Plague & Improvement, the Reality of Edinburgh New Town, talk by Tony Lewis

This talk reviews the motives for planning and building Edinburgh's New Town as a direct response to the threat of plague in 1720.
About this Event

The talk reviews the motives for planning and building Edinburgh's New Town as a direct response to the threat of plague in 1720. Edinburgh Town Council responded to directions given by the national government, and, in so doing, this presentation will account for what the magistrates did, who they took advice from, and how the situation developed between 1720 and 1725. It touches upon George Drummond's plan to make Edinburgh a healthier city; the foundations of the Infirmary hospital and how the New Town became legacy projects. However, the work that architects did to plan and prepare the city for Georgian Britain's largest urban planning project should not be overlooked.

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Anthony Lewis was born, bred and educated in Edinburgh. He has worked for Glasgow Life Museums since 1991 and from 2006 has been its curator of Scottish History. In 2006 he was awarded his PhD on the builders of Edinburgh's first New Town by Edinburgh University. A book based on it was published in 2014. From 2006 to present he has authored several essays on Edinburgh's New Town. This talk is based on his latest one which will be published next year. He has also authored publications on wider Scottish history, Glasgow's history and Glasgow Life's museum collections for which he has also curated displays and exhibitions.