Gladstone's Land Accessibility Guide
Join us as we uncover the fascinating and complex story of Jane Pirie, a former resident of Gladstone’s Land. In 1810, Pirie and fellow teacher Marianne Woods became embroiled in a scandalous defamation case after a student accused them of being in a same-sex relationship. Their lengthy legal battle later inspired The Children’s Hour (1961), starring Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine.
At the turn of the 19th century, Edinburgh was a city of contrasts. The New Town embodied Enlightenment ideals—rationality, progress, and order—while the Old Town remained cramped and medieval, steeped in tradition. Jane Pirie moved between these two worlds, with ties to both of the National Trust for Scotland’s historic properties. She grew up in lodgings at Gladstone’s Land in the heart of the Old Town and later worked at a school near The Georgian House in the elegant New Town.
This talk will explore the dramatic events that shaped Pirie’s life and what followed, examining how race, gender, sexuality, and class intersected in early 19th-century Edinburgh.
Doors open: 6:30pm
Talk starts: 7pm
This talk will be delivered by Indigo Dunphy-Smith, who works as part of the Visitor Services team at The Georgian House and is the co-chair of the LGBT Network for The National Trust for Scotland. Indigo has recently launched a toolkit in partnership with the Queer Heritage and Collections Network to help Historic properties explore LGBTQ+ narratives within established collections. As part of The National Trust for Scotland's ten-year strategy, Nature, Beauty and Heritage for everyone, we have been exploring the lives of people who lived outside societal conventions. Part of this venture has included revisiting our interpretation of people who are associated with our built heritage.
