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The Story So Far.
We started back in 1982 when a small group of like-minded people were drawn together by a community education initiative that sought to promote an awareness of local history in our area. From our early beginnings until today most of our members have been retired people who have always had a keen interest in preserving and promoting the fascinating history of Bonnyrigg and Lasswade. Over the years we have met in several locations around Bonnyrigg, including the Old Public Library in Lothian Street, the New Public Library in Polton Street and the Scout Hall in Eldindean Road. Our present home is the Pitcairn Centre in the High Street. We normally hold six evening meetings on the third Wednesday of each month during our season, which runs from September to May. We invite guest speakers to talk to us about local history, family history and biographical studies of famous people who either lived or had a connection with our area. We also have two main outings in September and May and these can include field trips to archaeological sites or visits to stately homes. Recently we have included some midweek day or evening visits to museums and local studies or archive resource centres located in the Edinburgh area. We are a very lively group keen to learn more about local history. |
For many years we have made our archive freely available to everyone in the local community and this has been achieved through contacts with the local public library, schools, churches, other local history and voluntary groups.
We have given illustrated talks on "Bonnyrigg & Lasswade Past & Present", "The Origins of the Street Names of Bonnyrigg & Lasswade" and "The Life and Times of William McTaggart RSA". We present regular exhibitions displaying photographs and material from our archive and have worked closely with the Bonnyrigg Parish Church, Bonnyrigg Community Events Committee and Midlothian Council Libraries HQ (Local Studies), in promoting public awareness of the heritage of our area. More recently we have reached a worldwide audience through the Internet and have had several requests for help in tracing family history from Australia, Canada, U.S.A and of course within the UK. We look forward to sharing the history of Bonnyrigg & Lasswade with everyone in the future. |
