listings EDINBURGH lIFE
EDINBURGH LIFE
SPECIAL EVENTS
Ceroc Dance Tue. Thu. 7.30—1().30pm. St Stephens. Howe Street. info: 01324 613209. Ceroc is an easy-to-learn form of modern jive which requires little dance experience to master. No need to book. just turn up and transport yourself back to the rock ‘n' roll years.
Volcano Tours Wed. Fri. Sun until Sun 26 Sep. 2pm. £5 (£4/£2.50). Meet at Holyrood Palace Car Park. Explore the natural and human history of Holyrood. The Forum Feast Fri 14 May. 9.30am—4.30pm. £10 per organisation; £2 per individual. Bongo Club. New Street. 556 5204. out of the blue presents an all- day discussion and debate forum with speakers giving an insight to arts initiatives and innovations. The event marks ootb‘s five years' growth from a small art gallery to a bustling multi~ disciplinary arts centre.
Computer Fair Sat 15 May. l0am—3pm. Royal Highland Centre. lngliston. 333 3036. All your hardware. software and system requirements.
Historic Scotland Open Weekend Sat 15 & Stilt 16 May. Free. Various venues. info: 0131 668 8800. A nationwide extravaganza for those with a feel for the country’s heritage. See photo caption. Storytelling Workshops Fri 2) & Sat 22 May. £15 (£8). 10atii—4pni. Netherbow Arts Centre. High Street. 556 9579. Book early for .S'turvielli'ng Al The SC/ltml [)uiv (Fri) aimed at those working with children at school and .S‘rmjvlel/i’ng Step By Step (Sat) for anyone who wants to tell tales.
Antique & Collectors Fair Sat 22 & Sun 23 May; Sat 10am—5pm; Sun 9am-5pm. £3—£5. Royal Highland Centre. lngliston. info: 333 3036. All your ornz‘imental. furniture and rare collectible desires can be sated here.
Albion Road Business Centre Open Weekend Sat 22 & Stiii 23 May. noon—5pm. Albion Road Business Centre. Albion Road. This business centre contains workshops. studios and manufacturing units representing some of the most exciting research in fine arts and design in the country. Among the groups you can drop in on are Concrete Butterfly. Citizens'/WASPS and 20/20 Productions.
PERMANENT ATTRACTIONS
Camera Obscura
Castlehill (Royal Mile). Edinburgh. 226 3709. Mon—Fri 9.30am—6pm; Sat & Sun 10am—6pm. £3.95 (£1.95—£3. 15); family ticket £1 1.50. Pick up a pedestrian in your hand at this attraction. which gives visitors a real~time. 360” image of the city. There is also an exhibition devoted to holographs and photography on the lower lloors.
Deep-Sea Word
North Queensferry. Fife. ()1383 41 I880. Mon—Sun 10am—6pm. £6.15 (£3.55—£4.25). Famous for its underwater tunnel. which brings visitors face to face with a huge collection of fish native to our coastlines. Deep-Sea World also houses an Amazonian ram forest display. a touch-pool and educational facilities. Expert staff are on hand to answer questions atid. thanks to the latest communications technology. visitors can even talk to divers as they feed the animals in the aquarium.
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh. 225 9846. Daily 9.30am-5pni. £6 t£2~£5 ). Although much of the castle's medieval character was lost when it was converted into barracks in the 19th century. continuing
excavations aim to redress this. Other
attractions include .Iames W‘s famous
cannon. Mons Meg. lots of military silverware and. of course. The Stone ()f Destiny. used to crown Scottish kings since time began.
Edinburgh Zoo
Corstorphine Road. Edinburgh. 334 9171. Mon—Sun 9am—6pm. £6.80 (£3.80—£4.80); family ticket £19—£23.50. Widely accepted as one of the finest zoos in Britain. there's plenty here to while away an afternoon. or even a whole day if you take your time. The penguin parade at 2pm is a must aitd the newly built African planes afford a fantastic view of the city.
