Jill Harrison announces a new Exhibition and outreach programme
The Reviving the Trinity Stones Project, funded by an OEC Jean Guild Grant in 2023 has reached an exciting stage. Our grant awardee, Jill Harrison has confirmed the dates for a project exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh, and is organising this with the help and support of the City Archaeologist, John Lawson, and OEC Council member Hetty Lancaster The museum already houses a great collection of surviving Trinity stones for visitors to see.
The exhibition will run from the 9th May until the 28th June 2026 and will showcase Jill’s meticulous work in tracing lost stones from the former Trinity Collegiate Church, which once stood just below Calton Hill. The Church, built in 1460 by Mary of Guelders, wife of King James II, was demolished in 1848 to make way for the expansion of Waverley Station. Only the apse was rebuilt in Chalmers Close off the Royal Mile. Many of the remaining unused stones lay dumped and abandoned on Calton Hill for many years before disappearing without trace – until now! Thanks to the project, they are being rediscovered in gardens, parks and out of the way places all over the city and they need to be preserved and protected. Many of these are decorative stones, from grinning gargoyles to delicate traceries.
Outreach programme
To complement this exhibition and to bring further attention to the Reviving the Trinity Stones Project, an outreach programme is being planned by Jill, Hetty, and some project supporters. A modest amount of additional funding is required, and Jill and Hetty have set up a GoFundMe page to attract this. These extra funds will be used to hire lecture spaces, provide equipment for walks and talks, and, importantly, produce written and visual information about the Church and the stones that were used to build it. This outreach programme, which Hetty and Jill have shaped, will help demonstrate to participants the remarkable significance of the architectural and historical heritage of the Trinity Collegiate Church.
If you would like to support with a donation, which would be greatly appreciated, you can give on the GoFundMe page.
