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                  Cockburn Association

                  The Cockburn Association was founded in 1875 to promote and encourage the care and conservation of Edinburgh’s unique architectural and landscape heritage.  

                  The Association is one of the oldest conservation, planning and architectural advocacy organisations in the world.  It takes its name from Lord Cockburn (1779-1854), a renown Scottish lawyer, judge and literary figure, who can claim to be one of Scotland’s first conservationists.  His 1849 publication A Letter to the Lord Provost on the Best Ways of Spoiling the Beauty of Edinburgh provided the inspiration to establish a popular organisation and it remains as relevant today as when it was first penned.

                  The Cockburn Association’s objectives are to promote and encourage:  

                  1. the maintenance, improvement and promotion of the amenity of the City of Edinburgh and its neighbourhood;
                  2. the protection, preservation and conservation of the City’s landscape and historic and architectural heritage.

                  From the outset, the Association’s ambitions have been forward-looking.  At its inaugural meeting in 1875, it expressed its initial objectives as creating publicly accessible green spaces for recreation; reducing air and water pollution; regulating and improving building standards and preserving the best of the city’s existing architecture treasures. 

                  Today, its concerns range from conservation of the city’s architectural heritage, to the liberalization of planning and other regulatory systems guiding good development, and to the commodification of civic spaces and overtourism.   

                  Archive Access and Management 

                  The Cockburn Association’s Archive Collections provide a rich resource on heritage, amenity and development issues and history.  They include: 

                  • The official Archive records of the Association including records of its governing Council and Committees, correspondence, Annual Reports, newsletters and other publications. 
                  • A valuable collection of photographs, plans, submissions and other documents relating to specific policy and development casework, ranging from architectural proposals to major public policy initiatives and issues in which the Association has been involved over the years.  
                  • Substantial Boxes including collection of pamphlets, reports, publications and other materials relating to planning in Edinburgh. 

                  Cataloguing and partial digitisation of the archives collections is currently in progress. This forms part of the 150th anniversary activities over the course of 2025-26, with the intention of publishing on-line core material such as Annual Reports, Newsletters and Minutes of meetings.  

                  Materials can be accessed by researchers by appointment at the Cockburn’s premises in Edinburgh. Digital or print copies may also be provided for relevant materials, subject to a fee and subject to any copyright or other restrictions.  

                  The Cockburn Association

                  Trunk’s Close, 55 High Street 

                  Edinburgh  EH1 1SR 

                  T: (44)131-557-8686 

                  www.cockburnassociation.org.uk 

                  archives@cockburnassociation.org.uk 

                  For more information, view Cockburn Association repository page

                  Your Scottish Archives online Q&A: Thursday 20th March

                  Join us for an opportunity to discuss Your Scottish Archives, the online portal designed to enhance access to Scotland’s rich archival collections.

                  Date: Thursday 20th March 2025

                  Time: 10:00-11:00am, via Zoom

                  Developed by the Scottish Council on Archives in collaboration with Archives Hub, Your Scottish Archives will improve how users discover and engage with Scotland’s archives. The portal will improve the level of access to archive collections available to current and potential users; provide more opportunities for engagement both physically and virtually; and includes resources for members of the public, historians, researchers and genealogists who wish to interact with, understand and use Scotland’s archives.

                  This webinar is aimed at organisations based in Scotland who are interested in contributing descriptions of their archive collections to Your Scottish Archives. We can cover questions on cataloguing requirements, contributor workflows and anything else that might be useful if you are thinking about getting involved!

                  Why attend this session?

                  • Learn how your archive service can become a contributor
                  • Understand the process of contributing and updating your data
                  • Ask the team your questions

                  Sign up via Eventbrite

                  Your Scottish Archives Day: Your Scottish Archives portal

                  Do you want to make your collections searchable on one consolidated site and join over 100 archives across Scotland participating in Your Scottish Archives? Or do you just want to find out more about the project and hear more about Scottish archives?

