Royal Week
Following an early morning dress rehearsal for Wednesday’s events, it is now full on Royal Week in Edinburgh.
Today there will be a Royal Garden party in the garden at the Palace of Holyroodhouse where some white tents may be needed if the weather is not the best.
The Edinburgh Reporter spoke to some of the forces involved in the rehearsal on Monday morning:
The King and Queen arrived in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon to a 21-gun salute from Edinburgh Castle fired by 10 (Assaye) Battery, 47 Regiment Royal Artillery.
Lieutenant Hattie Sumner, Troop Commander, said: “I feel very lucky to take part in such an occasion, especially coming from a Regiment that doesn’t work with guns on a daily basis.”
Major Adrian Vipond, Battery Commander, also said: “It was an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to support such an occasion.”
The military are playing a central role as always with members of The Royal Regiment of Scotland provided Guard at Holyrood House Palace and Edinburgh Castle and will continue to do so whilst The King is in residence in Edinburgh.
It is not everyone’s cup of tea of course and already the co-leaders of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie MSP and Lorna Slater MSP have said they will not accept their invitations to a ceremony taking place in Edinburgh on Wednesday at St Giles’. Instead they will attend an anti-monarchy rally outside The Scottish Parliament.
The full length of the Royal Mile and areas around Holyrood have been cordoned off by barriers in anticipation of the crowds expected to congregate in Edinburgh. There was a visible police presence along the route of the processions which will take place ahead of a thanksgiving service in St Giles’.
Bonaly Road – major gas replacement works
Scottish Gas Networks (SGN) have just begun a 13 week long project to upgrade the gas network on Bonaly Road. The essential work will involve replacing 400 metres of metallic gas mains with new plastic pipe. The supplier says this will ensure the safe and reliable supply of gas in the locality as well as ensuring that the network is prepared in the event that hydrogen or any other green source of energy is used in future.
There are details of the works which have deliberately been programmed for the school holidays to avoid as much disruption as possible on this website here.
Floral Clock
The Floral Clock was unveiled yesterday at a small ceremony in Princes Street Gardens by the Rt Hon Lord Provost.
This year it commemorates the centenary of Flying Scotsman.
- The clock was created in 1903 and is the oldest floral clock in the world
- It is housed in the plinth of the Allan Ramsay Monument at the north-east corner of West Princes Street Gardens
- Planting begins in May each year
- Up to 50,000 plants are used in the design each year (compared to 13,000 in the 1930s; 25,000 in the 1950s)
- 1952 – a cuckoo clock was added and still chimes every 15 minutes
- In 1946 the clock began celebrating a different event or anniversary each year
- 1973 – when the clock began being operated electrically
- 2003 – the clock won a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show
- Clock circumference: 36 ft
- Clock width: 11 ft 10 ins
- Weight of large hand (when filled with plants): 80lbs
- Weight of small hand (when filled with plants): 50lbs
- Floral clocks are now distributed worldwide and many were made in Edinburgh, where the idea originated
- They can be found in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, South America, United States of America, Canada and many other European countries
Grassroots sport
Bill Lothian, a veteran sports journalist, is now writing for The Edinburgh Reporter and you will be able to read his column in our paper each month as well as here online in individual articles.
If you are involved in sport at local level then Bill would love to hear from you.
Email him any news here – billlothian1008@gmail.com
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Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
