Events

Upcoming Online Talk: Charles Mclean & Linlithgow Life in World War Two

Charles Maclean and Linlithgow Life in World War Two

4th February, 2022 at 7.30pm on Zoom.
Tickets £5. 

Linlithgow Museum is delighted to once again welcome local historian Bruce Jamieson. Join him and hear the story of Charles Maclean, a local airman, who was killed while flying for Coastal Command in 1941.

The recent publication of a book on the subject by Dr John Holliday and Fiona Wilson has prompted Bruce to find out more about the story and about local life in Linlithgow during World War Two. Bruce will fully illustrate his talk and we are looking forward to hearing his tales and the details that we’ve come to expect from him.

All profits from ticket sales will go to Linlithgow Museum. The event link will be included in your confirmation email.

Click here to book your ticket through Art Tickets!

Upcoming Online Talk: Plague and Pestilence - a history of pandemics and their impact on the nation

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We are delighted to announce our third online talk.  Bruce Jamieson returns to our talks series and is going to deliver: “Plague and Pestilence - a history of pandemics and their impact on the nation.

Bruce is a well kent Linlithgow resident and former Principal Teacher of History at the Academy and Provost of the Deacons Court. He has written and lectured extensively on the history of the town and we are delighted that he has put this talk together for us.  

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Bruce writes: “My talk will be an illustrated presentation tracing the history of epidemics, pandemics and sundry contagions which have afflicted Scotland from the 14th century to the present day. It will particularly focus on how various outbreaks of disease have impacted on Linlithgow and how “medical practitioners" across the ages have attempted to tackle the outbreaks. I’ll try to make it light-hearted!! 

We’re looking forward to it already!

The talk will take place on February 25th at 7.30pm on Zoom. There is a small charge of £3 and you can book your slot using this link to Eventbrite.

Upcoming Online Talk: The Battle of Nechtansmere, 685AD

Join Eve Boyle for a trip back run time to 685AD, explore The Battle of Nechtansmere and find out why Abercorn doesn’t have a cathedral!

Linlithgow Museum is happy to announce its second virtual talk: 

The Battle of Nechtansmere, 685AD, or: why Abercorn doesn’t have a cathedral!

An online talk delivered by Eve Boyle from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
Thu, 28 Jan 2021, 19:30 GMT

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On Saturday 21st May 685, the Northumbrian King Ecgfrith was killed in a disastrous battle against the Pictish King Bridei. The battle is one of those pivotal moments that are studded across our historical narrative; indeed, an argument can be made that, had it gone the other way, the history of these islands could have been very different. In recent years Nechtansmere has become a talking point amongst scholars, as new evidence has cast doubt on the traditional view of its context and, indeed, its location.

In this lecture, Eve Boyle, archaeologist with Historic Environment Scotland, will explain the background to the battle, its consequences, and explore the arguments over its location. The lecture will also take in Abercorn, where a bishop had recently established there by the Northumbrians, only to flee south in the aftermath of the battle.

Tickets for the talk are £3, and all profits from the event will go to help keeping Linlithgow Museum running in these difficult times.

Please click here to book a ticket on Eventbrite.

From the Museum: Ghost Stories for Christmas

This weekend should have been the Advent Fayre in Linlithgow. We wanted to mark the occasion and bring you something to brighten up the dark winter nights. So we are delighted to present 'Creepy Christmas'.

Over the next few weeks, we will be bringing you a, slightly, creepy #ChristmasStory to cosy up with and get you in the winter spirit. We loved working with storyteller Gillian and we hope you enjoy the results.

Click here to visit our Facebook page and see the first part of the spooky story…

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From West Lothian to the Western Isles: Scotland's Cinemas - Free Virtual Talk!

Sound the Klaxons!!! Since the current restrictions have put an end, for now, to our talks series, we have decided to take a leap into the digital world and have some online talks. So exciting! Sadly you'll have to provide your own chocolate biscuits but we are looking forward to seeing you there.

Our very own Trustee, Gordon Barr, is going to kick us off on December 10th at 7.30pm.

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The Scottish Cinemas & Theatres Project (www.scottishcinemas.org) has been recording and researching Scotland's palaces of entertainment for nearly 20 years. Gordon will lead us through the social and architectural history of this often overlooked part of history.

From West Lothian to the Western Isles, from Bathgate to Bo’ness, from Armadale to Aberdeen, Scotland has some of the most architecturally diverse cinema buildings of anywhere in the world. Gordon will cover the full range of cinema history, from converted roller-skating rinks, via the earliest purpose built halls to the finest thirties art deco super-cinemas. He will highlight some of the most interesting buildings, eccentric architects, and unusual discoveries (including a prancing deer!).

Discover cinemas that were, cinemas that are, and cinemas that might have been. Although many cinema buildings have been demolished or converted, there are still a lot of interesting gems to discover if you know where to look

If you want to book then click the link to reserver a FREE ticket and we will see you there.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../scotlands-cinemas-on...

