Illustrated talks on Scottish and Edinburgh history
Learn more about the fascinating history of Scotland and its capital at these illustrated talks.
This year for the first time the Edinburgh Festival Voluntary Guides are joining together with Museums & Galleries Edinburgh to bring you a series of 4 illustrated talks which will complement our highly-praised Royal Mile tours. They are given by expert speakers and will take place throughout the summer months.
Venue and booking
These new lectures will all take place at Lauriston Castle, Davidson's Mains, Edinburgh. They will start at 10.30am and will last approximately 1 hour. All the lecture mornings include a friendly lecture where you can meet our guest speaker, have a coffee and a sweet treat and also get a special tour of Lauriston Castle.
To book your place, please click on the link below the description of each talk and this will take you through to the Museums & Galleries Edinburgh webpage.
OR you can book directly by calling Lauriston Castle on 0131 336 2060.
Our summer 2023 talks
Duncan Napier – Tuesday 27th June at 10.30am
Join us for the tale of Duncan Napier who founded the well-known herbalist shop in Edinburgh in 1860. Near the end of his long and remarkable life, Duncan Napier (1831-1921) dictated some of his early memories to his sons Andrew and Duncan Jnr. These were recorded in two journals which are now in the possession of his great grand-daughter Lynda Melvin.
Duncan's story is one of real courage in adversity. His journals describe a very tough childhood. A chance encounter with an Edinburgh lawyer, the philanthropist John Hope, rescued him from a life of toil, poverty and despair. Thanks to John Hope, Duncan received an education; was introduced to Christianity and was persuaded to give up alcohol. Another stroke of luck introduced Duncan to herbalism and it is John Hope who helped him open his first shop. This illustrated talk will recount Duncan's struggles against the odds to succeed and in doing so, give a rare authentic working-class description of life in the overcrowded Old Town of Edinburgh. Renowned Edinburgh historian, Eric Melvin, is our speaker.
Book on the link below or by calling Lauriston Castle on 0131 336 2060.
Mary, Queen of Scots – Monday 10th July at 10.30am
On 10 July 1559, Henry II King of France died after a jousting accident. Standing by his bedside were his son the Dauphin Francis and his young bride Mary, Queen of Scots. Thus, at the age of just 15, Francis became King of France while Mary (aged 16) became Queen Consort. It looked as though the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France would become even stronger. But tragedy struck again when, in December 1560, the sickly Francis died and Mary took the fateful decision to return to Scotland – a country she had not seen since childhood.
Little did she know the challenges that lay ahead: a feuding nobility, an ambitious half-brother, and a religious revolution led by the fiery John Knox. This illustrated talk will chart the events that would ultimately lead to Mary's execution at Fotheringhay Castle in February 1587. Speaker: Eric Melvin.
Book on the link below or by calling Lauriston Castle on 0131 336 2060.
"The Cold Hand of Charity" – Tales from the Edinburgh Poorhouse – Tuesday 18th July at 10.30am
Taken entirely from contemporary accounts, this illustrated talk by Alastair MacDonald tells the extraordinary story of the Edinburgh City Poorhouse at Craiglockhart, which opened in 1870 as a model institution to replace the old insanitary and overcrowded Poorhouse at Greyfriars. Often moving, shocking and sometimes highly amusing, the tales still resonate today.
Book on the link below or by calling Lauriston Castle on 0131 336 2060.
Stars, Time and Mountains – The Legacy of the Amazing Charles Piazzi Smyth – Tuesday 22nd August at 10.30am
Professor Andy Lawrence (Regius Professor of Astronomy, University of Edinburgh) surveys the life of Charles Piazzi Smyth – second Astronomer Royal for Scotland, Victorian polymath and pioneer of mountain-top astronomy, time signals, stereo photography and much more. The talk will feature unique images from the archives of the Royal Observatory Edinburgh.
Book on the link below or by calling Lauriston Castle on 0131 3365 2060.