Research Conference

I recently gave a conference paper at a student research conference at the University of Edinburgh and I thought that I might stick it up here for all those that were unable to attend at the time. 

The paper, entitled "Whats the use? Fighting an 'uphill' battle within a World Heritage Site" was my first attempt at combining some of the archival research that I have been busy with over the past few months together with a selection of many of the 'real issues' that currently affect the site. It was interesting to see the reaction of many of the people who attended the talk, as both those who were familiar with the site and those who were not were fascinated by the complexities of the Hill's development and its history, as well as the problems that the site currently faces.    

Repair work to the National Monument

I have been having a busy couple of weeks since setting up this page, so as a result, I have not had much time to update this site on all that I've been up to!

Last week, I had the opportunity to go up The Hill to watch the some of the ongoing repair work being carried out to the National Monument and it was fascinating to watch the builders in action. A condition survey carried out by the conservation architects for the structure had noted that a lintel on the northern side of the monument had moved slightly and a huge machine was required to lift this piece of stonework back into place.

The National Monument was constructed of a material called Craigleith sandstone - this was the same material used to construct much of the New Town - which came from Craigleith Quarry, approximately 2 miles from the City Centre. This quarry is no longer in use, so it is vital to preserve as much of the stonework as possible as although substitutes can be found they are not as durable or as beautiful as the Craigleith Stone.