                  Join the Archives & Records Association on Friday 28th of February at the Mitchell Library in Glasgow and be introduced to the YSA Portal.

                  The event will include speakers from various institutions who have made their collections available on the portal, as well as speakers from the Scottish Council on Archives who will introduce the project and explain how you can get started making your collections available on the portal.

                  There will then be time for attendees to discuss their experiences with sharing their archive collections, followed by time for refreshments and networking, and an opportunity to view a selection of items from Glasgow City Archives.

                  Confirmed Speakers:

                  • John Pelan, Scottish Council on Archives
                  • Barbara McLean, Glasgow City Archives
                  • Harvey Kaplan, Scottish Jewish Archives Centre
                  • Grania Diver, Scottish Council on Archives

                  Schedule:
                  09:30 – Registration
                  10:00 – event start, introduction
                  10:30 – speakers
                  11:30 – coffee break
                  12:00 – speakers
                  13:00 – conclusion to speakers, time for discussion, lunch and networking
                  14:00 – event close

                  Booking costs: ARA members free and Non members £5

                  Bookings will close on Friday 21st February at 5pm.

                  If you have any questions about this event please contact us at arascotland@archives.org.uk

                  Find out more and book via Eventbrite.

                  YSA is live!

                  The new Your Scottish Archives portal was launched on Tuesday 10th December 2024, at the SCA Annual Conference in Stirling.

                  Your Scottish Archives is a unique project to gather and make available worldwide, through a dynamic online portal, catalogue descriptions from archives across Scotland, including local authority, health, business and community archives, and records of under-represented groups. This major new resource is managed by the Scottish Council on Archives (SCA) partnering with Jisc/Archives Hub. It will build capacity amongst archive holders and develop skills, particularly amongst local communities, making an enormous contribution to the wider heritage sector by improving access to Scotland’s documented past.

                  Your Scottish Archives (YSA) currently display catalogue entries from over sixty Scottish repositories, including local authority, universities, heritage organisations and community groups. It is packed with guidance, links and resources for all users of online archive, both experienced and new.

                  This is phase one of the site. Phase two in spring 2025 will include improved hierarchical display of records and search functionality. As the site grows, we hope more repositories will contribute catalogues descriptions.

                  For all comments and questions please email your@scottisharchives.org.uk

                  Call for Applications: A Year in the Life of a Community Archive 2025

                  person with blue vinyl gloves handling document with more documents lying on table

                  Would you like to be archive of the year featured on the Scottish Council on Archives website?

                   

                  It’s an opportunity to highlight the work that you do, all your activities, the challenges you face and the opportunities you capture.

                  Take a look at this year’s archive that we have followed: the Museum of Scottish Railways Archive.

                   

                  What’s involved:

                  • monthly blogs
                  • photographs and/or videos
                  • time commitment of approximately an hour a week (more at the beginning while we set things up)

                   

                  What you will gain:

                  • develop your relationship with SCA
                  • access to opportunities through our networks
                  • able to promote the work you have been doing to the wider sector

                   

                  You must be based in Scotland to apply.

                  If you are interested please fill out our short application survey.

                  Your Scottish Archives to be launched at SCA Annual Conference

                  The SCA Annual Conference on 10th December 2024, Building Evidence will explore how archives and records support engagement with, conservation of, and research into Scotland’s historic environment. The event will be structured around the three priority areas of Our Past, Our Future – The Strategy for Scotland’s Historic Environment:

                  1. Delivering the transition to net zero
                  2. Empowering resilient and inclusive communities and places
                  3. Building a wellbeing economy

                  In addition to these key themes, Building Evidence will shine a spotlight on the urgent need for a national strategy for archives and records in Scotland, ensuring their preservation and relevance for future generations.

                  The new Your Scottish Archives portal will be launched at the conference.

