Edinburgh’s Christmas – Stained Glass Window Project

Edinburgh’s Christmas is in full swing, and you can happily spend a day on skates, swings and helter-skelters, partaking of pancakes, pies and pretzels and enjoying everything else the markets have to offer.

If, however, you should find yourself growing weary of the stalls and the scent of mulled wine and gingerbread (surely hard to imagine!) then take a stroll down the smaller avenue overlooking Santa Land and you’ll find a surprise there.

Out in the Christmassy air of the Princes Street Gardens, The Stained Glass Window Project is a collaborative enterprise between Edinburgh primary schools and local businesses, in which children from around the city have created designs for stained glass windows. The best entries are now on display.

The theme for this year’s exhibition is ‘winter’, and the project has certainly inspired some suitably seasonal works.

Every one of the 21 ‘windows’ is charming. Our favourites included a woolly mammoth design by Abi Macmillan from St John’s RC Primary, a minimalist portrayal of the Edinburgh skyline by Finn Latimer of Trinity Primary, and a window reminiscent of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” by Hannah Richardson of Hermitage Park Primary.

The City of Edinburgh Council Arts & Creative Learning Team rightly commended the lovely tree design from Sam Worley of Roseburn Primary, but all of these window designs are to be commended for showing us the creative talents and imagination of our city’s schoolchildren.

Taking pride of place along an avenue in the Christmas Market, found by following directions to Santa Land, this project is a reminder of the delights of Christmas for those of us perhaps disheartened by the videos of members of the public beating each other out of the way to reach the last cheap television on Black Friday.

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well; take a break from the festive frenzy and find it here, in the centre of Scotland’s capital.

Supported by the Edinburgh City Council and the Underbelly.

Contributors:

Broughton Primary: Maya Davidson

Corstorphine Primary: Aidan Gribble

Forthview Primary: Sagal Ayaanle

Fox Covert RC Primary: Leigh Macdonald

Hermitage Park Primary: Hannah Richardson

Holy Cross Primary: Annelise Allan

Nether Currie Primary: Finlay Owen

Roseburn Primary: Maya Williamson

Sam Worley (commended by CEC Arts & Creative Learning   Team)

Sighthill Primary: Gab Peter

St David’s RC Primary: Ben Forbes

St John’s RC Primary: Abi Macmillan

St Mary’s RC Primary: Antonia Puchala & Reiss Gallagher

Trinity Primary: Finn Latimer

Victoria Primary: Ella Johnson