Thursday October 8th 2026
Edinburgh Council Planning Convener Councillor Joan Griffiths (on left) alongside Granton Primary School pupils and local artist Stephanie Walker at the Musuem of Edinbrugh 'Imagine If...' exhibition
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Marking the 30th anniversary of Edinburgh’s Old and New Town’s World Heritage Site status, children from Granton Primary School have put together a colourful exhibition at the Museum of Edinburgh of artwork highlighting iconic scenes from Scotland’s capital.
The birthday celebration commemorating three decades since the Site was inscribed by UNESCO in 1995 has been used as inspiration for 28 artworks beautifully painted and mounted by the pupils themselves. They feature historic landmarks and buildings such as Edinburgh Rooftops, The Royal Mile, White Horse Close, the Mercat Cross and many more.
Discussing the importance of Edinburgh marking the 30th anniversary of officially being a heritage site, Edinburgh Council Planning Convener Councillor Joan Griffiths explained:
“It is so important. Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and we have to protect it and make sure we appreciate the fact that we are a World Heritage Site.
Highlighting the challenges of keeping Edinburgh’s heritage as the city evolves, she added:
“It is a challenge and we have to look at how to evolve and we have to be forward thinking.
“We aren’t a museum as a city, we are a living city. We look at how new buildings and how they fit into this historic city because we mustn’t ruin that.
“One thing that I think ruins the city is having too many cars, we have to get people onto trams and buses.”
Edinburgh’s Old and New Town being marked as UNESCO World Heritage Site officially means that it possesses ‘Outstanding Universal Value’ of such special global, cultural and historical importance that it ‘must be protected for all humanity’.
Inscribed in 1995, this designation covers roughly 4.5 square kilometers and nearly 4,500 historic buildings.
In 1999 following World Heritage site status, an independent charity ‘Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH)’ helped conserve the city, advocate for heritage and engage with communities.
Speaking to the Midlothian View, Head of Advocacy for Edinburgh World Heritage Chelsea Sambells explained:
“We are especially in the position where we’re always trying to balance the heritage and the history of the city with its modern livability, that will always be a challenge.
“There are major threats to the standing value of the World Heritage Site which includes over tourism, pollution and of course issues around streetscapes and other kinds of street interventions.
“People mostly are what is a threat to Edinburgh but at the same time it’s people and residents who want to save it, and it’s the legacy to the children that we need to leave behind.”
One controversial project that is of concern to Edinburgh World Heritage is the tram network expansion with EWH opposing routing the proposed north-south tram extension across historic city structures like South Bridge and Dean Bridge due to ‘potential structural damage’.
The Granton Primary Four pupils have been working with local artist Stephanie Walker on their ‘Imagine if…’ project, creating artwork inspired by Edinburgh’s Old Town.
The Granton Primary School pupils with their artwork
The project uses the city’s historic surroundings to spark curiosity and encourage the children to explore the world around them, while developing a sense of wonder and connection to the heritage Edinburgh is renowned for.
The exhibition is to open in the Museum of Edinburgh running from Saturday 10 October until Sunday 10 January next year.
Local artist Stephanie Walker said:
“It’s so exciting to see the ‘Imagine if…’ project come together. It’s about to open now and the children are so excited to see their work professionally displayed.
“They put so much hard work into their designs and final paintings following a series of art sessions to help them imagine and create their work.
“We visited the World Heritage Site twice and the children brainstormed and shared ideas about what they had seen. They used the area’s historic features such as the cobbled streets and listed buildings as visual aids to start their paintings. After some time sketching they all settled on their favourite scene. They should be so proud of the colourful and vibrant work they have created.”
Councillor Joan Griffiths added:
“I’m really looking forward to seeing this project brought to life in the Museum of Edinburgh in the heart of the city’s World Heritage Site. The children have put so much effort into the paintings we are going to display. ‘Imagine if…’ is both creative and educational as it has allowed the pupils from a different area of the city to use art to help bring to life different aspects of the World Heritage Site such as the buildings and skylines that they find inspirational.
“It is important that we preserve our World Heritage Site for future generations and I’m hoping this experience, seeing their work so beautifully displayed, means they will remember it and will value passing on their knowledge about what they have learned about how special the site is to others in the future.”
Photography enthusiasts are also being encouraged to enter a competition to celebrate the 30 years milestone running until the end of October.
Entries will be grouped into twelve categories, each celebrating a particular value of Scotland’s capital city. The winning photograph in each category will become part of a year-long calendar, which will be sold on Historic Scotland sites and at Edinburgh World Heritage events to raise money for the Trust. The over-all winner will take pride of place on the front cover of the calendar and will receive a one-year membership for Historic Scotland, who run top-rated visitor attractions all over the country.
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