Recent events
Scotland’s Stone Age: timeline of a revolution
John Rees 17th March 2025
Our last presentation of the 2024-2025 season 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
