Cockburn Association, The Edinburgh Civic Trust, Architecture, Chairman

Cockburn Association Edinburgh

Events – Talks – News

31 Jan 2012

Cockburn Association News

The Cockburn Association Assistant Director

The Cockburn Association welcome Euan Leitch as our newly appointed Assistant Director. Euan will work on a part time basis across the breadth of our work. He was previously at AHSS (The Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland). He will be working alongside Emelie, The Cockburn Association Cases Officer, reviewing planning applications and assisting the director with the Association’s significant workload.

City of Edinburgh Council Consultation Responses

The response by The Cockburn Association to the Strategic Development Plan for South East Scotland (also known as SESPlan) focused on the plan’s proposals of removing land around the airport from the Green Belt, the creation of Renewable Energy Manufacturing in Leith Docks and New Housing Allocations in the Green Belt and Countryside.

The Cockburn Association continues its fight for a continuous Green Belt around Edinburgh not just to protect prime agricultural land and an attractive setting for the city but also to ensure a compact city without continually increasing CO2 emissions. Releasing land in the Green Belt not only facilitates urban sprawl but leaves the multiple brownfield sites across the city to dereliction: see Morrison Street, Shrubhill, Craigmillar, Granton and Western Harbour to name but a few.

Cockburn Association Events – Spring 2012 Schedule

An Events Booking Form can be downloaded from our website

SOCO
Thursday 8 Mar at 7.00 pm, Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge
Tickets £5

Proposals for the redevelopment of this site have attracted great interest since the devastating fire of December 2002. New plans were approved in December 2011 for a hotel and offices. Andrew Wright, an adviser to the developers for the recently approved plans, will take a look at the layered history of the site which saw the first battles played out in the 1780s as to who should develop the South Bridge. Subsequent changes came from the establishment of the retail empires of the silk mercers and from the 1867 Improvement Act, by which the fabric of the Old Town was transformed in the name of slum clearance.

This is a joint event by The Cockburn Association with the Old Town Association. Members & friends welcome.

Guided tour of Craigmillar Castle
Saturday 24 Mar at 2.00pm, Craigmillar Castle Road, off Old Dalkeith Road

Tickets £7.50 for adults and £5.50 for children, including light refreshment (Historic Scotland members £2.50 and remember to bring your membership card for entry)

Craigmillar is one of Scotland’s most perfectly preserved castles. It began as a simple tower-house residence. Gradually, over time, it developed into a complex of structures and spaces, as subsequent owners attempted to improve its comfort and amenity. As a result, there are many nooks and crannies to explore. Of equal importance were the surrounding gardens and parkland, and the present-day Craigmillar Castle Park has fascinating reminders of the castle’s days as a rural retreat on the edge of Scotland’s capital city.

Access:
Parking: There is a car park surfaced with smooth tarmac with one accessible parking bay. The car park is next to the Visitor Centre. The Castle is reached from the visitor centre by a gently inclined 170m long tarmac path.
Monument (section by section): The Castle is situated on relatively level ground. There is a steep grassed approach to the inner courtyard which can be slippery in wet weather. The Castle courtyard is accessed via a stone stepped threshold. The Castle has five levels. The basement has a prison, cellars and bakery. The ground level contains the Dovecot, Inner Courtyard, Kitchen, Drawing Room and bottom level of the towerhouse. The first floor has a kitchen, old dovecot and bedchambers. The second floor has the great hall, wall walk and a kitchen. The third floor has the great hall gallery, and bed chamber. The fourth floor offers good panoramic views of Edinburgh. The levels are all linked by historic stone staircases, many of them turnpike ones. The steps are uneven, with all but one staircase having rope handrails. In bad weather several of the rooms can be dark.

