldest part of Scotland's capital city of Edinburgh. The area has preserved much of its medieval street plan and many Reformation-era buildings. Together with the 18th-century New Town, it forms part of a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The "Royal Mile" is a name coined in the early XX century for the main artery of the Old Town which runs on a downwards slope from Edinburgh Castle to both Holyrood Palace and the ruined Holyrood Abbey. Narrow closes (alleyways), often no more than a few feet wide, lead steeply downhill to both north and south of the main spine which runs west to east.
Notable buildings in the Old Town include St. Giles' Cathedral, the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland, the National Museum of Scotland, the Old College of the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Parliament Building. The area has a number of underground vaults and hidden passages that are relics of previous phases of construction.
No part of the street is officially called The Royal Mile in terms of legal addresses. The actual street names (running west to east) are Castlehill, Lawnmarket, High Street, Canongate and Abbey Strand.
In addition to the Royal Mile, the Old Town may be divided into various areas, namely from west to east:
West Port, the old route out of Edinburgh to the west
Grassmarket, the area to the south-west
Edinburgh Castle
The Cowgate, the lower southern section of the town
Canongate, a name correctly applied to the whole eastern district
Holyrood, the area containing Holyrood Palace and Holyrood Abbey
Croft-An-Righ, a group of buildings north-east of Holyrood. 
Now more details about some of the objects in the old and new cities visible on the banknote:
1) Centered is The Edinburgh castle on Calton Hill. More about this castle you can read here.
2) On left side, right on collage border, is the St. Cuthbert's Church at 5 Lothian Rd.
The Parish Church of St Cuthbert is a parish church of the Church of Scotland now within the Presbytery of Edinburgh. The church building is situated east of Lothian Road in central Edinburgh at the western foot of the Castle Rock, at the west end of Princes Street, but set well below street level, unlike its more modern counterpart, St. John's, which screens the church in views from the north. The church is surrounded by its churchyard, which adds a valued green space in the city center, linking visually to Princes Street Gardens on its east side.
A chapel dedicated to St. Cuthbert is first mentioned in the VIII century. It is believed a church has definitely stood on the same site as currently used since 850 AD, making it Edinburgh's oldest building in terms of foundation. A mediaeval St. Cuthbert's church is mentioned in 1127 (possibly rededicated by St. Margaret). Early maps showing the church usually refer to it simply as West Church.
The parish boundaries of the church were somewhat eccentric, encompassing outlying villages such as Stockbridge and Canongate (originally a separate burgh distinct from Edinburgh) but oddly also taking in Edinburgh Castle (resulting in many soldier burials over the centuries). After the Scottish Reformation the long nave, with a staged tower in its south flank, became the "Little Kirk", and the choir was submerged in a mass of additions of which one – the Nisbet of Dean vault of 1692 – survives on the north side.
In 1754 a Chapel of Ease was proposed for the South side of the parish, and approved by the Kirk Session. This chapel was opened in 1756 and accommodated 1200 people, having cost £640 and 10 shillings to construct. It was later renamed Buccleuch Parish Church and is sited at 33 Chapel Street, not far from the Old College of the University of Edinburgh. The building was remodelled and extended in 1866. The church closed in 1969, and having been used by the University of Edinburgh for storage for 40 years it was sold to the Greek Orthodox Church and is due to reopen in 2015.
By 1772 St. Cuthbert's kirk was structurally dangerous, and in 1773-1775 (following a competition) the architect-builder James Weir, of Tollcross, built a preaching box with two tiers of galleries reached by stairs in the pedimented western projection.
Between 1787 and 1790 the ground to the north of the church was drained for an extension of the burial ground, and in 1789–1790 Alexander Stevens built the spire which he probably designed himself. By 1888 the church had become unsafe, and Hippolyte Blanc was appointed as architect to address the situation. He first proposed to recase it, but eventually a rebuild was decided upon, maintaining the general proportions but greatly increasing the size. The result, with a pair of Baroque towers flanking the domed apse at the east end, is best seen from the lower level of Princes Street Gardens. In 1893 the Kirk Session decided upon 'a general and harmonious scheme of scriptural subjects applying to the stained glass windows of the whole church', not often seen in Church of Scotland kirks. These were executed, again a departure for Presbyterianism, in early Renaissance tabernacle frames almost all from the same firm - "Ballantyne & Gardiner". The notable exception is the window depicting David going out to meet Goliath, which is by Tiffany Glass Company of New York City (after 1900), one of only two or three Tiffany windows in the UK.
