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.

Have you ever thought about becoming a Trustee?

Our Trustees organise the Trust’s activities. If you (or someone you know) might be interested in finding out more just contact us.

As a registered charity the Esk Valley Trust has a Board of Trustees who are responsible for ensuring that the business of the Trust is managed properly and that its ‘charitable goals’ are pursued.

In other words the Trustees are expected to run the Trust’s programme of activities and to do so responsibly.

To contact us just use our email address: enquiries@eskvalleytrust.org

Some more details of just what being a Trustee involves can be found here.

A recording of Jonathon Louis’s talk on “Opportunities for natural flood management in the Esk River catchments” (21 November 2024) is now available here

Click on the heading to access the talk

Jonathan is a Co-Director of the Forth Rivers Trust and has worked
with the Trust to improve rivers around the Forth for 11 years. His
background is in Sustainable Environmental Management and Countryside
Management. As Co-Director, Jonathan helps lead the Trust’s work
whilst supporting project development, funding and stakeholder
relationships.

His talk explores the opportunities for nature-based solutions
within the Esk catchment, how this could aid biodiversity and make the
catchment and communities more resilient to climate change. He
highlights examples of work carried out elsewhere that could be
delivered within the Esk catchment whilst outlining opportunities to
work in partnership for a more resilient and biodiverse Esk catchment.

A recording of the talk can be seen here.

James Simpson talks about Mavisbank House and the Villas of the Esk

A video recording of James Simpson’s talk to the Esk Valley Trust on 3 October 2024 is now available to see.

James is a very well-known architect who has helped with restoration projects at many of the ‘Villas of the Esk’.

He is a leading advocate for the architectural heritage of the Esk valleys. His talk uses the concept of the ‘Villa’ (as envisaged by Sir John Clerk in ‘The Country Seat’) to reflect on Mavisbank House and other major Villas in the Esk Valleys.

The talk was the opening event of the 2024 Midlothian Outdoor Festival.

To see the talk just click here.

Midlothian’s Outdoor Festival 2024

This year’s Midlothian Outdoor Festival will run from Thursday October 3rd to Monday October 7th. As we have done for a number of years the Esk Valley Trust will host a Festival opening Zoom talk on Thursday evening 3rd October.

The programme of events for the Festival can be found here.

This year’s opening talk will be given (by Zoom) by James Simpson on ‘Mavisbank House and the Villas of the Esk’.

James is a very well known architect who has helped with restoration projects at many of the ‘Villas of the Esk’ .

He is a leading advocate for the architectural heritage of the Esk valleys. His talk will use the concept of the ‘Villa’ (as envisaged by Sir John Clerk in ‘The Country Seat’) to reflect on Mavisbank House and other major Villas in the Esk Valleys.

The talk will start at 7.30pm and is free to all. To register for the talk click here.

Eradicating Giant Hogweed in the Lothians

David Quarendon talked about ‘Eradication of Giant Hogweed from the Lothians’ on June 27th 2024. A video recording of his talk can now be viewed; just click on the title for this item to find the link.

Although Giant Hogweed was introduced to Scotland in the 19th century  as an ornamental plant it soon spread out of control – helped by deliberate planting near to rivers and ponds. Its sap contains a toxic chemical, which sensitises the skin to sunlight and causes severe blisters. Strong advice is, if you encounter Giant Hogweed – DO NOT TOUCH IT.

In  this ESK VALLEY TRUST EVENING TALK David Quarendon discusses ‘’Eradicating Giant Hogweed in the Lothians’’

The talk will be given (by Zoom) on 27 June 2024 and can be viewed here.

David is a trustee of the East Lothian Countryside Volunteers charity, and has worked as a volunteer with the council’s Countryside Service for many years. Now retired he has been closely involved in the eradication of Giant Hogweed from the county since 2015.

In his talk David outlines the volunteer-led programmes established to eradicate Giant Hogweed on the River Esk and River Tyne.  He discusses why eradication is needed, the role of landowners, ‘spotters’ and technology, and highlights the progress achieved so far.