Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project

All Greatness Stands Firm in the Storm

Region ID

GW

Work ID

6

Manual Reference

AN/002

Title

All Greatness Stands Firm in the Storm

Sculptor

Finlay, Ian Hamilton

Date of design

1990

Year of unveiling

c.1990

Unveiling details

c.1990

Road

Clyde Street

Precise Location

On middle 2 eastern piers of former Caledonian Railway Bridge, in River Clyde between Glasgow (Jamaica Street) Bridge and the 'new' railway bridge

A to Z Ref

35 L16

OS Ref

Postcode

G1

Work is

Extant

Listing Status

Don't know

Duty of Care

Commissioned by

[Glasgow City Council (for Year of Culture 1990)]

Notes

The piers were built in 1878 as part of the first Caledonian Railway Bridge, erected by the Caledonian Railway Company. The piers are made of Dalbeattie granite founded on cast iron cylinders sunk into the river bed. They supported the bridge deck, which carried four tracks and was of wrought iron construction. The tracks and girders were removed in 1966-7 (2)

The English translation is a rewording, after Heidegger, of a line from the sixth book of Plato's 'Republic'. It has been suggested thst a more accurate translation of the Greek would be 'all great things are precarious'

circa

c.

raw year

1990

Condition

Good

At risk

No known risk

Inscriptions

On the east side of each pier: ALL GREATNESS / STANDS FIRM IN / THE STORM The above is also inscribed in Greek, on the north pier below the English inscription, on the south pier above the English

Signatures

Elements

Element Details

Part of work

Material

Dimensions

Piers

Dalbeattie granite

Assessment of Condition

Surface Character

Detail

Comment

No damage

Structural Condition

Structural Condition

Comment

None

Vandalism

Vandalism

Comment

None