Undiscovered Scotland

 

"Campaigning for Edinburgh: The Cockburn Association 1875–2049" by Richard Rodger and Cliff Hague is an outstanding book that should be considered essential reading by anyone with any interest at all in Edinburgh's past, present and future. If you were to stumble over it while browsing in a bookshop, it would be all too easy to think it was a book about the Cockburn Association. It is, but the association's pivotal role in influencing what Edinburgh has become over the past 150 years, and what it might become over the next 25, means that this is fundamentally a book about Edinburgh itself.

In his foreword, Alexander McCall Smith talks of Edinburgh being "one of the loveliest cities in Europe..." and suggests that it "keeps company with Venice, Paris and Florence." Some of us would content it's simply the best city on Earth, but either way it's agreed that Edinburgh is a city whose past, present and future matter far beyond the realm of those who live, work or study in it or can trace their origins back to it. The book takes a largely chronological look at Edinburgh's development over the time since the Cockburn Association was formed and the story that emerges is well told, fascinating and at times surprising. The production values are superb and the wealth of old photographs and maps are beautifully presented. This is an important book that deserves to be widely read.

You get a sense of the content from the publisher's description: "In 1849 Henry Cockburn asked: what will Edinburgh look like in 1949 or in 2049? He inspired Britain’s first amenity society – the Cockburn Association – the city’s civic watchdog, which, since 1875, has campaigned to protect and enhance for future generations the unique features that make Edinburgh ‘Edinburgh’. Campaigning for Edinburgh tells that story: one of active stewardship, showing how citizen involvement can, and should, be key to the planning, development and management of places. The book also looks forward, imagining what the city might be like in 2049."

"Like Cockburn himself, the Association has been passionate about trees and green spaces for the people, conservation of historic buildings, Edinburgh’s unique vistas and dramatic skylines. Generations of volunteers have given their time and talents to resist a splurge of intrusive advertising, elevated motorways, the destruction of the Old Town and today’s overtourism."

"Change is constant, bringing many challenges: trams (old and new), mass car ownership, use of concrete, financial and environmental crises. Campaigning for Edinburgh tells why, how and by whom the Cockburn Association has grappled with these, and what needs to be done between now and 2049 to pass on the wonders of this city, a World Heritage Site, to our children, grandchildren and visitors."