Recent events
Scotland’s Stone Age: timeline of a revolution
John Rees 17th March 2025
This, our most recent presentation, focused on the distribution of settlements as well as the timing of the advent of the Neolithic which saw an agricultural, technical and cultural revolution.
Past Seasons
2024-2025 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
17-Mar-25: Scotland’s Stone Age: timeline of a revoution John Rees
17-Feb-25: Scots Women who chose to challenge Jackie Sangster
03-Feb-25: Bletchley Park revealed Derek Douglas
20-Jan-25: Rockville House, Merchiston (Redhall Quarry) Andy Arthur (image below)
06-Jan-25: The Coal mine in the sea – The Moat Pit at Culross Robert Yates & Donald Adamson
04-Dec-24: Robert Braid – Edwardian photographer Bruce Jamieson
18-Nov-24: 200 years of Scottish Firefighting: the Start Dave Farries
04-Nov-24: Honoured in Edinburgh – Beneficiaries of the Freedom of Edinburgh since 1459 Barclay Price
21-Oct-24: A History of Morningside 1800-1930 Bob Cunningham
07-Oct-24: Scotland Beneath the Surface – Mines and Tunnels Bruce Keith
2023-2024 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
18-Mar-24: Challenges to the Conservation of the designed Landscape of Newhailes Colin Wren
04-Mar-24: The Shetland Bus; where did it travel to? what was the Timetable? & who were the passengers? Kath Hay
19-Feb-24: The Galloway Hoard David Bartholomew
05-Feb-24: The Museum of Flight ‘work of the Conservators’ Thilo Burgel (image below)
15-Jan-24: Understanding Edinburgh’s Gravestones – their history, meaning, mystery and beauty Mark Hatton
04-Dec-23: Drovers and Drove Roads in South Scotland Willie Waugh
20-Nov-23: Disaster At Darien; Its devastating effect on Edinburgh and Scotland Bruce Jamieson
06-Nov-23: Are We Nearly There Yet? – The story of Milestones ’from the author of ‘Bridgescapes’ Bruce Keith
16-Oct-23: The Fresh Air of the Summer Morning- the story of Duncan Napier the Herbalist Eric Melvin
02-Oct-23:Chipping away at Hugh – the life and work of Cromarty-born Hugh Miller Kath Hay
2022-2023 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
20-Mar-23: The Gallipoli Camapaign of 1915/16 Dave Clarke
06-Mar-23: Tales from the City Poorhouse Alister Macdonald
20-Feb-23: 200 Years of the Union Canal Sandra Purves
06-Feb-23: The Pentland Rising of 1666 Dane Love
16-Jan-23: Ancestry Research Paul Nixon
05-Dec-22: Tales from the City Archives Ashleigh Thompson
21-Nov-22: Mary Somerville (1780-1872) – Queen of Scientists Ian Archibald
07-Nov-22: Reflections on the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition 1902 – 1904 Philip Stone
17-Oct-22: 66 Queen Street – The House that Viewed the World John Fulton
03-Oct-22: The Artists of Albany Street Barclay Price (image below)
2021-2022 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
21-Mar-22: A Family Life Revealed- the Stuarts at Traquair 1491-1875 Catherine Maxwell-Stewart and Margaret Fox
07-Mar-22: Bridgescapes – A Journey through Scotland’s Bridge Heritage Bruce Keith (image below)
21-Feb-22: Trams to Newhaven – Recent Archaeological Work John Lawson
07-Feb-22: The Restoration of the Corstorphine Astoria Cinema Organ Ian Anderson
17-Jan-22: Films of Local Life Bob Bell
06-Dec-21: Crannogs – Where, What, Why, When Alex Hale
15-Nov-21: Eric Melvin Malcolm Fergusson
01-Nov-21: The History of the Royal Scottish Zoological Society Darren McGarry
18-Oct-21: The Visit of George IV to Edinburgh in 1822 Eric Melvin
04-Oct-21: The Women Pilots of the Air Transprt Auxiliary – The Spitfire Girls Roy Johnstone
2020-2021 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
15-Mar-21: Edinburgh’s enlightenment Murray Pittock
01-Mar-21: The view from Arthurs Seat Stuart McHardy
15-Feb-21: Innerpeffray Library Lara Haggerty (image below)
01-Feb-21: Edinburgh’s biggest land grab Paul Cockburn
11-Jan-21: Maps and local history Craig Statham
07-Dec-20: Arja Gunderloch McIntyre – a Ghaelic poet, and much more Duncan Ban 16-Nov-20: From Armadillo to Zebra – Edinburgh’s encounters with exotic animals Barclay Price
02-Nov-20: Birth control policies in Scotland 1960-2000 Kristin Hay
19-Oct-20: Edinburgh’s legacy from the Slave Trade Geoffrey Palmer
2019-2020 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
02-Mar-20: Edinburgh Merchant John Clerk of Eldin and his influence on the Battle of Trafalgar Jim Tildesley
17-Feb-20: To Make and Save Money: Scots, Sugar and Slavery in 18th Century Jamaica Alastair Learmot
03-Feb-20: Defending Edinburgh Alan Kilpatrick
20-Jan-20: The Island of North Rona – Its History, Archaeology and Present George Geddes
06-Jan-20: Sir William Fraser Homes Liz Windle
06-Jan-20: Sir Adam Otterburn George Wyse