                  Death records – Church of Scotland

                  Burial registers of Church of Scotland churches before the introduction of civil registration are mainly held by National Records of Scotland (NRS) and are available through the ScotlandsPeople website as part of the ‘Old Parish Registers’ or OPRs. Burial and death registers after 1855 remain the property of the church and therefore should be held by NRS or by a local archives service under the charge and superintendence of NRS.

                  When civil registration was introduced in 1855, Church of Scotland churches were required to transfer their existing parish registers of deaths or burials to the General Register Office for Scotland in Edinburgh, along with registers of baptisms or births and registers of banns of marriages or marriages.[1] All registers created before 1819 were to be transferred immediately and those created between 1820 and 1855 were to be transferred after 30 years. Not every kirk session complied with this requirement. Some sessions objected, seeing this as interference in church matters by the state. Some records were complicated, with entries of baptisms, marriages and burials included in the same volumes as minutes of session, and in these cases, the cost of making copies of the registers for transmission to Edinburgh could be reimbursed by the government. There are instances where copies were retained by the session and the originals sent to Edinburgh, and vice versa. Some kirk sessions recorded baptisms, burials and marriages in a single register. The National Records of Scotland estimates about a third of parish churches did not maintain burial registers at all.

                  Registers created after 1855 did not have to be transferred to the General Register Office for Scotland and were generally kept along with other church records. Changes in how burial grounds were run, however, resulted in the transfer of church graveyards to the civil authorities between 1894 and 1925, and so the survival of church burial registers is patchy.

                  Researchers today therefore should start looking for pre-1855 burial and death registers through ScotlandsPeople. To find out if a burial register is held for a parish, try searching on the OPR death indexes for the parish name alone (i.e. without entering the name of an individual). Then look for any burial registers or mortcloth records held as part of the church records (NRS reference codes CH2 and CH3). For post-1855 burials, look for burial registers in the church records and also in the records of parish councils and their local authority successors.

                   

                  Related Knowledge Base entries

                  Burial

                  Mortcloths

                   

                  References

                  [1] Registration of births, deaths and marriages (Scotland) Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict. c. 80), s.18.

                  Women’s Suffrage

                  In 1918 Scottish women were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time. To find out more about how they were enfranchised as a result of a women’s suffrage movement, and to find the answers to frequently asked questions on the subject, see below.

                  Origins of the women’s suffrage movement

                  The 1832 Reform Act (Scotland) extended the electorate in Scotland from 4,500 to 65,000, but still excluded the majority of men and all women from the vote. During the second half of the nineteenth century the idea of universal suffrage, including women, was at least discussed in political and social movements, such as Owenite socialism, chartism and anti-slavery associations. In the 1860s a women’s movement in Scotland could be said to have begun, whose impetus came largely from associations and individuals in Edinburgh, and which was linked to agitation to allow women into universities, especially medical schools. The 1884 Reform Act still excluded women from voting in parliamentary elections, but by this time women were voting in school board elections and being elected to school boards.

                  The struggle intensifies

                  From 1905 onwards increasingly militant acts indicated a loss of patience in certain sections of the movement with the process of debate and legal challenge. Disruption of political meetings and public lectures, demonstrations, and attempts to enter the House of Commons coincided with increasing police brutality during the arrest of suffragettes and forcible feeding of suffragette prisoners on hunger strike. From 1912 protest escalated with suffragettes smashing shop windows; attempting arson at high-profile buildings, such as railway stations, sports grounds, and racecourses; and disrupting the mail by pouring corrosive liquids into post boxes. Militant protest was suspended in 1914 at the outbreak of the First World War. The 1918 Electoral Reform Act enfranchised most women over 30 years of age, and women were allowed to stand for parliament for the first time.

                  Contributors: Alison Rosie, David Brown (both National Archives of Scotland, 2002), Robin Urquhart (SCAN, 2002).