Thanks for your ongoing support of Linlithgow Museum.

Spring Talks Series - Tickets now on sale!

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We are delighted to announce our second season of talks, taking place in spring 2020!  (We are optimistically calling February, Spring!)   We were so happy with the response to the first season of talks and we really hope that folks will find something that they want to come to in this new series.

Kicking off the season, in February, we are delighted to welcome Alex Adamson with a talk entitled “Trial by Media”.  Alex, who is the author of 'Murder, Poaching and Lemonade: Crimes and Court Cases from Nineteenth Century West Lothian', will talk about the press reporting of crime during the 1800s. This was a period which saw many changes in Scottish society, the way in which crimes and criminal were perceived, and the ways in which they were punished. A study of newspaper accounts of court cases opens a window for us into the lives of our forebears and their changing attitudes to criminality.
This talk will talk place on Thursday 27th February at 2pm in the Museum Community room.  (Tickets for this talk can only be bought in person at the Museum Shop)

In March we are so excited to be welcoming Scott McMaster along to deliver a talk entitled: “The Outlaw King; how accurately did Hollywood portray Robert the Bruce?”  Scott was the Historical Advisor to the movie ‘The Outlaw King’ and is a Property Manager with the National Trust for Scotland. He will discuss how closely the recent film sticks to historical fact and what is was like to work with the director, cast and production team as Chief Historical Advisor. He’ll share some of the secrets of re-creating Scottish history on the big screen and display some of the props from the movie.  Some of the movie was filmed right here in Linlithgow so it will be great to hear Scott’s experiences.
His talk will take place on Friday March 20th at 7pm in St Peters Church. TIckets online here.

Quite literally back by popular demand in April is Dr Tom Brown, who will be reprising his massively popular talk; "Wombs, Witches and Wars - a history of psychosomatic illness through the ages." Tom is a retired Consultant Psychiatrist and this talk was a real highlight of 2019.  Many of you said you couldn’t get tickets the last time and wanted a repeat performance so we are delighted to oblige. 
Don’t miss your chance to hear this talk on the Friday 24th April at 7pm in St Peters Church. TIckets online here.

Also, back by popular demand, in May, is Linlithgow’s resident historian Bruce Jamieson. We are delighted to announce that Bruce will give part two of his talk on “Mary Stewart: Fact and Fiction.”   Don’t worry if you missed part one, Bruce will engage you with lots more fascinating stories about our towns most famous resident.  
This talk will take place on the 15th May at 7pm in St Peter’s Church. TIckets online here.

Entry to the talks are by ticket only and tickets for all talks cost £5 each (plus a 50p online booking fee).  Tickets include a cuppa and, you will be pleased to know, that we will be keeping up the high standard of biscuits we set in 2019!  All proceeds will go to the upkeep of our wonderful museum. 

Members booking is already open and early ticket sales suggest these will sell out again very quickly - so act now to secure your place! We’re looking forward to seeing you there. 

(If you’d like to become a member of the museum and get to book your tickets for any future talks a week early, pop in to the Museum and pick up a form or online here.)

New Winter Talks Programme Launched!

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Linlithgow Museum is delighted to announce our brand new Autumn/Winter Talks series. We’re very excited to be bringing some great speakers to town and we hope we’re going to see lots of you at these events over the next few months.

Thursday 26th September at 7pm in St Peter’s Church will be Dr Callum Watson. 
Putting Linlithgow in its place: Linlithgow as a Focus of Royal Activity in Late Medieval Scotland

Callum is based at the Battle of Bannockburn Centre and recently was also one of the historical advisers on the movie ‘The Outlaw King’. Throughout the centuries, Linlithgow was regularly the scene of pivotal moments in Scotland's history. This talk will examine these events and explore Linlithgow's significance in late medieval Scotland.  This evening is sponsored by Mill Lane Motors. Book tickets online here.

Thursday 24th October at 2pm in the Museum Community Room, will be Dr Tom Brown.
Wombs, Witches and Wars - a history of psychosomatic illness through the ages

Tom is a retired Consultant Psychiatrist and we have wanted to bring him to the museum for a long time now. This will be a really fascinating afternoon. 

Friday 15th November at 7pm in St Peter’s Church we welcome Linlithgow’s own resident historian Bruce Jamieson.
Mary Stewart: Fact and Fiction

Bruce was the Principal Teacher of History at Linlithgow Academy, has been Provost of the Deacons Court and writes regularly about the history of the town. We are delighted that he will present an evening for us on Mary Queen of Scots is Linlithgow’s most famous “Black Bitch”. But what were her Linlithgow connections and how true to her life is the recent movie starring Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie and Bathgate boy David Tennant? Bruce will investigate and present the findings.

Tickets for all three talks will cost £5 each and will include a cuppa. All proceeds will go to the upkeep of our wonderful new Museum.

Tickets are now available in person from the Museum. shop or online here.