16-Dec-19: A Walk through History Friends of the Pentlands
02-Dec-19: Robert Sibbald and the Foundation of the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh Iain Milne
18-Nov-19: Turning a negative into a positive; the Work of the Buildings at Risk Register Simon Green
04-Nov-19: Supporting the Conservation of The Union Chain Bridge built 1820 near Berwick on Tweed Roland Paxton and Colin Stove
21-Oct-19: Kinneil House and Estate – Over 2,000 Years of Scotland’s History Ian Shearer
07-Oct-19: Surrender of the German Fleet in the Firth of Forth, November 1918 Andrew Kerr (image below)
2018-2019 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
04-Mar-19: Thoughts on Russia and the Russian Revolution John Gooding
18-Feb-19: Slateford, Longstone and Redhall in Bygone Days Bob Bell and George Wyse 04-Feb-19: The “Forgotten Man of Scottish Art” – The Life and Art of Charles H Mackie Pat Clark (image below)
21-Jan-19: Heraldry Peter Arter
07-Jan-19: Merchiston Castle School and World War I Nick Blair
17-Dec-18: A Child’s Christmas Lyn Stevens
03-Dec-18: The Edinburgh of John Kay Eric Melvin
19-Nov-18: A Line Through Edinburgh: Archaeological Investigations along the Tram Route John Lawson
05-Nov-18: Sex, Drugs and Windy Nights: R L Stevenson in Edinburgh Joyce Caplan 15-Oct-18: St Cecilia’s Hall and its Musical Collection Sarah Deters
01-Oct-18 Capital Brewing: the History of Brewing in Edinburgh John Martin
2017-2018 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
19-Mar-18: The Population of Edinburgh; the census online and how to use it Celia McIntyre
05-Mar-18: Robert Adam’s Edinburgh Riding Academy: New information on a lost building Anthony Shaw
19-Feb-18: A Brief History of Colinton Cottage Homes Alex Stewart
19-Feb-18: Research into a name on a bench in Colinton Andrew Paterson
05-Feb-18: United Deliberations; the Grand Match of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club at Linlithgow 1848 Charles Lees and Imogen Gibbon (image below)
15-Jan-18: Ae Fond Kiss; Robert Burns and Women Joyce Caplan
04-Dec-17: The History of the City Art Centre, Edinburgh and its Hidden Gems Helen Scott
20-Nov-17: Juniper Green’s Sir David Henry and the Curious Tale of a New Zealand Paper Mill David Finkelstein
06-Nov-17: 111 Places in Edinburgh Gillian Tait
16-Oct-17: Patrick Geddes and Edinburgh Russell Clegg
02-Oct-17 D’Arcy Thompson; Naturalist and Polymath Matthew Jarron
2016-2017 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
20-Mar-17: Sir Robert Lorimer and Colinton Simon Green
06-Mar-17: Disruption in a Penicuik Church, 1843 and all that James Waugh
20-Feb-17: Torphin Hill Golf Club Christopher Davies
20-Feb-17: The “Royal Charter: the Colinton Connection CLHS members
06-Feb-17: St Kilda & the Islands George Geddes
16-Jan-17: Revisiting the Georgian House, Edinburgh Sheonagh Martin
05-Dec-16: Unlocking the Union Canal Alan Forrester
21-Nov-16: World War I in the Lothians Alan Kilpatrick
07-Nov-16: Modelling Aspects of the Balerno Branch Line Alistair Dickson
17-Oct-16: Mavisbank and the Villas of the Esk James Simpson
03-Oct-16: Mary Somerville, 1780-1872, The Queen of Science Andrew Fergson (image below)
20215-2016 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
21-Mar-16: A Scottish Doctor in Russia John Gooding
07-Mar-16: A celebration of the architecture of Colinton before the First World War Simon Green
15-Feb-16: The Innocent Railway 1831-43 James Waugh
01-Feb-16: Archaeological Landscapes: the Present in the Past Alex Hale
18-Jan-16: The Portraits of Bonny Prince Charlie Bendor Grosvenor
16-Nov-15: We made a Poet: Colinton and Wilfrid Owen James Hamilton (image below)
02-Nov-15: lsie Inglis, an Edinburgh Doctor in the First World War Iain Macintyre
19-Oct-15: Lady Elizabeth Forbes and Colinton Jennifer Melville
05-Oct-15: Reconsidering Celtic Art: Scotland and Beyond Fraser Hunter
2014-2015 Season
DATE: TITLE SPEAKER
16-Mar-15: Another Look at Penicuik Robert Clerk
02-Mar-15: Colinton’s Lost Frontier Baberton Mains Researchers led by Liz Beevers
02-Feb-15: Robert Louis Stevenson at Home in Colinton and Edinburgh Penny Fielding
19-Jan-15: The Colinton Area: Looking at our Landscape Tim Lawson
05-Jan-15: The Story of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust Helen Brown
01-Dec-14: The Great Tapestry of Scotland Jan Young
17-Nov-14: Insanitary City: Henry Littlejohn and the Condition of Nineteenth-Century Edinburgh Richard Rodger (image below)
03-Nov-14: The Great War – How did it Start? A Scottish Perspective George Harris
20-Oct-14: Lord Hailes and the Scottish Enlightenment Mark McLean
06-Oct-14: Edinburgh and the Act of Union Eric Melvin
