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Events

Upcoming events

See our city and its most famous buildings in a new way, and meet the experts that make all the difference. We host events for our members throughout the year, and you’ll find information on the latest one here.

Lecture

POSTPONED: World Heritage Day with Loyd Grossman

Events

UPDATE: This event has been postponed.

Our annual World Heritage Day lecture sees a prominent figure from the heritage world delving into fascinating aspects of our city’s history or addressing contemporary challenges facing the sector.

This year is no exception, and we can expect a fascinating key note lecture from Loyd Grossman, former Chair of Heritage Alliance, in one of our city’s fine civic spaces.

Walking Tours

Ancient roots and fresh shoots

Events

This year, our two summer walking tours will take in the youngest and oldest buildings in the city centre.

Ancient roots: Interested to discover more about the remaining traces of our city’s Medieval beginnings and Reformation era developments? Join us for this early evening promenade up the Royal Mile where we will learn about Edinburgh’s early cityscape and architecture.

Fresh shoots: Hidden amongst 17th and 18th century tenements and Georgian townhouses, Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns World Heritage Site contains a number of important contemporary architectural additions. This new tour will shed light on some of the most striking and interesting post-war buildings in our city.

Both walks will culminate in a summer drinks reception.

6pm, Thursday 25 June & Thursday 23 July 2020. Tickets available soon.

Previous events

A  look at Edinburgh World Heritage’s events from the past year

Workshop (6 - 11 year-olds and families)

Wish you were here | Half-term at the Tron

Events

Join us at the Tron Kirk for fun, FREE, family-friendly art activities (6-11 years), perfect to shake up your February half-term.

Wish you were here?

How do you see Edinburgh? Throughout the day we’ll be exploring how the city has been portrayed in art over the years, and the sorts of stories these paintings tell. But what about you? Join us and tell your own story through fun, creative activities like art detective bingo and designing your own postcard.

DATE: Friday 14th February 2020

TIMES: Drop-in 12pm – 2pm (no booking required)

Find out more at www.ewh.org.uk/postcards.

These activities will be run by Edinburgh World Heritage and are part of the ATLAS project, which investigates sustainability best practice in the way we manage and care for urban World Heritage Sites. The project is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through Interreg Atlantic Area.

Lecture

"Edinburgh the Worst" - a humorous guide to worst place to visit (in times gone by)

Events

In this humorous guide to historical travel reviews and reports from the city, author Charles Maciejewski will share an overview of some of the less generous comments made by 17th, 18th and 19th century visitors. Collected over years of extensive research of historical journals and tourism guides, Maciejewski talks about his own views of Edinburgh, compared with the impressions of those who walked before him. In this amusing take on the travelogue genre, he promises that much has changed – mostly for the better!

6pm, Thursday 6 February 2020.

Reception

Christmas Celebration

Events

Every year we host our Christmas Party in a historic and unusual location which is either a past or present conservation project. Previous venues have included St. Cecilia’s Hall, 25 Learmonth Terrace and the Tron. 2019 was no exception – on Tuesday 10 December we were joined by supporters in the beautiful setting of the French Institute in West Parliament Square for a warm and fun seasonal celebration.

Book launch

66: The House that Viewed the World

Events

On Tuesday 26 November 2019 we were joined by author John Fulton for the launch of his new book. Set in 66 Queen Street, this publication tells the story of extraordinary people and events associated with the house for 210 years from 1790 whose lives were empowered by the Scottish Enlightenment. The story reflects how our modern world is shaped, with Edinburgh emerging from its medieval past to become an intellectual and prosperous capital city.

Social

Built to Last: Fundraising Gala Dinner

Events

This autumn, Edinburgh World Heritage celebrated the start of its 1,500th project in the city, as well as 20 years as an independent charity.

To mark the occasion, we held a fundraising gala dinner on Saturday 23rd November 2019, an opportunity to thank our friends and supporters for their commitment over the years, and, importantly, to raise funds for the next stage of our journey.

Lecture

"All in a Blaze": The story of African American Freedom-Fighters in Edinburgh

Events

Following on from her successful ‘Strike for Freedom’ exhibition on the anti-slavery author and freedom fighter Frederick Douglass at the National Library of Scotland, Professor Celeste-Marie Bernier shared her fascinating research on the history of nineteenth-century African American authors and activists in Edinburgh. Until now the stories and activities of this grass-roots movement have received little attention, and this unique lectured provide a fresh insight into this untold aspect of our city’s revolutionary and radical history.

