The Rev. D. Norman Maclean founded Colinton Parish Church Literary Society (the ‘Lit’) in October 1903 with three Members of the congregation. They met in a wood and corrugated building in Dreghorn Loan, known as the Old Tin Hall. For more than 100 years the Lit programmes have covered both literary topics and those of general interest across the entire community from whom our membership is drawn.
The Lit has hosted many eminent academics, authors, artists and musicians at its events. In 1911, Sir Ernest Shackleton gave a lecture entitled ‘Furthest South’ and in 2011, author Ian Rankin let us into his secrets of crime writing and now, in our 2023-2024 season, experts in the fields of history, music, politics and art will enthrall us again.
The Committee Honorary President The Minister, Colinton Parish Church Secretary Sally Fischbacher cmfischbacher@yahoo.co.uk Treasurer Katie Davidson Programme Coordinator Colin Fischbacher cmfischbacher@yahoo.co.uk Committee Members Vasily Demyanov, Kath Hay, Joe McGeough, Bob Mylchreest, Gemma Roper-Caldbeck, Lorraine Veitch-Rutherford Hon. Accounts Examiner A W Murray
Dreghorn Loan Hall
An Invitation to The Lit The 111th season of Colinton Parish Church Literary Society got underway in October 2023. Our meetings are held in the Dreghorn Loan Hall, Colinton EH13 0DE. Tea, coffee and wine is served from 7:30pm. Each talk commences at 8pm and the evening finishes at around 9pm.
Membership costs just £15 for the full programme of 17 meetings, or £3 per meeting for visitors. New members of all ages are assured of a warm welcome. Our programme covers both literary topics and those of general interest which should be attractive across the entire community from which our membership is drawn. Proposals for future talks may be handed in to the Programme Co-ordinator at any time. Talks for the 2024 season are listed below.
2024 10 Jan: Heart and mind - Robert Louis Stevenson’s lasting legacy. Donald Smith assessed the continuing impact of Colinton’s famous literary connection 17 Jan: Death in the New Town. Ken Donaldson told the story of the mysterious epidemic among Edinburgh's stonemasons 24 Jan: Sir David Lindsay. David Dow and the Dovecot Singers explore the life and times of the Scottish author of Ane Satyre of the Thrie Estaites 31 Jan: Hitchcock’s heroines. Caroline Young explores the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock’s leading ladies 7 Feb: Scotland's Hidden Treasure. Kath Hay tells the story of the oldest Royal Regalia in Britain, hidden not once, not twice, but three times. Cromwell destroyed the English Crown Jewels and searched for Scotland’s – but he never found them 14 Feb: Wild history. Jamie Crawford draws from his new book to describe his journeys into lost Scotland 21 Feb: The American Civil War. Ian Gardiner gives an overview of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the last 200 years 28 Feb: The Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society perform the one-act opera by Arthur Sullivan The Zoo
The 2023-2024 season of Talks will end at the AGM.
6 Mar: AGM followed by Joe McGeough’s talk on how Edinburgh’s Theo Williamson changed the Sound of Music