The second Parliament Hall historical exhibition has been a great success attracting nearly 3,500 visitors from all over the world.
The exhibition - Parliament House, The Hidden Gem - which ran from 7 August to 26 September, was also a venue during the Edinburgh Fringe and brought in more visitors on Doors Open Day. It featured life-size, colourful and informative panels giving an insight into the history, traditions and work of the Supreme Courts.
Visitors came from as far away as Auckland, New Zealand and Alberta, Canada, with others from countries including Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Slovakia and Italy as well as many parts of the United States.
Reaction to the show was very positive. Sveva Torre, from Rome wrote: “ My father is a lawyer and we wanted to visit this place – fantastic,” while S. Wertelecki, from California praised the “truly beautiful” exhibition and venue.
Many who attended the exhibition found the surroundings and stained glass of Parliament Hall very impressive - as well as the warm welcome they received from staff. One visitor Jill Evans summed up many people’s comments in the Visitors Book when she wrote: “A fascinating exhibition with beautifully illustrated panels – thanks!”
As well as featuring in the Doors Open Day event at Parliament House, Parliament Hall was one of the venues for Maggie’s Culture Crawl, a fundraising event held on Friday, 25 September, by Maggie’s, the charity which provides support for people with cancer and their family and friends. Maggie’s Culture Crawl Edinburgh, sponsored by Brodies LLP, is a ten-mile night walk with a cultural twist as walkers get out-of-hours access to some of Edinburgh’s well-known landmarks and best-kept secrets.
Parliament Hall was one of the spots visited by the Culture Crawl, which was cheered off by author Alexander McCall Smith, and parties of the several hundred walkers who took part had the chance to see the exhibition as well as being entertained by a choir.