Five Unicorn emblems to be found around Scotland

The Mason's Pillars do not provide the only depictions of unicorns in Scotland's capital, and despite being among the lesser known, are arguably the most interesting.

The Mason's Pillars were erected on two sides of The Meadows parkland in conjunction with the Edinburgh International Exhibition of 1886. A third set at the east end of The Meadows were installed a few years earlier in 1881 as a gift to the city from Nelsons Printers.

The shafts of the pillars at the west entrance of Melville Drive are built up with cube stones cut with the names from the various quarries which have served the Edinburgh region over the centuries. Due to decades of weathering, the durability of each type of stone can be compared with the naked eye.

There are three pairs of pillars in total, each topped by a unicorn rampant, save the 1881 pillars at the east entrance to Melville Drive which feature a unicorn and its famous adversary, the lion.

In 2001, as part of a wider project to restore the interiors of Stirling Castle, Historic Scotland was commissioned to recreate a set of tapestries depicting “the historie of the unicorne”.

It had been recorded in royal inventories that when King James V built the palace in the 16th century he owned over 100 tapestries, none of which have survived save for two small fragments.

Despite having very little to go by, a team of 18 weavers from across the globe were enlisted to stitch the seven tapestries required to complete the project entitled “The Mystic Hunt Of The Unicorn”. The final tapestry was finished in 2015 and the series revealed to the public.

Located in the centre of Springburn Park off Balgrayhill Road, is a lonely-looking unicorn perched atop an ornamental column. It marks the remains of a terracotta fountain constructed by the Doulton company in 1912. The fountain originally stood at nearby Balgray Recreation Grounds.

The fountain was dismantled when the Recreation Ground closed around 1970. Only the unicorn and its column survived, and both were relocated to Springburn Park. The unicorn's horn is made of bronze rather than terracotta, the latter deemed to be too brittle for an object so thin and delicate.

Perhaps the most famous unicorn to be found anywhere in Tayside is that of the HMS Unicorn, a preserved sailing frigate. Launched in 1824, the Unicorn is Scotland's only surviving example of a wooden warship and the sixth oldest ship in the world. She has called Dundee home since 1873, and now serves as a tourist attraction.

The historic ship's iconic unicorn figurehead is its most striking decorative feature.

A unicorn statue stands proud atop the Mercat Cross of all seven of Scotland's major cities, and several of its towns spread far and wide. The Mercat Crosses in the centre of Dunfermline, Jedburgh, Melrose, Culross, Crail and Cupar all feature a unicorn at their zenith.