A Scotch Verdict Walking Tour with Indigo Dunphy-Smith

Sat Apr 25 2026 at 02:00 pm to 04:30 pm UTC+01:00

Cairngorm Coffee (outside) | Edinburgh

Lavender Menace Queer Books Archive
Publisher/HostLavender Menace Queer Books Archive
A Scotch Verdict Walking Tour with Indigo Dunphy-Smith
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A walking tour of the Edinburgh landmarks associated with the infamous sapphic boarding school scandal.
About this Event

Step back in time with queer history researcher and writer Indigo for this walking tour of Edinburgh. Together, we will explore the infamous sapphic scandal that inspired The Children’s Hour starring Audrey Hepburn and Scotch Verdict by historian Lillian Faderman. As we weave our way from the New Town to the Old Town, we’ll explore the people, places and prejudices connected to this 1810 legal case. We’ll unpack how colonial thought and queer desire influenced the uniquely Scottish court ruling - not proven.


About the facilitator

Indigo Dunphy-Smith (she/her) is a researcher and writer based in Edinburgh. She specialises in research and public programmes that create space for marginalised stories in traditional spaces. She is the author of How to: Queer Your Historic House, a practical toolkit for uncovering queer stories in museum collections, and co-chairs the National Trust for Scotland’s LGBTQ network and supports organisations to queer their heritage spaces.


What to expect

An informal walking tour in a small-group setting. Please dress warmly for the Scottish weather and wear your sensible footwear. 

The walk lasts for 2 1/2 hours, and participants will be walking or standing for this time unless they use or bring a chair. The route goes through the New Town, up the Mound, and onto the Royal Mile and involves some light uphill walking (the Mound) and uneven paving.

If the tour needs to be step-free for you to attend (or if you have any access requests), please email us to let us know so we can amend the route: [email protected]


Booking

Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Booking in advance is essential as places are limited, so if you are unable to attend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your place to someone else.


Location 

Meet at 2pm outside Cairngorn Coffee, 1 Melville Pl, Edinburgh EH3 7PR


Any other questions

Please email us: [email protected]

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Cairngorm Coffee (outside), 1 Melville Place, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Tickets

GBP 0.00

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