Old Edinburgh Reborn: Update
Where is the old Scottish Parliament Building hiding? Remarkably there are significant parts of the old Scottish Parliament Building still in existence if you know where to look. Robert Sproul-Cran’s new blog gives us an update on his research and explains where he has found some of the answers. You may be surprised to read that he has traced some of the stones to Arniston House, just outside Gorebridge, home of the Dundas family. Using his detective skills to find their current locations has helped him to re-create photos of some parts of the old building dating back to the 1700’s, which no longer can be seen in Parliament Square. With creative skills and using the latest CGI techniques, wonderful images can allow us to visualise life in the area during this time.
Continuing the search
Robert’s search to find some of the remaining stones, pediments and features of the old Parliament Building continues. They may still be hidden in plain site in Parliament Square or have been re-located elsewhere. He will use these original features to create authentic CGI images for everyone to view online from his website. Where else will his search take him? His latest blog suggests a trip to the Scottish Borders is his next location in the hope of discovering where the former Parliament Building items have turned up.
About Robert Sproul-Cran
Robert is one of the very first awardees, in 2023, of a Jean Guild Grant in 2023 under the Old Edinburgh Club’s new grant scheme.
Robert is a broadcaster, writer and artist. He joined the BBC as a radio newsreader and announcer, then moved into production and management. After ten years working across Scotland and the London networks he joined television as the BBC’s Scottish daytime feature presenter.
After two years on air, he left to launch indy producer Northlight. There he produced and directed for the BBC, C4 and Discovery. ‘In Search of the Tartan Turban’ for Channel 4 won him a BAFTA. His short film, ‘The Elemental’ was screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and represented Britain in international competition. As CEO of Tartan TV, he directed and co-presented over a hundred shows promoting Scotland in North America. He writes novels under the pen name of Zane Stumpo. Another of his ventures is a youth TV station in the Scottish Borders, ‘Voice Of My Own’ (VOMO) to pass his expertise to a new generation.
Robert has created a website and blog to showcase Old Edinburgh Reborn, and an exhibition and book might be on the cards for the future. In the meantime, it’s possible to follow the detective work online as each new insight is revealed.
Old Edinburgh Reborn is at old-edinburgh.com. You can subscribe to receive notifications when each new blog post is created.
You can also follow Robert’s exciting project on the OEC website, Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter).
