Edinburgh's local history society
The Old Edinburgh Club is the city’s local history society, concerned with all aspects of the capital’s history and development.
For more than one hundred years we have encouraged interest through lectures, visits and projects. Join us and take advantage of these and our other activities, exploring Edinburgh through history.
Our Publications
We publish the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club, renowned as an authoritative source for residents, researchers alike or, indeed, anyone who shares our delight in the city’s rich heritage. The latest edition – Volume 19, is now available and has been sent to our members.
Earlier editions from 1908 are available to download, and we recently added volumes covering 1995 to 2008.
Please browse our Bibliography of Edinburgh History too – it’s an essential starting point for exploring your interests.
Lectures & Visits
We hold our events in the Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL, with live streaming for anyone who cannot be there in person.
All talks start at 7pm. Non-members may attend or view each event on request. Please contact events@oldedinburghclub.org.uk.
Details of of our Winter Programme are now available.
OEC Winter 2024-2025 talks
Books and Borrowing, Edinburgh 1750-1830
The University of Edinburgh in the Eighteenth Century
Trinity Church – Medieval Edinburgh
Members’ Evening 2023
News & Views
What’s new in the world of the Old Edinburgh Club: events, publications, projects and our blog.
The Picardy Linen Weavers in 18th century Edinburgh In the 18th century, a community of linen weavers from Picardy in France arrived and settled in
By: Jo Chapman
The Remarkable Tale of Margaret Dickson: The Woman Who Survived the Hangman’s Noose In 1724, a young woman from Edinburgh named Margaret Dickson was accused
The lost distillery at Burnhead, Edinburgh A study of the history of the south side of Edinburgh has revealed that a whisky distillery was established
Explore our website
We hope our website will help you to explore the fascinating past of Scotland’s capital.
For more on Edinburgh’s rich history, explore our detailed resource of useful websites, as well as links to local history and heritage organisations.
Follow us on social media
Follow us to find out even more about our activities and about the history of Edinburgh, including our popular ‘On This Day’ feature on Facebook. Click on the icons in the footer for Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.