In the heart of Scotland’s newest city, the Heritage Quarter of Dunfermline is an area which is rich with history. It has many gems including Dunfermline Palace and Abbey, Abbot House, Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries and the Andrew Carnegie Birthplace Museum.
Abbot House is a beautiful ‘A’ listed building. It is Dunfermline’s oldest house and is steeped in a rich heritage, dating back to at least the 16th century. Throughout this time, it has stood strong through the destruction of The Great Fire of 1624, national and international wars, and religious unrest.
Behind Abbot House and you will find a Unicorn Statue. The Unicorn is of course the national animal of Scotland! This mystical beast represents both purity and innocence, power and ferocity, and was adopted as the national animal of Scotland in the 1300s.
Close to the Unicorn in the gardens of Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries you will meet two famous characters created by Robert Burns - Tam O’ Shanter and Souter Johnnie - sitting together enjoying the view. Tam was carved by sculptor Robert Forrest in 1823 closely followed by fellow Robert Burns character Souter Johnnie.
They were all part of a four-statue group known as the Stone Men of Saline and had been in a garden in Kirklands House in Saline since the 19th century. The group was purchased in 2010 and Tam O'Shanter and Souter Johnnie were installed at the DCLG garden in 2017.
The statues are located in the gardens beside Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries.
