New web portal makes Midloihian's history more accessible

The digital portal, trove.scot, brings together HES’s unique and diverse collections of information in one convenient place.

From standing stones to skate parks, trove.scot contains over 5000 years of Scotland’s history in approximately 3 million records, combining designation records of Scotland’s most important historic sites and buildings, the catalogue of Scotland’s archaeology and built heritage, over 2000 culturally significant objects from HES’s properties and educational and archival images and media from SCRAN.

On trove.scot, users can find out more about some of the most significant buildings in Midlothian, such as the A-listed Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange, one of the best preserved pre-First World War model colliery complexes in the UK and which is now the site of the National Mining Musuem Scotland; unearth gems from HES’s Properties in Care, including an engraving of Crichton Castle by R. W. Billings, which showcases the site’s unusual diamond pattern facade; and explore an important collection of drawings, manuscripts and engravings of the world-famous Rosslyn Chapel.

​Lady Victoria Colliery at Newtongrange. (Pic: HES)

This wealth of information is now more accessible than ever before, providing an exciting new resource for hobbyists, educators, historians and heritage professionals alike.

Katerina Brown, HES chief executive, said: “We’re excited to be bringing heritage even closer to people’s everyday lives with this new platform. trove.scot will make it easier to learn about the heritage and historic environment that surrounds you, whether that is the listed buildings on your street or archive images of historic events that shaped communities.

“trove.scot marks one of the largest investments in our programme to improve and enhance digital access to information on the historic environment, and increase the number and diversity of people who engage with Scotland’s history and heritage.

“We hope that by making the vast store of information more accessible, trove.scot will encourage more people to dig into Scotland’s past and see what they can discover.”