                  Related Knowledge Base entries

                  Voting Qualifications

                  Bibliography

                  Leah Leneman, A Guid cause: the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland revised edition (Mercat Press, 1995)

                  Elspeth King, The Hidden History of Glasgow Women (Mainstream, 1993).

                  Where will I find information about suffragette activity in my part of Scotland for a school project?

                  Firstly, read Leah Leneman, A Guid cause: the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland (Mercat Press, 1991) and Elspeth King, The Hidden History of Glasgow Women (Mainstream, 1993). Secondly, get hold of a copy of Glasgow City Archive’s resource pack, Scottish Women and the Vote. There are copies for reference at Glasgow City Archives, the Mitchell Library in Glasgow, and the National Library of Scotland, and your school libraries and resources staff may have a copy. Then try searching local newspapers in your local library or online through the British Newspaper Archive website (available free of charge in the National Library of Scotland or with a subscription elsewhere) <https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/> [accessed 28 April 2024].  If you do not find anything local, ask your local archives servce if they hold any records relating to suffragettes.  If they do hold records, you should be prepared to spend some time visiting the archives service.

                  What records will there be on a specific suffragette?

                  Firstly check Leah Leneman, A Guid cause: the women’s suffrage movement in Scotland (Mercat Press, 1991) and Elspeth King, The Hidden History of Glasgow Women (Mainstream, 1993). These may mention the individual you are researching and suggest specific sources.

                  Next try local sources. Many newspapers are now available through the British Newspaper Archive website (available free of charge in the National Library of Scotland or with a subscription elsewhere) <https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/> [accessed 28 April 2024]. The local studies library for each area usually holds back-copies of local newspapers, and the library staff may be able to advise on other local history books about the area concerned, which contain references to local suffragettes.

                  If the action of the suffragette concerned led to a court case, ascertain from the newspaper account which court was involved. The records of sheriff courts, High Court of Justiciary and Advocate’s Department records are held in the National Records of Scotland, but you need to come armed with as much information as possible, such as the covering dates of the trial, and you may need to make at least two separate visits to order material and then (after at least two days’ notice) to carry out the research.

                  Other material relating to suffragette cases held by the National Records of Scotland exist in the Home & Health Department records and in private family papers. You might find it useful to look at the guide to record sources on suffragettes: Investigating Suffragettes in the National Archives, from the National Records of Scotland. This will give you a flavour of the kind of information you might find in these records. If your local archive office holds police records, these may include photographs of suffragettes arrested by the police.

                  A selection of historical sources is published by Glasgow City Archives in their resource pack: Scottish Women and the Vote, available from Glasgow City Archives, Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow G3 7DN. The records of the Glasgow & West of Scotland Association for Women’s Suffrage are held by the Rare Books & Manuscripts Department, the Mitchell Library, Glasgow (reference 891036. The whereabouts of the records of other suffragette associations can be found in Ian MacDougall, Labour Records in Scotland (Scottish Labour History Society, 1978).

                  Witchcraft in Scotland

                  Fear of witchcraft affected many areas of Scotland in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and, as a result, several hundred witchcraft trials were held in Scotland in that period. For more information about witchcraft in Scotland, details of historical records and frequently asked questions about witchcraft see below.

                  Fear of witches and witchcraft trials

                  Persecution of supposed witches started in medieval times. However, in Scotland the phenomenon became most intense between 1563 and about 1700, when witchcraft was a criminal offence punishable by death. Popular fear of witchcraft may have increased after the Reformation, although the shortage of record sources prior to the reign of James VI makes this difficult to verify. Witch-hunting was suppressed by the Cromwellian administration of the 1650s, but witch-hunts reappeared in various parts of Scotland in the last quarter of the 17th century. The method of execution was normally strangulation, following which the body was burnt in public to prevent re-animation by demonic forces. After 1763 courts could only prosecute for ‘pretended witchcraft’ and impose a maximum penalty of a year’s imprisonment. Cases could be investigated by local church courts or landowners’ courts, but most trials were conducted by special justiciary commissions sent from Edinburgh. Trials often took place in the burgh nearest to the alleged crime, since towns had gaols to hold the accused, buildings in which a large court could sit and the financial resources to accommodate a trial and stage an execution.

