Coastal Communities Museum
A volunteer led local museum in North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland

Winter Talks

We have a regular Winter Talks programme for Members and Patrons.

Our talks are held in the chapel area at St Andrew Blackadder Church, St Andrew Street, North Berwick EH39 4NU.

Drop in to talks welcome – £5 entrance donation. Doors open for 6.30pm for a 7pm start.

Interested in being a Member or Patron? Get in touch with Barbara Clark for free trial membership

including free admission to our next talk. You can be sure of a warm welcome.

A Toe in the Water, 27 January 2022

Photograph of Annie Scanlon with one of her collection of vintage swimsuits

Photo ©Judith Booth

A Toe in the Water

Annie Scanlon is a collector of historic costume based in Edinburgh, with a particular interest in twentieth century swimwear and accessories. Last night she took us through a fascinating and entertaining social history of her personal swimwear collection, from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day:

Annie has over 70 swimming costumes and 80 swimming caps and her collection is still growing. She is also a member of The Costume Society Scotland who organise talks and events from a variety of speakers on a wide range of subjects covering both current and historical costume and textile trends. The Society has also arranged visits to private and public costume collections.

Vintage woollen swimsuit
Vintage swimsuit from the 1960s

Photo © A Scanlon

Annie has donated pieces from her costume collection to the museum for exhibitions – her iconic Bay City Rollers’ trousers and a hand made dress to our Teenage Kicks exhibition in 2019 and more recently, dresses, swimsuits and accessories to our 2021 exhibition.


Judith BoothCoastal Communities Museum