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.