The architecture and, especially the interior decoration of the current church building is very unusual in a Presbyterian Church, especially of this period. It is particularly ornate, reflecting the influence of the 'Scoto-catholic' movement and many influences more associated with Roman Catholicism and the ‘Tractarian’ movement within Anglicanism. As a result, the building proved very controversial in its initial period, occasioning comment in both national newspapers and at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
3) The clock tower on right side is The Balmoral hotel.
The Balmoral is a luxury five-star property and landmark in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located in the heart of the city at the east end of Princes Street, the main shopping street beneath the Edinburgh Castle rock, and the southern edge of the New Town.
Resulting from a competition in 1895, the hotel originally opened on 15 October 1902. It was designed by architect William Hamilton Beattie and for most of the twentieth century was known as the North British Station Hotel or simply the N.B., a traditional railway hotel built for the North British Railway Company adjacent to their Waverley Station. The North British kept the same name until 1988 when the hotel closed for a major refurbishment.
The building’s architecture is Victorian, influenced by the traditional Scottish baronial style. It was stripped of most of its ornamental stone balconies in its refurbishment, and while remaining ornate, is visibly "scarred".
On 12 June 1991 Sir Sean Connery officially re-opened the hotel as The Balmoral, Gaelic for "majestic dwelling", following a £23-million refurbishment. A plaque to commemorate the occasion appears in the hotel lobby beside the elevators.
Its traditional rival has always been the Caledonian Hotel at the west end of Princes Street; this was once the station hotel for the now-demolished Princes Street Station, on the Caledonian Railway.
The Balmoral is now part of Rocco Forte Hotels owned by Sir Rocco Forte.
Since 1902, the hotel's clock has been set three minutes fast to ensure that the people of Edinburgh wouldn't miss their trains. This is still the case today. The only day that the clock runs on time is on 31 December (Hogmanay) for the city’s New Year celebrations. The clock tower, at 190 feet (58 m.) high, forms a prominent landmark in Edinburgh's city center.
4) In front of Balmoral hotel is North bridge visible.
North Bridge is a road bridge and street in Edinburgh linking the High Street with Princes Street, and the New Town with the Old. The current bridge was built between 1894-1797. A previous North Bridge, built from 1763-1772, stood until 1896.
The current North Bridge is 525 feet (160 m.) long and has three spans of arched girders each 175 feet (53 m.) feet in length. It is 75 feet (23 m.) wide. It was constructed from 1894–1897 by "Sir William Arrol & Co.", the company also noted for construction of the Forth Bridge. The design of the ornamentation was by the City architect of the time, Robert Morham.
The foundation stone was laid on 25 May 1896 by the then Lord Provost (the Rt. Hon Andrew McDonald, with Masonic ceremonial. A medal was struck commemorating the opening of the bridge on 15 September 1897. The medal shows a view of the bridge with trains underneath and on the obverse a bust of the by then knighted Sir Andrew McDonald, Lord Provost.
Situated on the bridge is a war memorial, by sculptor William Birnie Rhind which memorialises soldiers of the King's Own Scottish Borderers killed in campaigns between 1878 and 1902.
At the southern end of the bridge (where it meets the Royal Mile and South Bridge, in the Edinburgh's Old Town) are substantial buildings whose main entrances are at carriageway level but which also have entrances in the valley below. Those on the west side are The Scotsman Hotel, former headquarters of The Scotsman newspaper, alongside a block of commercial premises and flats ("Royal Mile Mansions"). That on the east housed Patrick Thomson's department store from 1906 until 1976 when its then owner the House of Fraser rebranded it as Arnotts department store. The store closed in 1981 and the building was redeveloped as a hotel and smaller shops.
At the northern end of the bridge, where it meets Princes Street in the New Town, on the west side is the Balmoral Hotel, originally built as the North British Hotel, the North British Railway's hotel serving Waverley Station, which lies below. On the east side is Waverley Gate, originally the Edinburgh General Post Office, now serving as office space. .
5) Behind the North bridge, centered, is the obelisk, which is shown not in right place. Its real location is on Calton Hill, on old Calton cemetery.