Georgian House
7 Charlotte Square. Edinburgh. 225 2160. Mon-Sat 10am—4.30pm; Sun 2--4.30pm. £4.40 (£2.90). Experience a period Georgian house. giving a taste of life in Edinburgh when the New Town was built.
Gladstone's Land
477b High Street. Edinburgh. 226 5856. Mon—Sat 10am—4.30pm; Stiii 2—4.30pm. £3.20 (£2.20). Restored to the splendour enjoyed by the merchant classes iii the 17th century. Gladstone's land gives an authentic representation of life in the medieval ()ld Town at this time.
Huntly House
142 Canongatc. Edinburgh. 5294143. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm. Free. Packed with historic artefacts. this restored 16th century mansion tells the story of Edinburgh's past and its people and houses important collections of Edinburgh silver arid glass. Scottish pottery and shop signs. Also showing: ()H‘Stll — see Art listings. page 76.
Museum Of Childhood
42 High Street. Edinburgh. 5294142. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm: Sun 16 May 2—5pm. Free. Founded in 1955. the museum has five public galleries with all manner of archive material and old toys relating to childhood through the ages. From antique dolls to l980s computer games. there's plenty here to send you off on a trip down memory lane. To mark Museums Week there is a one-off Sunday opening. with special children's activities planned. Also showing: Ili'iii/v HiHIl/ ~- see Art listings. page 76.
Museum Of Scotland
Chambers Street. Edinburgh. 247 4219. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm (Tue 8pm); Sun noon—5pm. £3 (£1.50); under 18s free. This is the newest addition to our national museum selection and the only one dedicated solely to Scotland's history and heritage. The building contains five thematicalIy-arranged exhibitions. moving from pre-histoi'y. through the Industrial Revolution. to the present day. at which point national heroes such as Billy Connolly and Elaine C. Smith get involved.
Palace Of Holyroodhouse
Royal Mile. Edinburgh. 556 I096. Mon-Sun 9.30ani— 6pm (last entry
5. 15pm). £5.50 (£2.70 £4); family ticket £13.50. Starting life as a 13th century abbey. the palace has evolved into a sumptuous regal residence ci'aiiimed full of paintings attd at‘tefacts dating back primarily to the 17th century. The tower apartments housed a sad and lonely Mary Queen of Scots for a time. but with a spectacular view of Arthur's Seat. and magnificent gardens to look at. it's Iiard to feel too sorry for her.
Royal Botanic Garden
lnvei‘leith Row. Edinburgh. 552 7171 Mon—Sun 9.3()ain--7pni. Free. A sea of tranquillity in the liubbub of the city. the
the finest and most famous buildings in the count Scotland and this open weekend. Among the delig ts awaiting you are Edinburgh Castle (above), Stirlin Castle, Castle Campbell and Bothwell Castle in the central belt. If you ancy a trip to the Borders, there are Hermitage Castle, New Abbey Corn Hill and Jedburgh Abbey. And up north, you can visit Calanais Standing Stones and Urquhart Castle.
HISTORIC SCOTLAND OPEN WEEKEND Sat 15 8 Sun 16 May. Free. Various venues, info: 0131 668 8800. This is your chance to get round many of
thanks to Historic
Botanic Garden is home to a wealth of flora and fauna from all over the world. The glasshouses give you the opportunity to check out tropical plants as well. The site also hosts art exhibitions. horticultural courses and various countryside events. including daily guided walks in the summer.
