The next EVT Zoom talk will be on Thursday evening, 5th of February Starting at 7.30pm

Diane Martin will talk about: The Story of Newhailes House

Diane has been at Newhailes for seven years and will tell the story of the house and estate, taking you through seven generations of the family who once owned Newhailes – what each one did to create the house and estate we see today.

With a degree in Medieval European History Diane has done extensive research on the site, house, and family. Her contributions to the guidebook, newsletters, and social media (as well as internal projects) inform the regular and specialised tours of the house.

The talk is open to everyone and is free.

To register for this Zoom talk just click on the Zoom link here, enter your email address and you will be sent a Zoom link to join the talk:

Watch the recording of David Caldwell’s talk on The Battle of Pinkie (1547)

Learn about the last battle between the independent Kingdoms of England and Scotland.

David Caldwell presented his talk on The Battle of Pinkie, 1547 on September 4 2025.

This battle was of considerable importance in shaping the future development of Britain. It has been much studied by military historians but should also be better known and understood more widely, especially those living in the area where the battle and campaigning took place. It is remarkably well documented in early sources, including illustrations made by participants.

David is now retired from his career in the National Musuem of Scotland, latterly as Keeper of Archeology and Keeper of Scotland and Europe. Most of his research interests focussed on Medieval and Post-Medieval Scotland. Since retiring he has taken on various roles including the chairmanship of OnFife, the presidency of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and serving as a board member of the National Trust for Scotland.

In 2023 he co-authored, with Vicky Oleksy and Bess Rhodes, a detailed study of the battle (The Battle of Pinkie, 1547. The Last Battle Between the Independent Kingdoms of Scotland and England; Oxford: Oxbow, 2023).

The watch the recording of David’s talk click here.

George Forrest – a Scottish plant collector in China

Watch the video of Leonie Paterson’s talk about George Forrest – a Scottish plant collector in China (Presented on 19 June 2025)

George Forrest (1873-1932), although born in Falkirk and educated in Kilmarnock, made the area around the Esk Valley to the south of Edinburgh his home once he became an adult. It is not, however, in the Esk Valley that he made his name. In 1904, through his connections to the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Forrest was given the opportunity to travel to the province of Yunnan in southwest China to collect plants and seeds on behalf of nurseries and estate owners, becoming one of the most successful and prolific collectors to do so. It is likely that most of our gardens will contain plants that have had something to do with George Forrest. The process of collecting plants in China was always interesting but never straightforward, and amongst his archives held in the Library of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh are thousands of letters and photographs that help to tell his perilous and fascinating story.

George Forrest’s story is told by Leonie Paterson who has been the Botanic Garden’s Archivist for over 20 years. She says that her favourite part of the job is working with the Forrest archive and telling his incredible story. – and this rings out as she takes us through the adventurous life of Forrest as a plant collector in remote parts of China in the early part of the twentieth century.

To watch the video click here

A recording of Ian Gardner’s talk on the work of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust is now available.

Ian Gardner’s talk from May 16 2025 covers the conservation of the Chapel and recent restoration project at Rosslyn Castle.

Ian  has been Director of the Rosslyn Chapel Trust since 2012. In addition to his role at Rosslyn Chapel Ian is the current Chair of Midlothian Tourism Forum.

To see the recording of this talk simply click here.

The recording started just a short while after the talk started – so there is a short part of the talk missing, but you will see that the recording is well worth watching.

Watch the recording of Hugh Munro’s talk on: ‘Papermaking, the history and the role of Penicuik (1709-2004)’

The recording of Hugh Munro’s talk from 20 March 2025 is now available.

To watch Hugh Munro’s talk about ‘Papermaking, the history and the role of Penicuik (1709-2004)’ simply click here

After a career in the pharmaceutical industry Hugh is now a volunteer at the Penicuik Papermaking Heritage Museum and a committee member and past chair of the Penicuik and District u3a.

His talk covers the history of papermaking and how it came from China to Penicuik. Along the way you will hear how papermaking progressed from hand-made paper to industrial scale and the people who made it happen with a focus on the six mills in Penicuik and Alexander Cowan, the philanthropist – along with the impact of the industry on river pollution, fire hazards and the development of local railways.

The talk emphasises the local and worldwide importance of Penicuik in papermaking.