ReDrawing Edinburgh: free Cinescapes outdoor events

ReDrawing Edinburgh is a community-led outreach project designed to mark the centennial commemoration of the 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act.

It is coordinated by a community steering group comprising representatives from each of the boundary extension areas, with support from Council Archive, Library, and Museum services.

The city boundaries were extended in November 1920 to incorporate the Burgh of Leith in the north and the Midlothian parishes of Cramond, Corstorphine, Colinton, and Liberton to the west and south of the city. The expansion meant the city grew from 17 square miles to 53 square miles and increased its population from 320,000 to 425,000.

The ‘amalgamation’, as it was referred to at the time, was welcomed by some but opposed by others – in particular Leith Town Council who fought to retain its independence. The centenary commemoration provides an opportunity for everyone to understand how the city has grown and for the communities to reaffirm their own identities and heritage.

A series of short films created as part of Redrawing Edinburgh, were produced in a partnership between local heritage and community groups and Council Archive, Library, and Museums services. These presentations explore what happened in 1920 and celebrate the identities and histories of these communities.

It is the city centre of Edinburgh that often receives the most attention, however this project focuses on the communities that joined in 1920.

For general information about the project please contact archives@edinburgh.gov.uk or redrawingedinburgh@gmail.com

Free outdoor screening events, September 2021

All images © Lesley Martin photography

Join us on the 3-18 September for Cinescapes: ReDrawing Edinburgh, a series of five pop-up outdoor screenings of a new 15-minute film.

This film has been created from archive footage showing the 5 areas which were amalgamated with Edinburgh in 1920 through the Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act. ReDrawing Edinburgh celebrates the strong independent identities of the areas of Cramond, Colinton, Corstorphine, Liberton, and Leith and how they have retained them throughout the past century.

This isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about identity. We’re celebrating the individual spirits that make up Edinburgh by screening the projections in the places that they are from.