Our November 2013 meeting
Children’s Gardens in the dark places of the Old Town — Jean Bareham
Our speaker on 19th November was Jean Bareham who introduced us to some of the gardens of the Royal Mile and in particular The Children’s Gardens in the dark places of the Old Town. She described many of the old green spaces some of which have been improved considerably in recent years. However she particularly introduced us to the garden in Campbell’s Close (next to Clarinda’s Tearoom). This was the site of the first Kindergarden in Edinburgh. This new garden was laid out in 2010 to replace the rather drab area of grass previously there. Edinburgh Council now look after the grass area while the plots of flowers and vegetables are tended by local residents.
While some of the gardens are private there are many others accessible to the public at all times. She certainly encouraged some members to look beyond the frontage of the Royal Mile to see what lurks behind.