The Trinity Apse visit
Members of the Old Edinburgh Club were thrilled with their recent visit to the Trinity Apse to hear a talk on the history of the Trinity Collegiate Church by Lizzie Swarbrick and Jean Guild Grant awardee Jill Harrison, who organised the visit for the OEC and Scotland’s Churches Trust. The members showed just how much real interest there is in the remaining apse and the stones, which can be found off Chalmers Close in the High Street of Edinburgh. The members completed a short feedback survey and this confirmed that identifying and preserving the stones, and especially telling their story, was important to them.
Searching for the missing stones
Jill’s research focuses on the ‘afterlife’ of the Trinity Stones which were lost during the rebuilding and re-location of the church after it was demolished in 1848 to make way for Waverley Train Station. This search is taking her to many locations spread over Edinburgh and the project is gaining real momentum. Jill is also the founder of the Trinity Network, originally a group of academics seeking to shed light on all things related to the Trinity Apse, but now including a wide range of interest groups.
Recently as part of the Stones project, Dr James Hillson completed a laser scan of the building’s interior using the University of Edinburgh’s Leica BLK360 G1 scanner and took photographs of the stones for recording and study purposes. The resulting 3D models should enable Jill and Dr Hillson to study just how some of the stones have been laid out or assembled, as well as providing a point of comparison for the stones found throughout Edinburgh. Jill told us “this is an exciting and important step forward. Other early stones which are being identified as part of the project will help to create a fabulous archive of historic fragments”.
