Pensioners Theatre Outings in 2017

The Pensioners Theatre Group sub-committee has chosen the following shows from the Kings and Festival Theatre brochure for 2017.

• Thursday 2nd March - Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story
• Wednesday 8th March - Cuttin' A Rug by John Byrne
• Saturday 25th March - Casanova with the Northern Ballet
• Wednesday 19th April - Nell Gwynn by the English Touring Theatre

A letter has been sent by post or email to all those who have expressed interest in the Theatre Group activities. It details the shows, dates and prices and also includes a booking form to complete and return should you wish to attend any of these shows. Please note that the booking forms need to be returned by Friday 27th January.

If you did not receive these details and wish to be included in the Theatre Group mailings or need to update your email address, please contact our mailbox at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com.

Strollers Walk No.213 - Thursday 26th January 2017, Historic Walk from Lawnmarket to Parliament Square

In typical Strollers fashion we chose a cold but sunny day to have a tour of the High Street for our January walk. Preceding days had been quite mild but a difference of at least 10 degrees between Wednesday and Thursday meant it was a day to wrap up. 57 Strollers gathered at The Hub, which is a category A listed building. The Hub’s spire is the highest point in central Edinburgh, constructed between 1842 and 1845 as the Victoria Hall, to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland but never consecrated as a Church. In 1929 the Church of Scotland ceased to use the building and it became a temporary home for a variety of congregations. It was named the Highland Tolbooth St John’s Church in 1956, before falling into disuse in the 1980s. In 1999, the building was transformed into The Hub, the offices and a performance space for the Edinburgh International Festival. The spire on the Hub was also used by Playfair when he designed the Assembly Hall on the Mound to create an illusion from below that the spire was actually part of the assembly hall. This saved him a lot of money!
Moving over to Milnes Court one of the first open squares in old Edinburgh, designed and Built by Robert Mylne in the late 17th Century who was also involved in the upgrades to Holyrood Palace. The old buildings which formed the West side of the court were demolished in 1883. The North and South blocks were restored and the east range rebuilt by The University of Edinburgh between 1966 and 1970.
Continuing on down the High Street to James Court built between 1723-7 by a developer called James Brownhill. His plan was for a courtyard building of exclusive apartments, following the style Milne’s Court. Straight away it became one of the most fashionable addresses in Edinburgh, with an air of exclusivity in the same way as a gated community today. The residents formed a committee which organised assemblies and other social events. James Court even employed its own scavenger or dung collector, rather than rely on those paid by the council. We also heard about Deacon Brodie and Jekyll and Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson’s version of the events.
Crossing the Royal Mile we stopped off at the Heart of Midlothian, the statue of the Duke of Buccleuch, heard about George Heriot and the site of the Tolbooth. In the square behind St Giles we discovered we were actually standing on a cemetery before heading into Parliament Hall and the law courts. This beautiful building was originally built by Charles I to house the Scottish Parliament, which it did but only up 1707. Our host there, Karen (different one), took us on a tour of the cells which were used to house prisoners pointing out that they were also used for executions, showing us the cell used to house Burke the body stealer, the piano room also with a coffin and providing us with some colourful stories about the rooms.
A very good finish to the walk and it was interesting to watch the QC’s pacing up and down the Parliament Hall as they have done since it was built.
Our thanks again to our Guides Karen and Helen for all the work done for the walks and we’ll see them again in February for our walk round Leith.

Annual General Meeting - Friday 3rd February 2017, Edinburgh

Our Annual General Meeting was held in The Royal Overseas League, Princes Street Edinburgh on the afternoon of Friday 3rd February 2017. Almost 90 members attended  the brief business meeting then enjoyed some social time over an afternoon tea of sandwiches and other nibbles. Full details, including a Chairman's Report were sent out to all members by email or post on 29th December 2016. If you did not receive this, please contact our mailbox at sl.pensioners.association@gmail.com with a note of your name and post code, as perhaps you have changed your email address or your postal address.