ABOUT THE EVENT

Mr Ken Swinton will give a lecture & Q&A about his book, ‘St Bernard’s Crescent: A History hosted’ by RSC Member Graham Ogilvy, Managing Editor at Scottish Legal News.

St Bernard’s Crescent is one of the most impressive Georgian terraces in Edinburgh, overlooking leafy central gardens. This book focuses on the lives of residents behind the grand facades, conceived by Sir Henry Raeburn, the pre-eminent portrait painter in Scotland of his era, from the first occupants in the 1820s to those living there at the commencement of the First World War in 1914.

By degrees, biography, genealogy, history and storytelling, the book offers glimpses into the more memorable and colourful residents who provided a rich tapestry of life in this iconic street. A sense is developed of the roles played by Scots in the burgeoning British Empire.

Organised thematically, the book contains numerous colour illustrations and is divided into eight chapters, each with an introductory essay providing a framework for over 100 individual biographies.

Maintaining station in life, a Georgian preoccupation, extravagant expenditure and ill-judged investment decisions all led to financial failures.

Scots abroad are considered, particularly in the Caribbean, with its slave plantations, and in India. The financial rewards and generous pensions of the East India Company permitted returning sojourners from India a comfortable life in the Crescent.

The Disruption of 1843 in the Church of Scotland played out in the lives of several residents.

The Crescent evolved from a fashionable address to a vibrant creative hub with authors working in a range of genres, architects, engineers and generations of artists. 

Whether you are a local resident, history buff, or simply captivated by Edinburgh’s New Town, this book is a must-read.

Read the Scottish Legal News interview with Ken Swinton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Retired solicitor Ken Swinton has assiduously researched the history and life stories of the owners of an Edinburgh New Town crescent to produce a fascinating picture of life in late Georgian Edinburgh.

Ken, the editor of Scottish Law Gazette, and his wife bought an apartment in St Bernard’s Crescent, in Stockbridge in 2016 and split their time between Edinburgh and their principal home in Broughty Ferry. 

That purchase provided the impetus to research who had lived in the elegant townhouses which were built two centuries ago according to designs approved by the well-known portrait painter, Sir Henry Raeburn. 

The result of his research was the publication of a History of St Bernard’s Crescent last year which includes over 100 biographies of some of the more celebrated residents.

ABOUT THE HOST

Graham Ogilvy is a journalist, author and publisher. His company publishes a series of daily business to business online newsletters for Scotland’s lawyers, accountants, construction and housing sectors.

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