{"id":1159864,"date":"2026-08-20T19:45:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1159864\/"},"modified":"2026-08-20T19:45:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:45:19","slug":"licence-revoked-connery-memorial-could-be-delayed-by-statue-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1159864\/","title":{"rendered":"Licence revoked? Connery memorial could be delayed by statue ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

A planned memorial for Sean Connery<\/a> in Edinburgh could be delayed or even scrapped as the council says Dr No to new art installations.<\/p>\n

Last week, the City of Edinburgh Council approved a temporary ban<\/a> on public art projects in Princes Street Gardens in a drive to move new statues away from the city centre.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This will function as a \u201ctemporary moratorium\u201d until a \u201cstatue and memorialisation plan\u201d and wider Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy are signed off.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This will not affect ongoing projects such as the memorial for Muriel Spark<\/a> and a sculpture to commemorate those impacted by the Infected Blood Scandal<\/a>, but could force a rethink of plans for a memorial for legendary Edinburgh actor and original James Bond, Sir Sean Connery.<\/p>\n

\"SeanSir Sean Connery in 1976 \u00a9 Rob Mieremet \/ Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n

Council documents confirmed that the authority\u2019s Public Art Panel received a presentation from the Connery Foundation exploring the possibility of an installation prior to the institution of the moratorium.<\/p>\n

There is nothing, however, stopping the foundation from developing a memorial in Fountainbridge, where Connery grew up.<\/p>\n

The Sean Connery Foundation (SCF), established through Sir Sean Connery\u2019s estate, aims to honour the actor\u2019s legacy through grantmaking to institutions and organisations in the two countries he called home: Scotland and The Bahamas.<\/p>\n

The Connery Foundation invests primarily in film and golf, with a focus on supporting emerging Scottish talent and expanding opportunities for individuals to access and succeed within these industries.<\/p>\n

An Edinburgh statue would not be the first attempt to memorialise the \u201cSexiest man of the Century\u201d.<\/p>\n

In 2011, a large bronze bust of Connery \u2013 who died in 2020 \u2013 was unveiled in the Estonian capital of Talinn by the Talinn Scottish Club and the British ambassador to Estonia, Peter Carter.<\/p>\n

Princes Street Gardens is one of the capital\u2019s installation hotspots, with 21 statues and monuments standing in the gardens, and another two on the way.<\/p>\n

The concentration of memorials and statues in the city centre has led many to conclude that public art installations should be spread more evenly around the city.<\/p>\n

In a report for the Culture and Communities Committee last Thursday, council officers said: \u201cThere is a heavy concentration of monuments and memorials in the [Princes Street] gardens, and more proposals being received on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cStakeholders, including Edinburgh World Heritage, City Councillors and event organisers have recently expressed concerns about the siting of new permanent statues, monuments and artworks in the gardens, and provided suggestions for consideration for any future proposals.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cIt is recommended that Committee agrees a temporary moratorium on any future requests for locating new public art works in Princes Street Gardens, and that a statue and memorialisation plan with firm locational criteria to guide any new proposals is developed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Margaret Graham, moved to approve the report, and summed up her views: \u201cI\u2019m quite supportive of having a moratorium to see how much space there is left and how practical it is to continue to put statues just in Princes Street Gardens when we\u2019re trying to develop town centres and Edinburgh is expanding; there are so many wonderful parks around the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Sean Connery Foundation has been asked for comment.<\/p>\n

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