A Servant's Life

A Servant’s Life is at Lauriston Castle and Gardens on Thursday 22 October, starting at 10:30. It's part of the Lauriston Castle Lectures, a series of talks held at the castle, and this one runs for about an hour and a quarter.

The talk comes at a particular moment for the venue. 2026 marks the centenary of the castle being left to the nation by the Reids, its last Edwardian owners, and the year's programming has a strong 1920s focus. That puts the subject of the talk — the life of a servant — right in the middle of the house's own history. Lauriston itself is a 16th-century tower house with Victorian extensions and early 20th-century interiors, set in gardens with views across the Firth of Forth. Inside, it holds collections of fine furniture, ceramics and the personal belongings of its wealthy owners, all bequeathed to the city by the Reids.

If you've never been, the gardens are free to enter all year round, while the house is open at set times via guided tour. The lecture is a standalone thing, but there's a second option if you want to see the rooms for yourself: you can add a tour of the castle to the talk, which takes the whole morning up to around two hours. Both the lecture and the tour come with coffee and cake included in the price.

It's £10 for the lecture on its own, or £16 if you go for the lecture plus the tour. The talk starts at 10:30 at Lauriston Castle and Gardens, 2a Cramond Rd S, Edinburgh EH4 6AD.