Edinburgh900 – Reviving the Trinity Stones: A Puzzle and a Treasure Hunt

In 1848 the iconic Trinity Collegiate Church was demolished to make way for what is now Platform 2 of Waverley Station.

The stones were left on Calton Hill for over 20 years while a heated and sometime farcical debate ensued between the Edinburgh Council and supporters of the church as to what should be done with them.

In the latter camp were Henry Cockburn, John Ruskin and Robert Fleming- Gourlay. In 1870 the church was rebuilt with the remaining stones on Chalmers Close, where it remains today. During that time stones were removed to sites all over the city.

Jill’s project, funded by OEC, is to find and catalogue these stones and to tell their fascinating story. It is a story which brings into sharp focus issues of heritage values versus progress which affect us in Edinburgh today.

Jill Harrison founded the Trinity Network in 2018 with the aim of studying all aspects of the Trinity Apse in Edinburgh now located on Chalmers Close