THE great-great-grandson of Leo Tolstoy flew into Scotland yesterday to pay homage to Sir Walter Scott.

Vladimir Tolstoy, 36, inspected the recently renovated Scott Monument in Edinburgh, as the final wraps came off the spire after almost two years and #2.5m of restoration work.

He said without the inspiration of Scott's writing genius his famous ancestor might never have penned War and Peace. Mr Tolstoy, who is the director of the Leo Tolstoy Museum and president of the Russian Museums' Association, said his great-great grandfather drew great inspiration from Scott's novels, particularly Waverley, Ivanhoe, and Rob Roy.

He said: ''Walter Scott is thought by many people to be the man who invented the historical novel, and he had many others following in his footsteps.

''In the library of the Tolstoy Museum in Russia there are many of Scott's books, including some early editions.''

Mr Tolstoy said some of Scott's books in the museum's library had comments written by Leo Tolstoy beside the text - but he would not reveal what they said.

The 36-year-old Moscow University graduate was invited to the capital by Edinburgh-based art group Dom to unveil its gallery in the Royal Mile's oldest building in Advocates' Close.

The Dom Gallery, in the Royal Mile, has aspirations to become a focal point for artists, writers and sculptors from across Europe.

But Mr Tolstoy could not resist visiting the monument while in the city.

He is the director of the Tolstoy Museum in Yasnaya Polyana, near Moscow, where Leo Tolstoy was born and lived for most of his life.