HUNTLY HOUSE

Evening Star, Issue 19519, 29 March 1927, Page 1

HUNTLY HOUSE

HOME FCH APPLIED ARTS A scheme for the utilisation of the famous old Huntl.y House, in the Canongate, as a permanent centre for , the exhibition of examples of industrial and artistic craftwork in Edinburgli, was put forward recently at a meeting held under the auspices of the Edinburgh and East of Scotland Association, of Goldsmiths.. . _ Mr Frank O. Mears. architect, raised tho question during a lecture on . ‘ Huntly House, Canongate, and its : Surroundings.’ Mr Mears explained I that. Himtlv House now belonged'to the | corporation, and might be regarded ns an index of what whs to happen in rel gard to the future reconstruction of parts of tho old town. The: corporation might at great cost reconstruct these old houses as dwelling-places. They might as an alternative decide to make use of such old houses for their sites for public purposes. If they could improve Huntlv House, and arouse more ; interest in Canongate,, they would be i increasing the progress toward a 1 real 1 revival-of tho historic mile. That, he considered, preferable to trying artificially to improve conditions that would not improve, because tho people could not,. live helpfully in old congested closes. Huntly- House could be converted into a charming exhibition house. As an Exhibition House of Edinburgh Crafts it might porlim-w become. tbo centre pi an Edinburgli Civic | Week, and a centre of propaganda for j Edinburgh work at its best I Mr Robert Wilson thought the scheme indicated by Mr Means was oi supremo importance to the oily. As a printer he was interested in the exi hibition of exa,mules of tho best m | Edinburgh printing, and bo was sure tho goldsmiths would feel the same about, their craft

1 r.r Wilson M’Larcu urged that if 1 Huntly House were reconstructed, the first,claim upon it should bo as a ■ museum for the purpose of collecting and preserving relics associated with the i old Burgh of Canongate. j Mr Robert Burns, president of the I Society' of Scottish Artists, said that j there would be ample room in Huntly I House for the scheme suggested. Some ..of; their Edinburgh' crafts were disappearing. simplv because people did not know about them. Curiously enough. while these things were neglected by the citizens manv _ visitors from America and the Continent mine, to Edinburgh to patronise these very craft*.