The Cockburn Association AGM/Conference
Saturday afternoon, 28 Apr – Venue and details to follow

Edinburgh Canal Trip
Saturday 12 May 1.00 – 4.00pm, Edinburgh Quay
Tickets £15 to include afternoon tea

Experience Edinburgh’s canal corridor from a comfortable wide-beam canal boat. Travelling from Edinburgh Quay to Westburn and back we will be joined by a guide to talk about the history of the canal and its setting and by Kate Hopper who can speak on behalf of the City Council on the Canal Strategy and the Edinburgh Quay development. Afternoon tea will be served. The boat is a fully accessible space.

Newcastle upon Tyne Study Tour
Thursday morning 24 May – Saturday afternoon 26 May

To include: a guided walking tour of the city centre, a reunion with past Director of the Cockburn Association Martin Hulse at Alderman Fenwick’s House where he is newly appointed Director of the Buildings Preservation Trust, supper and show at the Theatre Royal, a guided walk around Ouseburn with the local trust and through Jesmond Dene, dinner at Blackfriars Restaurant, Edinburgh Architects at work in Newcastle, and tours of the recently renovated Art Deco Tyneside Cinema and Dance City.

The Cockburn Association Book Club
2nd Wednesday of each month 6.00 – 8.00pm
The Edinburgh Larder, Blackfriars Street
Annual fee for Cockburn Association members £5 and non-members £10

Next meeting 8 Feb
The OneCity trilogy of short stories – OneCity, Our City and Crimespotting – set in Edinburgh, exploring issues of social inclusion

Future meetings to include: invitation to Edinburgh publisher to speak; local foraging with Eleanor from the Larder; guided walk of Edinburgh Wall (free book included); author of ‘Edinburgh’s Colonies’ to speak and invitations to other Edinburgh authors and architects to discuss their books and work in the city. Suggestions from Book Club members are encouraged.

Cockburn Association

Office Manager required for Cockburn Association, £16-18k, deadline 15 Dec 2008:

We are seeking a full time Office Manager to join our small team in central Edinburgh. The Office Manager will be responsible for the smooth running of the office premises and the carrying out of the administrative functions of the Cockburn Association (The Edinburgh Civic Trust).

4 Jun 2008
Chairman of the Cockburn Association
The Edinburgh Civic Trust

The Association is delighted to welcome the Hon Lord Brodie (Philip Hope Brodie), Lord Macfadyen’s successor as Chairman of the Cockburn Association (Edinburgh’s Civic Trust)

Lord Brodie is a Judge of the Supreme Court. Since 2006 he has been the Chairman of the Judicial Studies Committee for Scotland – the body responsible for the education and training of the Scottish Judiciary. He is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh (LL.B) and the University of Virginia (LL.M).
Lord Brodie has been a member of the Cockburn Association since 2001.

We are also delighted to welcome Alastair Keatinge WS as Treasurer, following David Reith’s retirement after 15 years service to the Association.

Alastair is a partner in the lawfirm Lindsays WS and is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in charity law. He is also a trustee of Leith Theatre Trust, Vice-President of Midlothian and East Lothian Chamber of Commerce and Honorary Legal Advisor to Lead Scotland.

The Cockburn Association organised Doors Open Day annually:
Doors Open Day Edinburgh

Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture & The Cockburn Association maybe seem unlikely partners but we have cooperated on many events, issues and articles.

Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture gave a The Cockburn Association Talk in 2001 and Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture’s owner-operator, Adrian Welch, has been a member of The Cockburn’s Cases Committee since that point.

Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture & The Cockburn Association have worked together on trying to move forward the Edinburgh Architecture Centre concept through various meetings with relevant parties, articles and suggestions.

The Association’s former director, Martin Hulse, provided a monthly Comment on the Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture site until his departure to England: these are summarised below.

Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture and The Cockburn Association provided comment on proposals to redevelop Edinburgh’s Old Town Fire site.

Finally, Edinburgh Contemporary Architecture provided The Cockburn Association with a wide range of building reveiews for their Doors Open Day 2003 website.

Missoni Hotel Edinburgh