“From Pit to Pitch: A Story of Coal Seams and Football Dreams”

Ray Lafferty, who is the Curator at the National Mining Museum in Newtongrange, will present the next Esk Valley Trust Zoom talk on Thursday 4th December at 7.30pm 

Ray will explore the links between mining and football in Scotland with a particular focus on Midlothian and East of Scotland clubs.

Coal mining communities across central Scotland were the incubators of great footballers and a series of successful football club managers.
Working day in day out in a dangerous environment, miners were reliant on each other for safety which naturally fostered a solidarity within mining communities. Resilience, hard work and teamwork, all traits commonly found within the coal mining workforce, are important characteristics of professional football. Mining created strong and fearless players, rich in character and resolute in their loyalty.
The talk will reveal Scotland’s linked mining and football heritage and legacy.
The talk is open to all and is free.
To register click here.

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.

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.