A chance sighting on the BBC Antiques Roadshow inspired one of our volunteers, Judith Booth to find out more about Catherine Watson and her artistic background.

Join Annie Scanlon from the Costume Society, as she discusses the visit of George IV to Scotland in 1822. This was the first visit of a reigning monarch to Scotland in nearly two centuries, the last being by King Charles II for his Scottish coronation in 1651.

Lighthouse Lives is a film commissioned by the Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust and is the culmination of a nine year oral history project, in partnership with the School of Scottish Studies Archives.

Come and hear John Guy, a retired orthopaedic surgeon and a member of the Aircraft Preservation Society Scotland (APSS), describe how the society have taken on the challenge of building a replica of a World War One Sopwith Strutter, despite having no prior experience.

Come and join local historian Ailsa Fortune next Thursday 26 January for a fascinating talk about the life of Mary Wyndham, Countess of Wemyss.

Come and join us for a fascinating trip through the archives with Neil Fraser, the Public Services Manager at the Archives of Historic Environment Scotland, who will share lots of local material to for your research and enjoyment.

The rich heritage of Leith has many interesting stories to tell. Our speaker, Jim Scanlon MBE, was inspired by a book he picked up in the National Museum book shop about Andrew Duncan, the elder who was a physician and professor at Edinburgh University. He discovered Andrew Duncan’s love of golf playing on Leith Links along with other well known names of the 18th century.

Join us and Dr Sheonagh Martin, Visitor Services Manager at The Georgian House, to discover more about this fascinating Edinburgh landmark. Our AGM will take place before the talk, everybody is welcome to attend. The AGM is in St Andrew Blackadder Sanctuary (upstairs with a lift available). The talk will take place in St Andrew Blackadder Chapel area.

Tomorrow we welcome Libby Morris to talk about the work of ‘North Berwick in Bloom’, which began in the early 1990s.

Our Winter Talk this Thursday evening (24 February) is about the life and achievements of Catherine II, Russia’s longest ruling female leader, more commonly known as Catherine the Great. Local historian Bob Simpson will take us through key moments in the fascinating life of this controversial Empress of Russia.

Annie Scanlon is a collector of historic costume based in Edinburgh, with a particular interest in swimwear. She gave a fascinating and entertaining talk on the social history of swimwear in the twentieth century, with some fine examples from her personal collection.