A monumental barometer housing joined practical weather warning to a sculpted tribute to the perilous work of Dunbar’s fishing families.
Quick facts
- Date
- 1856; relief dated 1861; restored 1998 and 2012
- Architect / designer
- Commissioned by William Brodie; relief by Alexander Handyside Ritchie
- Type
- Harbour memorial and former public barometer housing
- Designation
- Listed building, Category B (LB24841)
- OS grid reference
- NT 68117 79137
Architecture, archaeology and continuing use
A tall painted ashlar block rises from a pedestal beside the basin. Its recessed relief shows a fisherman leaving his family, while carved shells, seaweed, sail and inscription frame the former barometer niche.
Its story
William Brodie promoted the monument in 1856 after seeing the value of a public harbour barometer. Alexander Handyside Ritchie supplied the relief, later weathered and recarved; community restoration renewed the work in 1998 and again in 2012.
Why it is included
The Category B monument is unusual for combining public art, commemoration, meteorological warning and the social history of a working harbour.
What to notice
- Family fishing scene in the recessed relief.
- Shell, seaweed and sail ornament.
- Empty niche once occupied by the working barometer.
Reading the surroundings
The monument stands beside an operational harbour basin. View from safe public ground, keep clear of gear and vehicles, do not climb or touch the relief and take extra care in wet or windy conditions.
Timeline
- 1856 William Brodie commissioned the monument and public barometer.
- 1861 Alexander Handyside Ritchie’s narrative relief was dated.
- 1998 The restored monument was rededicated after the relief had been renewed.
- 2012 Further specialist stone conservation repaired damaged panels.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The original barometer is missing, and parts of the relief are modern recarving rather than untouched nineteenth-century work.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Dunbar Fishermen’s Monument, LB24841 — Designation status, mapped location, date, fabric and architectural or archaeological interest.
- Dunbar Art Trail: Fishermen’s Monument — Current public-art interpretation, artists, restoration dates and harbour context.
- Dunbar History Society: Fishermen’s Monument — Independent local research on commissioning, purpose, sculptor and 1998 rededication.
Location
OS grid reference NT 68117 79137 · Location confidence: High: the national designation supplies an official mapped National Grid Reference; the independent source confirms the Place relationship, history or current identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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