A beautifully sculpted statue of the explorer Mungo Park by Thomas Clapperton adorns one end of the High Street in Selkirk, and one of his friend, Sir Walter Scott adorns the other. Mungo Park was born at Foulshiels, near Selkirk, one of 14 children. He qualified as a doctor and firstly joined an expedition to Sumatra while still in his early twenties. Many expeditions followed and he died tragically whilst attempting to discover the source of the Niger. His botanical and geographical observations were invaluable at a time when little was known of the African interior. Park was a totally unpretentious individual much admired by Sir Walter Scott.