Royal Museum Of Scotland
2 Chambers Street. Edinburgh. 247 4219. Mon—Sat 10am—5pm (Tue 8pm); Sun noon—5pm. £3 (£1.50); under 18s free. A 19th century museum housing international collections of natural history. geology. science. technology and the decorative arts. plus two permanent exhibitions: Art A‘ llltlll.\ll'\’ and The Ivv ll'ii (itillei'v. Also showing: Bo Jet/Urey: Re/lt't [in/Is. (‘lll/t/lt’ll /It l,'/sl\'n-t'.
l)l.\('(ll t'I'l/Iu ./ll/)(lll. 'I'I'tl/tviv‘liuiv‘ and Ncii' Iliivv ()f Swine — see Art listings. page 76. Royal Yacht Britannia
Ocean Drive. 1.eith. Edinburgh. 555 5566. Daily 10.30am 6pm (last entry 4pm). £6.50 (£3.75 £5). The former royal yacht opens its doors to members of the public after a £25 million refit. The oii-shoi'e visitor centre contains historical inforitiation on the boat atid its furnishings while. on the yacht itself. members of the public can have a good nosy round the i'oyals‘ loi'mei‘ quarters.
Writers Museum
1.adyStait"s House. Lady St;tit"s Close. Edinburgh. 529 4901. Mon -Sat
1(1am» 5pm. Free. A treasure-house of items relating to three of Scotland's most famous writers: Robert 1.ouis Stevenson. Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott. Aslo showing: lxllll liver litlll'v - see Art listings. page 76.
Special Events
Perth Festival Of The Arts vv'ed l9-~Sun
3(1.\lay \‘at ious venues. info: ()1738
472706. This year‘s esti'av'agaiiza from
the 1"aii'(‘ity includes a feast of culture
i including the Budapest Symphony
Orchestra (l‘i'i 21 .\1ay ). Dougie
.\l;icl.ean (Sat 22 May ). l’ertli Festival
Operas /)u/i (iiiii'iiiiiii (Sat 22. Tue 25. 27 iv Sat 29 .\lay I. 10111111} Smith
'l‘hu _ .' and the Scottish National .li1/l()1'CllL‘Sll'(1 I (fit 28 May ) and a night ofcontedy front 1 .Ioe lleenaii. Reg Anderson and Gordon
Brunton with Viv Gee and Jill Peacock doing the compering (Sat 29 May).
Highland Festival
Fri 21 May—Sat 5 Jun. Various venues. info: ()1463 71 1 1 12. Another contender for the second biggest arts festival in the country and the Highlands‘ fourth annual cultural extravaganza. Venues across Inverness. Fort William. Invergordon and Ullapool among others will be packed to the rafters for acts such as Jools Holland. Runrig. Fred MacAulay and Guy
M asterson‘s A Soldier's Song and Under Milk anl. as well as linked festival events in food. harps. pubs. clubs and street entertainment.
Permanent Attractions
New Lanark World Heritage Centre New Lanark Mills. Lanark. 01555
66 I 345. Mon—Sun I lam-5pm. £3.75 (£2.50). Now a world heritage site. New Lanark has much to teach us about life in the industrial era and the pioneering work of philanthropist Robert Owen. Attractions include ‘The Annie McLeod Experience‘. an audio-visual trip to Victorian times. as well as a full programme of specialist events and hands-on activities.
Scotland's Secret Bunker
Crown Buildings. nr. Crail. Fife. 01333 310301. Daily 10am—5pm. £5.95 (£3.25—£4.95). What looks like your common or garden farm house from the surface in fact hid one of the country‘s best kept secrets for over 40 years. If the UK had come under nuclear attack. the fortified labyrinth underneath would have become the central command centre for government and military chiefs. Due to the cooling-off of the nuclear threat this bunker. with all its original fittings. is now open to the public.
Vikingar
Barrfields. Greenock Road. Largs. 01475 689777. Mon—Sun 10.30am—5pm. £3.50 (£2.50). An award-winning experience which tells the story of the Vikings in Scotland. from their first pillaging forays to their defeat at the Battle of Largs in 1263. with the help ofcostumed story interpreters and multi-media exhibits. The centre also houses various leisure facilities and a cafe specialising in Viking-themed cuisine — barbequed Christian anyone?
13—27 May 1999 THE [ISTBS