English: Nelson Monument view of National Monument Begun in 1822, Scotland's National Monument to the fallen in the Napoleonic Wars was to be a church designed by William Playfair and modelled on the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens. The pillars of Craigleith sandstone, each weighing between 10 and 15 tons and costing over £1,000, were to be paid for by public subscription. The donations dried up, however, and work had to be stopped in 1829, leaving behind an instant ruin which has become one of the most recognisable landmarks on the Edinburgh skyline.