The Political Martyrs Monument, located in the Old Calton Burial Ground on Calton Hill, Edinburgh, commemorates five political reformists from the late XVIII and early XIX centuries. It is a 90 ft. (27 meters) tall obelisk on a square-plan base plinth all constructed in ashlar sandstone blocks. As part of the Burial Ground it is Category A listed.
The monument is inscribed on one side with:
"To the memory of
Thomas Muir
Thomas Fyshe Palmer
William Skirving
Maurice Margarot
and
Joseph Gerrald
Erected by the Friends of Parliamentary Reform
In England and Scotland. 1844".
On another are two inscriptions from men commemorated on the monument—
"I have devoted myself to the cause of The People. It is a good cause—it shall ultimately prevail—it shall finally triumph. Speech of Thomas Muir in the Court of Judiciary on the 30th August 1793."
"I know that what has been done these two days will be Re-Judged. Speech of William Skirving in the Court of Judiciary on the 7th January, 1794."
In 1837 the Radical politician Joseph Hume MP initiated a plan to erect a monument to the five men. Hume chaired a London-based committee to raise public subscriptions in support of the monument and settled on its location being in Edinburgh. In that year the publisher William Tait of Edinburgh wrote on their behalf to the Lord Provost of Edinburgh requesting that land be made available on Calton Hill for this end.
The foundation stone was laid by Hume on 21 August 1844, with 3,000 people gathered for the occasion. The Old Calton Burial Ground, and other parts of Calton Hill, are home to a number of other monuments and memorials. The monument was designed by Thomas Hamilton, who is also responsible for a number of other structures on Calton Hill including the former Royal High School building and the memorial to Robert Burns.
In February 1852 Hume initiated the construction of a second Monument at Nunhead Cemetery in London. This monument stands at 33 ft. (10 m.) high.
The five men commemorated - two from Scotland and three from England, were imprisoned for campaigning for parliamentary reform under the influence of the ideals of the French Revolution. Specifically, their support of Palmer's 1793 address that advocated for universal suffrage and annual parliaments was considered incendiary. The five were accused of sedition in a series of trials in 1793 and 1794, and sentenced to terms of penal transportation in the British colony of New South Wales. All but Gerrald travelled together on the convict transport "Surprize"; Gerrald left later on the transport "Sovereign".
Only Palmer and Margarot served their full 14-year sentences and were released. Palmer remained in New South Wales and established a thriving beer-brewing operation near Sydney Cove; he died of a fever on a trading voyage back to England. Margarot departed the colony when his sentence expired, and was the only "Scottish Martyr" to return to the British Isles.
Muir escaped in early 1796, stowing away aboard an American ship and ultimately making his way to revolutionary France where he died on 26 January 1799. On 16 March 1796 Gerrald died in Port Jackson, from tuberculosis exacerbated by a weakness brought on by excessive drinking. Skirving died three days later from either dysentery or an overdose of laudanum. .
On left side and, a little, on right side are shown the New Town of Edinburgh.
In particular, left side shows the view from above, which could not be determined exactly, but it is very similar to the following two options:
1) Either this is Royal Circus, where is a famous hotel.
2) Or - the large ring is Moray place, and the small ring is Ainslie Place, where also located residential houses and a hotel.
The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It is often considered to be a masterpiece of city planning and, together with the Old Town, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of the original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its most famous street is Princes Street, facing Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town across the geographical depression of the former Nor Loch.
At the bottom is stylized cotton thistle, Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium), which for more then 500 years already is a national emblem and symbol of Scotland.
It is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Western Asia from the Iberian Peninsula east to Kazakhstan, and north to central Scandinavia, and widely naturalised elsewhere. It's a vigorous biennial plant with coarse, spiny leaves and conspicuous spiny-winged stems.
In general, some of the species of thistle is a true historic Scottish thistle, can not always determine even Scottish antiquarians as not necessarily that Scotland is home Onopordon Acanthium.
There is a strong opinion, that it is this kind of thistle was originally the emblem of the House of Stuart, and has become a national symbol, most likely thanks to an impressive appearance. Some experts call the candidate for a likely candidate other species, native of Scotland, for example Cirsium vulgare.
Denominations in numerals are in lower left and top right corners. Also, repeatedly, on background, on top.
Comments:
Prefix of commemorative banknotes is W/HS, which is an abbreviation of "World Heritage Site".
If you find my work useful I will be grateful for any help in supporting the site.
-
PayPal