TIME & LOCATION
Date and time: Monday, 17th Feb 2025, 7 – 8:30 PM
Location: The Hepburn Suite, 29 Abercromby Place, Edinburgh EH3 6QE
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.
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