Doors Open Day goes digital for 30th anniversary

The event will include talks and tours online.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Doors Open Day, due to take place this weekend in a completely digital format.

The event organised by the Cockburn Association normally gives members of the public extraordinary access to spaces and buildings across the city, by opening up areas otherwise off limits, removing ticket fees or providing unique behind-the-scenes tours and insights.

This year the event will be held online to allow for social distancing, and will comprise a series of talks, videos, virtual tours and live events held over the course of the weekend.

Venues and organisations taking part include Lauriston castle, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Scottish Arts Club, St Georges Kirk, Central Library, Museum on the Mound., Fountainbridge Library, and Comely Bank Cemetery.

The Wagonway museum in Cockenzie, Trinity House, Linlithgow Museum, and the National Mining Museum will also take part.

Vintage buses from the Gifford Transport Group will drive around the city at intervals between 11am and 3pm along the route of the former Edinburgh Cooperation transport service 6 Shppabus.

While members of the public are invited to take photos of the buses as they pass, no one will be allowed to board due to social distancing restrictions.

Edinburgh Central Library will take visitors on a virtual tour, tracing the history of the building and featuring historical photographs.

The Museum on the Mound will offer a tour of parts of the Bank of Scotland Head Office not open to the public, and will also tell the story of Bessie MacArthur, who lived at the Mound at the turn of the 20th century.

At Lauriston Castle volunteers have created videos telling the stories of their personal favourite objects at the castle and the history behind them.

In the lead up to the weekend, the association is running a series of online talks, beginning with Sir Geoff Palmer and Professor Euan Hague.

Other speakers include Lisa Williams, Andrew Crummy and Sara Sheridan.

“We know that quite a large part of the demographic who take part in Doors Open Day tend to be the over 65s who jump on the bus across town with their Doors Open Day brochure in their hand,” said DJ Johnston-Smith, outreach and development officer at the Cockburn Association.

“But we hope that we’re providing some really good content with all these venues taking Doors Open Day to them in their homes over this weekend.

“One of the talks we’re doing on Sunday is with Oliver Barrett who was the Director, then called the Secretary, of the Cockburn Association in the early 90s.

“He had the first Doors Open Day in Edinburgh 30 years ago this year, and it will be fascinating to talk to him and ask him if he could have imagined doing anything along these lines 30 years ago.

“It’s a very different world for so many different reasons, and I’m just hopeful that people can take part.”

Details can be found at http://www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/edinburgh-doors-open-day.