Colinton Literary Society

An Invitation to The Lit  

The 114th season of Colinton Literary Society commenced on Wednesday 14th October 2026. Meetings and events take place each Wednesday evening and will end after the AGM on 3rd March 2027. Meetings are held in the Dreghorn Loan Hall, Colinton, EH13 0DE.

Tea, coffee and wine are served from 7:30pm and provide an opportunity for members and friends to socialise before the talk or event commences at 8pm. The evening finishes at around 9pm. Membership costs just £15 for the full programme of 16 meetings, or £3 per meeting for visitors. New members of all ages are assured of a warm welcome.  

Our programme covers both literary topics and those of general interest from across the entire community from which our membership is drawn. Proposals for future talks may be handed in to the Programme Co-ordinator at any time. Talks and events for the 2026-2027 session are listed below:

The Lit Programme:

14th Oct / Is there a Pigeon in the House? Cameron Wylie, former Principal at George Heriot’s School, talks about his work in education.

21st Oct / Stiff Upper Lip. Alex Renton, author, journalist and broadcaster, tells us what goes on in Britain’s boarding schools

28th Oct / Falkland’s Lady of Ostrabrama:  Kath Hay tells the story of the connection between the icon above the city gates of Vilnius, Lithuania, and the chapel in Falkland Palace, Fife.

4th Nov / Bombing of Edinburgh and Leith:  Former police detective, Tom Wood, tells the story of the almost forgotten German bombing raids on Edinburgh during WW2.

11th Nov / Harvie’s Dyke:  Christopher Whatley explains the story of 19th century struggles for public rights of way

18th Nov / HMS Pinafore:  Music Director David Lyle and colleagues present the much-loved G&S opera

25th Nov / Re-wilding the Epics:  Author Donald Smith sources tales from Ossian, Columba, Arthur and Merlin for a look at our lives today

2nd Dec / Members’ Buffet Supper with entertainment provided by the Glencairn Ensemble 

13th Jan / Impact-based Weather Warnings: With 40 years Met Office experience, Graeme Forrester discusses weather warnings

20th Jan / Bletchley Park Revealed: Derek Douglas explains the background to Bletchley Park and the role it played in WW2

27th Jan / The Bright Mountain: Drawing on myths embedded in the landscape, Dougie Strang explores Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage

3rd Feb / Shakespeare in Context: The Dovecot Singers and David Dow take us on a musical tour

10th Feb / The Accidental Crime Writer: Acclaimed poet Claire Askew became an author by chance – how did that happen?

17th Feb / Assassins and Secret Listeners: Alistair Moffat uncovers half-forgotten stories of WW2

24th Feb / Where do we Draw the Line? Sir Paul Grice looks at free speech in its wider, social context

3rd Mar / AGM followed by Ian Gardiner’s talk about Alexander of Macedon

History of the Colinton Literary Society

The Rev. D. Norman Maclean founded Colinton Parish Church Literary Society (the ‘Lit’) in October 1903 with three Members of the congregation.

They met in a wood and corrugated building in Dreghorn Loan, known as the Old Tin Hall.  For more than 100 years the Lit programmes have covered both literary topics and those of general interest across the entire community from whom our membership is drawn.

The name of the Society was changed to Colinton Literary Society in 2024 ​when the Parish of Colinton united with the Parish of Juniper Green.  Colinton Literary Society remains an official church organisation in the new parish of Edinburgh Pentlands Parish.

The Lit has hosted many eminent academics, authors, artists and musicians at its events. ​In 1911, Sir Ernest Shackleton gave a lecture entitled ‘Furthest South’ and in 2011, author Ian Rankin let us into his secrets of crime writing and now, in our 2023-2024 season, experts in the fields of history, music, politics and art will enthrall us again.

The Committee

You can contact the Programme Coordinator and Secretary directly by email (above)