                  Archive sources for witchcraft trials

                  Although sources in the National Records of Scotland have been extensively examined by researchers, sources for the study of witchcraft in local areas do not appear to have been similarly examined. The phenomenon of witchcraft in Scotland and its investigation by church and civil authorities merits further investigation, including the differentiation by some courts between superstitious charming and witchcraft, and the treatment of witchcraft accusations in cases of slander.

                  Contributors: David Brown, Alison Rosie (both National Archives of Scotland, 2002); Christine Lodge (Highland Council Archives, 2002); Robin Urquhart (SCAN, 2002).

                  Bibliography

                  Black, G. F., Calendar of Cases of Witchcraft in Scotland, 1510-1727 (New York Public Library, 1938).

                  Larner, Christina Enemies of God: the witch hunt in Scotland (John Donald, 2000)

                  Larner, Christina, C. H. Lee, and H. V. McLachlan, A Source Book of Scottish Witchcraft (University of Glasgow, 1977)

                  Levack, Brian P Witch-hunting in Scotland: law, politics and religion (Routledge, 2019)

                  Goodare, Julian, Lauren Martin and Joyce Miller Witchcraft and belief in early modern Scotland (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008)

                  What sources are available for the study of witchcraft in Scotland for undergraduate and postgraduate students?

                  First read Christina Larner, Enemies of God: the witch hunt in Scotland (John Donald, 2000); and then consult the unpublished calendar of witchcraft cases C. Larner, C. H. Lee, & H. V. McLachlan, Source Book of Scottish Witchcraft (there are copies at the National Records of Scotland, Glasgow University Library, and the National Library of Scotland). An earlier and less comprehensive work is G. F. Black, Calendar of Cases of Witchcraft in Scotland, 1510-1727 (New York, 1938).

                  Most witchcraft prosecutions required a commission of justice from Edinburgh and a local court (often a burgh) to make the necessary arrangements. The principal judicial sources on witchcraft cases are the trial records from the Justiciary Court and the Privy Council. These have been published for most of the period in which witch hunts took place in Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 1554-1691 (Edinburgh 1882-1967); R. Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland (Edinburgh, 1833); Justiciary Cases, 1624-50 3 vols (Stair Society, 1953-1974); Justiciary Records, 1661-78 2 vols (Scottish History Society,1905).

                  There may be additional material in the family papers of local landowners and the minute books of local church courts (kirk sessions and presbyteries), which may be held in local archives, The National Library of Scotland, or in the National Records of Scotland. Other evidence comes from the accounts and minute books of burgh councils, recording the expenses of the trial and execution. Extracts from the minutes and accounts of many burghs are published and contain references to witchcraft, usually in the accounts for the costs of staging a witchcraft trial and carrying out the sentence. For local sources on individual cases, visits to local archives and local studies libraries will probably be necessary. In addition to containing references to witchcraft trials, the records of kirk sessions, presbyteries and burgh courts contain occasional accounts of accusations of witchcraft ending up as cases of slander.

                  Developing skills in reading 16th, 17th and 18th century handwriting is advisable as this topic will give you plenty of practice!  There is guidance available on the ScotlandsPeople website and there are also various courses available through universities or the National Records of Scotland.

                  Where can I find information about witchcraft in Scotland for a school project?

