In 1848 the iconic Trinity Collegiate Church was demolished to make way for what is now Platform 2 of Waverley Station. The stones were left on Calton Hill for over 20 years while a heated and sometime farcical debate ensued between the Edinburgh Council and supporters of the church as to what should be done with them. In the latter camp were Henry Cockburn, John Ruskin and Robert Fleming- Gourlay. In 1870 the church was rebuilt with the remaining stones on Chalmers Close, where it remains today. During that time stones were removed to sites all over the city. Jill’s project, funded by OEC, is to find and catalogue these stones and to tell their fascinating story. It is a story which brings into sharp focus issues of heritage values versus progress which affect us in Edinburgh today.
Jill Harrison, lecturer in Art History and Research Associate, Open University, founded the Trinity Network in 2018 with the aim of studying all aspects of the Trinity Apse in Edinburgh now located on Chalmers Close. In order to secure an appropriate future for this iconic building, they have forged connections with a number of Edinburgh stakeholders: Morningside Heritage Association, Old Edinburgh Club, Edinburgh Museums and Galleries, Dorothy Dunnett Society, Friends of Calton Hill, the Crannie Community Hub, Historic Environment Scotland, Grassmarket Residents Association, the Cockburn Society, Heriot Watt University and Edinburgh University. They have mounted lectures and Open Days in the Apse, and are currently editing a book on the Trinity Apse to be published in 2025. Jill Harrison is the recipient of an OEC Jean Guild Award for a 2- year project to produce a survey of all the Trinity stones dispersed over Edinburgh following the demolition of the building in 1848.
Edinburgh is 900 Years Old!
In 1124 King David I introduced a new system of local government into Scotland by creating royal burghs as part of his efforts to reform the nation’s economic and political structures.
Edinburgh was one of his first royal burghs, along with Berwick, Dunfermline, Roxburgh and Stirling.
While there is no surviving founding Edinburgh charter, an 1127 Dunfermline Abbey royal charter refers to ‘my burgh of Edinburgh’. In 1128, Canongate Burgh was created for Holyrood Abbey.
After the Reformation, Edinburgh spent considerable effort acquiring the former abbey’s lands over the following 200 years. It acquired Canongate then created a new burgh for South Leith in 1636. The burghs of Broughton, Calton and Portsburgh were also acquired and run by Edinburgh. This complex system of governance was abolished in 1856 when all burghs under the management of Edinburgh were merged into a single burgh.
In 1833, Portobello and Leith were made independent parliamentary burghs under the Burgh Reform Act. They ran their own affairs until amalgamated into an expanded Edinburgh in 1896 and 1920, respectively. 1975 saw the last expansion of the city’s boundaries, including Queensferry, which had been made a royal burgh in 1636.
Edinburgh has selected 2024 to mark the start of the 900th anniversary of our city, and to tell the story of Edinburgh’s journey through the centuries from the 12th century City of David right up to the 21st century, the City of Diversity. Our talks at the City Art Centre will celebrate the 10 themes and will span a period of summer 2024 until August 2025.
Reviving the Trinity Stones: A Puzzle and a Treasure Hunt