Reviving the Trinity Stones
Exhibition & Outreach Programme
All events are at the Museum of Edinburgh, open 10am-5pm everyday except Monday and Tuesday, and are free to attend.
EXHIBITION
9th May - 28th June 2026
Reviving the Trinity Stones
Medieval Edinburgh's Forgotten Royal Masterpiece
Our exhibition tells the story of the Trinity Collegiate Church, medieval Edinburgh’s forgotten royal masterpiece. Founded over 560 years ago, by Queen Mary of Guelders, the church was the most sophisticated and beautiful example of gothic architecture in Scotland. Discover how it was celebrated, demolished, forgotten and revived.
Located on the ground floor with no booking required.
TALKS
The talks are held in the lecture room which is only accessible via three flights of stairs. Attendance is free but booking is required. After each talk there is an opportunity to visit the exhibition with the speakers and weather permitting, the courtyard, to see some of the fascinating Trinity Stones.
Saturday 16th May
Jill Harrison & Hetty Lancaster
Medieval Jigsaw Puzzle, Modern Treasure Hunt:
the Story of the Trinity Stones Project
Join us to hear the story of a young queen’s personal passion for the Trinity Collegiate Church. Learn more about this once celebrated medieval masterpiece, its 19th century destruction to make way for the railway and the dramatic arguments that followed. Discover the fate of the Trinity Stones in the 21st century and join our treasure hunt to find, protect and preserve these precious fragments which are still emerging from gardens and parks all over Edinburgh.Saturday 30th May
Jill Harrison & Hetty Lancaster
Scents, Sights, & Sounds:
Experiencing the Trinity
Try to imagine yourself back in fifteenth-century Edinburgh, entering the soaring spaces of the Trinity Church, hearing the music, experiencing the scent of beeswax candles, incense and herbs. Imagine looking at the lavish church furnishings, including the glorious Trinity Altarpiece and meeting its commissioner, Sir Edward Bonkil, bedecked in squirrel furs. Join the Bedesmen from the Trinity Hospital, or the visitors from the Port of Leith who attend the special mass for travellers. The Trinity was the place to see and be seen, experience its significance, then and now.
Saturday 13th June
Jill Harrison & Hetty Lancaster
People & Places:
Discovering Medieval Edinburgh
The fifteenth-century is when Edinburgh emerged as the nation’s capital, developing into a royal, religious, and economic hub but what was it like to live in? Discover who was walking through the streets when the Trinity Church was being built and what they saw as they went about their daily lives. Learn about the role of different spaces around the Burgh and what activities shaped the weeks and months of the year.
Saturday 27th June
Jill Harrison & Hetty Lancaster
Royal Treasure or Lost Cause:
What next for the Trinity Stones?
Discover where some of the precious lost Trinity stones are now. How can we preserve and protect them - and what remains of the Trinity church - and give them a better future? Hear about the challenges they face and help us find new, creative ways to make them relevant in the 21stcentury. Share your thoughts with us in this final and perhaps most important talk. Tell us what the stones and the church mean to you and find out what you might do to help us write a happy ending to the Trinity story.
WALKS
The walk will cover about 1.5miles and will go up-and-down many steep closes. Attendance is free but booking is required.
Thursday 21st May, 4th June & 18th June
Hetty Lancaster
Walking Medieval Edinburgh
Take a stroll through the city streets and reconnect with fifteenth-century Edinburgh. Starting from the Museum of Edinburgh, we’ll visit locations that were important places and spaces to try and conjure up a picture of life in the medieval Burgh. Along the way we’ll see the Trinity Apse as it stands today, and some of its scattered stones, before finishing at the National Museum of Scotland.
Fundraising
While the Reviving the Trinity Stones Project was funded by the Old Edinburgh Club, the outreach programme has been funded by many amazing donors who responded to our request for extra funds. These generous donations have allowed us to hire lecture space and equipment for our talks and produce comprehensive written and visual information about the church, the stones and the importance of their architectural and historical heritage.
Our fundraiser remains open and if you are able to donate even a small amount we will be forever grateful. Any funds raised over our target amount will go towards the next stage of the project - a virtual 3D reconstruction of the Trinity Church!We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our amazing donors. This wouldn't have been possible without you.