                  For information about the history of witchcraft in Scotland you should start with Christina Larner, Enemies of God: the witch hunt in Scotland (John Donald, 2000), and, perhaps, George Sinclair’s 17th century book on witchcraft, Satan’s Invisible World Discovered (Edinburgh, 1685; reprinted 1871). It should be possible to get information about witchcraft trials from published histories of towns, counties and parishes. If extracts from the burgh records of your local burgh have been published, they may contain references to the execution of witches. For all of the above take the advice of your school librarian or local studies librarian. You should find enough information for a school project in published books on witchcraft and on the history of your area.  If you want to read original documents, you will need to learn how to read old handwriting first, and you may not have enough time to do that for a school project.

                  Where can I find information about a specific witchcraft trial?

                  First ascertain from published sources, including local history sources, the background to the case, especially when the events took place, who was involved, where the trial took place, and the result. Then consult the unpublished calendar of witchcraft cases: C. Larner, C. H. Lee, & H. V. McLachlan, Source Book of Scottish Witchcraft (there are copies at the National Records of Scotland, Glasgow University Library, and the National Library of Scotland) or G. F. Black, Calendar of Cases of Witchcraft in Scotland, 1510-1727 (New York, 1938). These will be your guide to the survival of judicial records or published accounts of the case. If you then feel that it is necessary to visit an archive, be prepared to make a preliminary enquiry by letter or e-mail rather than just turning up. This might prevent a wasted journey, either because the archive has no relevant material, or because the records are held off-site. The central government records (in particular the justiciary court papers) are held at the National Records of Scotland. Other records such as kirk session and presbytery minutes, estate and family papers and burgh records may be held either there, in the National Library of Scotland, or in local archives or libraries. Make sure to give yourself several hours to carry out research, as it can be time-consuming to read through the variety of records.

                  Scottish Cinemas

                  Early cinemas

                  Moving pictures arrived in Scotland in the mid-1890s courtesy of a small number of entrepreneurs promoting their various inventions for projecting moving images, and fairground showmen who began to include bioscope or cinematograph shows as part of the regular entertainment. Just prior to the Great War, cinema began to settle down on permanent sites with ice rinks, churches and music halls being converted for the showing of ‘pictures’ on a nightly basis. The twenties saw a period of lavishly decorated purpose-built ‘picture palaces’ reflecting cinema’s upward move from its origins as a working-class entertainment.

                  The impact of ‘the Talkies’

                  The arrival of talking pictures in the late 1920s heralded the end for the some of the smaller ‘bug huts’ as the expensive technology for sound reproduction and the alteration necessary to the building pushed the smaller operators out of business. The era of the super cinema had arrived, and with it the growth of the big cinema circuits. The Green family were the pioneers in Scotland, building Green’s Playhouse in Glasgow and Dundee, two of the largest cinemas in the country in their day. The ABC cinema chain had its origins in Glasgow with John Maxwell’s company Scottish Cine and Variety Theatres, and in the north the Inverness based Caledonian Associated Cinemas held sway.

                  Post-war cinema

                  Cinema attendances boomed in the war years, the last great era of the big screen. Competition from television in the 1950s and 1960s and a dearth of good family entertainment for the big screen led to a steep decline in cinema attendances. Many cinemas closed or converted to bingo halls. Those that survived into the 1970s and 1980s saw the era of the multi-screen site – large auditoriums architect designed – being twinned or tripled, followed by the inexorable rise of the multiplex of the 1990s and today, in their turn putting these older sites out of business. Few cinema buildings survive today in their original architectural splendour.

                  The National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive (formerly the Scottish Screen Archive) holds films, videos and moving images by amateur and professional filmmakers. It also holds cinema memorabilia, business records from some cinemas and records of some film societies, as well as film production records and records of bodies concerned with the development of film in Scotland. Some local and university archives services hold cinema memorabilia and records of local film societies. Local authority archives services may hold licensing registers for cinemas and theatres.

