Thursday 18th February 2010 at Annet Lecture 7.30pm at Linlithgow Primary School

Every year the Annet Lecture is organised by Linlithgow Heritage Trust and supported by Linlithgow Civic Trust.  This year's excellent Annet Lecture was by George McKenzie, Keeper of the Records of Scotland.

Wed. 3 March: “Cast in Iron” - 10.15am Callendar House, Falkirk

A few LCT Members enjoyed a talk on the history of the Carron Iron Foundry and the variety of artefacts made there, from canon balls to domestic objects. A collection of articles were be on view.

Saturday 26th October – Tour of Dumfries House, Cumnock, Ayrshire

The visit to Dumfries House at the end of September was a day to remember, with perfect autumn weather to augment a truly outstanding example of 18th century architecture and furniture. The journey by mini bus was easy and comfortable and, while costing a little more, saved the carbon emissions of four or five separate car journeys.  We were lucky to have an erudite and amusing guide who explained that the 5th Earl of Dumfries inherited the title in 1742 and, returning home after a distinguished military career, was determined to find himself a wife and to sire an heir.  To add to his ageing attractions, he commissioned a new and extremely elegant residence on the family estate, designed by the Adams brothers and built between 1754 - 1759.  Together with an outstanding and unique collection of furniture commissioned specially for the house from Thomas Chippendale this provides a fascinating snapshot of the best of design of the middle of the 18th Century.  There is also the largest collection of artefacts designed by the 18th Century Edinburgh furniture makers in existence.

Sadly, although the house and its accoutrements gained him a wife, the 5th earl died in 1768 with no son and heir.  Six hundred items of beautiful furnishings remain in a remarkable state of preservation in their original settings.  This is due to the fact that the house became largely redundant on the acquisition by marriage in 1814 of the title and lands of the Bute estate and for nearly 200 years the house has been kept with a full staff, but only used as an occasional summer residence.  For me, this makes the house very special and sets it aside from other historic houses where alterations and the march of fashion have added layers of change to the original vision.

The house and its unique collection of furniture and fittings were dramatically rescued at the very last minute by a Trust put together by H.R.H. Prince Charles in 2007.  The house is now open to the public by arrangement for the second year.  For those who missed this visit, I can heartily recommend making the trip in the future – booking via the website to make sure of a tour slot.  The catering arrangements are a bit eccentric, but one thoughtful touch is the provision of portable seats, gratefully adopted by those of us who find standing a bit tiring these days and adding greatly to our enjoyment of the tour.

Monday 12th October – Talk - Railways Around Linlithgow – 7:30 pm at the Canal Tearoom

Dr John McGregor, lecturer with the Open University, addressed members on railways around Linlithgow. John researches 19th century railway politics, is a trustee of the Glenfinnan Railway Museum and published ‘The West Highland Railway: Plans, Politics and People’ in 2005.  Part of "Celebrate Linlithgow" 2009