Progress on 'Reviving the Trinity Stones' (Jean Guild Grant project)
Enthusiastic stone spotters, Alison Macdonald, Hetty Lancaster, Jill Harrison, Jill Powlett-Brown and Matthew Nicholas from the OEC, Morningside Heritage Association and the Grange Association recently met at a secret site in Edinburgh to check out some important Trinity stones. Jill Harrison said “keeping locations secure is a real concern so that we can ensure the safety of these precious remnants of Edinburgh’s fifteenth-century story. We need people to keep looking and if you spot something of interest- and they could be anywhere – gardens, parks or built into walls, let us know”.
Jill Harrison’s search for these missing stones from the Trinity Collegiate Church — once situated beneath Calton Hill and demolished in 1848 to make way for Waverley Station — is ongoing and will continue throughout 2025. Her passion, energy, and commitment to this research project is inspiring. Along with her OEC lead contact Hetty Lancaster — ‘mentor’ Jill likes to call her — they are a great combination in bringing this project to public attention.
One great place to visit to see a collection of the stones is in the courtyard of the brilliant, and free, Museum of Edinburgh. Jill keeps in contact with John Lawson, the City Archaeologist and now has a contact within Historic Environment Scotland and many other experts to ensure the authenticity of any stones that are found in some ‘interesting’ places in Edinburgh.
Jill’s mission is also to spread the word about the history of the Trinity Church and has given some talks to interested audiences in the past year and is very keen to keep this going. In the pipeline for next year into 2026 is an exhibition, which the Museum of Edinburgh have agreed to host. This is exciting news and will showcase Jill’s research and all her hard work. We’ll keep you posted on news about the exhibition.
You can find details of the Jean Guild grant project and previous updates here and follow Jill’s research journey at The Trinity Network or on social media (Bluesky) at Jill Harrison.
