What’s On

Photography From a Different Perspective | John B Maher | 29 March – 7 April 2024, 10.30am-4.30pm

John B Maher will be exhibiting a fascinating collection of photographs in Thomson’s Tower at Dr Neil’s Garden.

*CANCELLED* Winter Talks: The Rise of Rhubarb | 7 March 2024

Our Winter Talk on The Rise of Rhubarb scheduled for this Thursday 7 March, unfortunately has had to be cancelled due to ill health.

The next Winter Talk will take place on Thursday 4 April 2024 at 7.30pm in the Miller Hall (Cafe).
The talk is titled ‘Dr Elsie Inglis‘ The woman who wouldn’t sit still! Eliza Maud “Elsie” Inglis (1864 – 1917) was a Scottish medical doctor, surgeon, teacher, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals.

Our Winter Talks are free, but a donation to Dr Neil’s Garden woud be welcomed.
The Winter Talks take place on the first Thursday of the month until April 2024 (with the exception of January) Find out more

Why not become a ‘Friend of the Garden’ for only £15 per annum? As a Friend of the Garden, you will be supporting the maintenance and future development of this extraordinary garden.
Application form is available from Barbara Anderson, please email banderson456@hotmail.co.uk

Winter Talks Programme | October 2023 to April 2024

Millar Hall (Cafe) at Duddingston Kirk Garden, 7.30pm – 8.30pm

We now have the list of next season’s Winter Talks which will take place on the first Thursday of the month from 5th October 2023 – April 2024 (with the exception of January); refreshments afterwards.

The talks are free, but a donation to the Dr Neil’s Garden would be welcomed.

Take a look the exciting and varied list of topics below – be sure mark the dates in your diary...

Thursday 5 Oct 2023
Jewels of the Forth  | Ian Archibald
The Firth of Forth has been for centuries one of the major gateways to Edinburgh and Scotland from Scandinavia and the Baltic. This presentation shines a spotlight on the deserted islands of the Forth. All within viewing distance of the land, many of these abandoned islands are home to tales that deserve to be better known.

Thursday 2 Nov 2023
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Road to Swanston and the Pentland Hills | Mike Lewis
This talk describes the route that Robert Louis Stevenson reputedly took from Edinburgh’s New Town to Swanston and the Pentlands.   

Thursday 7 Dec 2023
The Falklands War 1982 – A Fighting Royal Marine’s Perspective  | Brigadier Iain Gardener
Ian Gardiner was a rifle company commander in 45 Commando and he ‘yomped’ with his Marines across East Falkland and captured the Two Sisters mountain in a furious night battle. He will explain many of the wider aspects of the war as well what it was like to take men into battle in this most challenging of environments.

Thursday 1 Feb 2024
The Great Tapestry of Scotland  | Dorie Wilkie
Dorie was the stitcher coordinator. She took on the huge job of recruiting and organising one thousand stitchers – making the tapestry one of the world’s largest community arts projects.

Thursday 7 Mar 2024
The Rise of Rhubarb  | Kath Hay
The introduction of rhubarb into Edinburgh by Sir Alexander Dick and links to the arrival of the printing press. Dr Neil’s Garden has an interesting connection to this story.

Thursday 4 Apr 2024
Dr Elsie Inglis  | Lesley Orr
The woman who wouldn’t sit still! Eliza Maud “Elsie” Inglis (1864 – 1917) was a Scottish medical doctor, surgeon, teacher, suffragist, and founder of the Scottish Women’s Hospitals.

Why not become a ‘Friend of the Garden’ for only £15 per annum? As a Friend of the Garden, you will be supporting the maintenance and future development of this extraordinary garden.

Application form is available from Barbara Anderson, please email banderson456@hotmail.co.uk 

Exhibitions in Thompson’s Tower

Last Spring and Summer was our most successful year so far for exhibitions in the Upper Chamber of the Tower. I hope you were able to get along to some of these. It kicked off with our Artist in Residence, Brigid Collins completing her year as Artist in Residence with an exhibition which was a fantastic opportunity to see and buy the work that the garden had inspired during her year.

Some very exciting ‘Breaking News’. We have been fortunate in securing a grant to carry out necessary maintenance to the Thomson Tower. This grant will allow specialist treatment to the walls. It will not only protect the Tower but improve the look both externally and internally. We are thrilled, and very grateful to FCC Communities Foundation for this. We will keep you informed of our progress.

All the artists have found the Tower to be the most idyllic exhibition space. Whether professional artists or amateurs exhibiting for the first time, all have only had positive things to say about their experience. If you, or anyone you know, would like more details of hiring the Tower for an exhibition please contact Barbara Anderson at banderson456@hotmail.co.uk

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