                  Compiler: Janet McBain (Scottish Screen Archives, 2002)

                  Related Knowledge Base entries

                  Film Production in Scotland

                  Entertainment and culture

                  Bibliography

                  Dick, Eddie (ed.), From Limelight to Satellite (Scottish Film Council/British Film Institute, 1990)

                  McBain, Janet, Pictures Past: recollections of Scottish cinemas and cinema-going (Moorfoot, 1985)

                  Peter, Bruce, 100 Years of Glasgow’s Amazing Cinemas (Polygon, 1996)

                  Petrie, Duncan, The British Cinematographer (British Film Institute, 1996)

                  Thomas, Brendan, The Last Picture Shows, Edinburgh: ninety years of cinema entertainment in Scotland’s capital city (Moorfoot, 1984)

                   

                  Many histories of local cinemas have been published and the following are only a small sample of what can be found. A search of the National Library of Scotland’s catalogues will provide a more comprehensive list.

                  Hood, John, ‘The Clydebank Pavilion & Variety Theatre’, Clydebank Historical Journal, 8 (1988)

                  Hood, John, ‘No Waits, No Flickers, No Breakdowns’ Clydebank Historical Journal, 6 (1986)

                  Hornsey, Brian, Ninety Years of Cinema in Dumfries, Perth & Stirling (Fuchsiaprint, 1996)

                  Hornsey, Brian, Ninety Years of Cinema in Dundee (Fuchsiaprint, 1996)

                  Hornsey, Brian, Ninety Years of Cinema in Falkirk (Fuchsiaprint, 1997)

                  Hornsey, Brian, Ninety Years of Cinema in Inverness (Fuchsiaprint, 1997)

                  Hornsey, Brian, Ninety Years of Cinema in Montrose, Portobello and Kelso (Fuchsiaprint, 1998)

                  Newton, Norman S., The Wee Pictures: A History of the Picture House, Campbeltown 1913 – 1989 (Campbeltown Community Business Ltd, 1989 & 2008)

                  Taylor, Mike, Julia Watson & Colin Liddell, A Night at the Pictures (Dumbarton District Libraries, 1992)

                  Thomson, Michael, Silver Screen in the Silver City: a history of cinemas in Aberdeen, 1896-1987 (Aberdeen, 1988)

                   

                  Where can I find a photograph of a particular cinema?

                  There are several possible sources for photographs of individual cinemas:

                  The largest collection of photographs of cinemas in Scotland is held by the National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive (formerly the Scottish Screen Archive). <https://www.nls.uk/collections/moving-image-archive/> [accessed 26 April 2024]

                  Contact the local archives service or local studies library for the place concerned. You should provide the name of the street where the cinema was located. Staff may be able to tell fairly quickly whether they hold a photograph of a particular cinema, but in some cases you may be required to carry out research yourself.

                  How can I trace the location and history of a particular cinema?

                  First look at what has already been published, whether in a local history book or on a local history website. Use the information provided but do check the original sources that the author or website compiler used. Ask the local libraries or local archives services if they hold any unpublished lists of local cinemas.

                  The National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive (formerly the Scottish Screen Archive) holds the records of many cinema companies. These contain information about individual cinemas. <https://www.nls.uk/collections/moving-image-archive/> [accessed 26 April 2024]

                  If you don’t know where the cinema was located, look at any available old maps for period, especially Ordnance Survey (OS) editions. You can see OS maps up to the 1960s on the National Library of Scotland website and you can usually find more recent OS maps in local libraries.

                  To find the name of the cinema, check through back-copies of Post Office Directories for the town or county in question. Remember that if the cinema’s owners did not pay for an entry in these directories then the cinema may not appear in the alphabetical or classified sections.

                  It is possible that the local authority kept a register of licences granted to cinemas and theatres, but if these have not survived, go to the local authority archives service for the area and look at valuation rolls which record the owner, occupiers and purpose of most buildings in each town or village and are more reliable than Post Office Directories. However, checking through these can be time-consuming: you may need to devote several hours to this. Bear in mind that many street names have changed over the last century, especially in cities. You may also be able to find plans of the building in the building standards warrants or dean of guild warrants.