Professor Bernier is Personal Chair in English Literature and Professor of United States and Atlantic Studies at the University of Edinburgh.

Lecture

Bridging the old and the new

Events

On 5 September 2019, Adam Wilkinson, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage shared a new lecture on the background and significance of the original North Bridge, the development of the first New Town, and some new finds from the archives.

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Tour

Architecture Tour – The Greek Revival

Events

On Thursday 18 July, we led our members and supporters on a tour of some of Edinburgh’s most important Greek Revival buildings, including a view inside the Old Royal High School. The evening culminated with a drinks reception at the newly-opened Playfair ensemble of buildings at the City Observatory.

Take a look at our Twitter page for an overview of the evening:

Tour

A fresh look at Edinburgh’s Monumental Sculpture

Events

The city’s monuments and public works of art mark Edinburgh out as a great capital city and are one of the reasons for our UNESCO World Heritage inscription. To celebrate the publication of Professor Ray McKenzie’s new book ‘Public Sculpture of Edinburgh’, on 12 June 2019 we led groups around a specially curated tour of our city’s most important sculptures.

EWH lecture

World Heritage Day lecture with Sir Tom Devine

Events

Scotland’s pre-eminent historian, Professor Sir Tom Devine, delivered the 2019 World Heritage Day lecture. Sir Tom explored the extraordinary success of late Victorian Edinburgh – as banking house to the British Empire, as patron of the arts and architecture, and as a city of considerable luxury and opulence.

The video of his talk can be viewed here:

World Heritage Day Lecture – Sir Tom Devine

This year's World Heritage Day lecture was delivered by Sir Tom Devine. Catch up on the lecture here.

Posted by Edinburgh World Heritage on Thursday, 18 April 2019

CPD training event

Future-proofing our heritage: the role of maintenance in mitigating the effects of climate change

Events

On Friday 15 March, Edinburgh World Heritage hosted a special half-day maintenance CPD event to explore the issues and solutions presented by the needs for regular maintenance of our historic building stock in the face of a changing climate.

EWH members' lecture

Adam Smith and Panmure House - saving an Edinburgh landmark

Events

In this sell-out members-only lecture on 28 February 2019, architect and former Director of Development at Panmure House, Chris Watkins, told the story of the building from the time of the Scottish Enlightenment to the present day.

Panmure House was the final residence of Adam Smith, who lived there from 1778 to 1790. This important 17th century Canongate house has recently been the subject of major conservation, adaptation and restoration work, partly funded by Edinburgh World Heritage, and has recently opened as a centre of learning for the Edinburgh Business School.

 

Christmas at the Tron

Events

Our supporters joined us for festive evening with drinks, nibbles and entertainment to celebrate a busy year.

Training session on fire

Events

On 2 November 2018 we held a CPD training session all about stonework. Members received discounted tickets.

 

The true cost of the New Town

Edinburgh and the Slave Trade

Events

On Thursday 25 October Edinburgh World Heritage presented a groundbreaking new lecture to celebrate Black History Month. Human rights activist and Professor Emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University, Sir Geoff Palmer O.B.E. exposed Edinburgh’s long and profitable relationship with slavery. This was a sold out event.

Find out more on our blog.

Gardens walking tours

Events

Edinburgh World Heritage members and supporters joined us on the July 5 and the September 13 for our special guided tours of the enchanting gardens of the Old and New Towns. Our guides lead groups off the beaten track to discover some of the less well-known gardens of the World Heritage site, which are part of our UNESCO World Heritage inscription. We also shared stories associated with these special places.

Each event finished with a garden party drinks reception, a perfect way to end an Edinburgh summer’s evening.

 

Training session on stonework

Events

On 19 June 2018, Edinburgh World Heritage ran a CPD training session all about stonework. There was a discount for members.

“It’s our heritage, too” workshop

Events

World Heritage skills workshop for 16-24 year-olds living in Edinburgh

As part of Scotland’s 2018 Year of Youth, Edinburgh World Heritage ran a workshop to share important heritage-related skills with young people from all backgrounds.

More details

“It’s our heritage, too” evening event

Events

Our city’s heritage through the eyes of young people

As part of Scotland’s 2018 Year of Young People, and to celebrate World Heritage Day, a group of young people from Edinburgh shared their vision for our World Heritage Site.

During the event, our young ambassadors

  • Told stories about the World Heritage Site
  • Showed a series of short films they produced specially for the day
  • Shared their hopes and aspirations for the future

After the event there was a reception where guests met our ambassadors

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