French Institute for Scotland

The French Institute (French: Institut français) in Edinburgh is a cultural centre promoting French language and French culture in Edinburgh and in Scotland and part of the wider Institut Français network around the world. It operates alongside the Institut français du Royaume-Uni in London and is administered by the French Foreign Ministry. It is co-located with Edinburgh's French consulate on the city's Royal Mile. The Institute itself comprises a cultural department, a courses department and a media library. It also hosts the Education officer for Scotland.

1. History

The Auld Alliance, which is the beginning of the friendship between Scotland and France against England was signed in 1295. In 1942, the General de Gaulle said about this alliance it was the "oldest alliance in the world". Founded in 1946 by René Massigli, ambassador of France to the United Kingdom, the French Institute relocated from a row of townhouses in Randolph Crescent in Edinburgh's West End to Lothian Chambers in 2018.

1. = Directors of the French Institute for Scotland =

2010 - ... : Vincent Guérin 2008 - 2010 : Vacant 2006 - 2008 : Anne Laval 2003 - 2006 : Olga Poivre d'Arvor 2001 - 2003 : Ashok Adicéam 1997 - 2001 : Jean-Marc Terrasse 1993 - 1997 : Stéphane Crouzat 1987 - 1993 : Alain Bourdon 1978 - 1980 : Pierre Alexandre 1975 - 1978 : Michel Sciama 1970s : Henry Monteagle 1966 - 1969 : Georges Prudhomme 1960s : René Escande de Messières (c. 1957)

1. Activities


1. = Cultural events =

In 2011, for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the French Institute presented a show, 'Two Johnnies live upstairs', especially created for the building by the French compagny Mythos festival. This show has been selected as one of the highlights of 2011 by The Scotsman. The French Institute is also involved in the Edinburgh cultural life and is a partner of the Cameo, Edinburgh and hosts the office of the French Film festival UK.

1. == Cultural events list ==


1. === Exhibitions ===


1. === Théâtre, cinéma, concerts... ===


1. = The Media Library =


1. == Activities ==

The Media Library organises activities for kids in French. L'Oreille Musicale, workshop about French music is new from 2011. On November edition, l'Oreille musicale invited the Breton band Santa Cruz to speak about their musical tastes and influences. The library is open all week days and access is free. By contrast, only the French Institute members can borrow documents.

1. == Collection ==

The media library contains over 10.000 documents, mainly in French, about a lot of different aspects of France and French culture. You can find documents about literature, art, history, geography, humanities and children's literature. A lot of references book are available, like dictionaries, encyclopaedias and travel guides. The novel collection contain many novels by Scottish authors translated in French (e.g. Robert Louis Stevenson, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid). You can read or borrow newspapers like: Libération, Le Monde, Le Point, general-interest magazines: ELLE, Les Inrockuptibles and more specialised magazines like Beaux-Arts and Positif. The CD & DVD shelves contain 1500 CDs (audio-books and music) and almost 1000 films and documentaries.

1. = Language classes =

Every term, about 500 students come to the Institute to learn French.

1. Bibliography

Alan John Steele (professeur à l'Université d'Édimbourg), L'Institut français d'Écosse, cinquante ans d'histoire, 1946–1996, Institut français d'Écosse, 1996, 85 p. (ISBN 978-095296830-6) Alan John Steele, 60@ifecosse : 1946-2006, Institut français d'Écosse, 2006, 208 p. (ISBN 978-095296832-0)

1. References


1. External links

(in French) An article about the French Institute in Français du Monde n° 157 - 22 January French Institute website Franco Scottish Society website French Alliance in Glasgow Website of the French Consulate in Edinburgh

Nearby Places View Menu

Dean Bridge

The Dean Bridge spans the Water of Leith in the city of Edinburgh on the A90 road to Queensferry on the Firth of Forth. It carries the roadway, 447 feet (136 m) long and 39 feet (12 m) broad, on four arches of 90 feet (27 m) span, rising 106 feet (32 m) above the river bed. The bridge was one of the last major works before retirement of the bridge designer, civil engineer Thomas Telford, and was completed in 1831 when he was seventy-three years old. Before the bridge was built the river had been crossed since medieval times at a ford, later by a single-arch stone bridge near the same spot, at the foot of Bell's Brae in the Dean Village. The private Dean Gardens lie under the east side of the bridge on the north bank of the Water of Leith. The Water of Leith Walkway passes under the bridge on the south bank. The Dean Bridge is part of one of the routes proposed in 2025 for the expanded Edinburgh Trams network to Granton.

Bridge Landmark

Dean Gardens, Edinburgh

The Dean Gardens (previously known as Eton Terrace Gardens) are private communal gardens near the Stockbridge suburb of the New Town area of Edinburgh, EH4. The gardens lie over a 2.9 hectares (7.2 acres) sized site on the steep north bank of the Dean Valley through which runs the Water of Leith. A public view of the gardens can be seen from the Dean Bridge, under which the gardens lie. The gardens have been listed on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes as part of the New Town Gardens heritage designation since March 2001.

Park

West Register House

West Register House is a building of the National Records of Scotland, located on Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom. The building was constructed between 1811 and 1814 as St George's Church and converted to its current purpose as a records office between 1964 and 1970. The church's site in the centre of the western side of Charlotte Square had been designated for a church as part of James Craig's initial plan for the New Town. The building was designed by Robert Reid after a similar but more intricate plan by Robert Adam, who designed the square's surrounding terraces. Construction began in 1811 and, though initially projected to cost £18,000, the total cost came to £33,000. The facade centres on an Ionic portico, above which rises a substantial green copper dome on a tall, peristyle drum. The dome, topped by a gilt cupola and cross, is a prominent feature of the Edinburgh skyline and terminates the view west along George Street. The interior of the church was gutted during its conversion as a records office. It had been noted for its tall pulpit by William Trotter. St George's Church opened in 1814 to serve as the Church of Scotland parish church for the western half of the New Town. In its early years, it was notable for the ministries of two leading evangelicals: Andrew Mitchell Thomson and Robert Smith Candlish. The latter led out a significant portion of the congregation during the Disruption of 1843. Thomson also established a strong musical tradition at St George's: this continued with prominent choirmasters and organists, including Alexander Mackenzie. By the early 1960s, severe structural damage in the church building had become apparent and, in 1964, the congregation united with that of St Andrew's on George Street to form St Andrew's and St George's. Between 1964 and 1970, Robert Saddler converted the building for use as a public records office. A restoration of the building was completed in 2021.

Church Government

Drumsheugh Baths Club

The Drumsheugh Baths Club is a private swimming club in the West End of Edinburgh, Scotland founded in 1882 and opened in 1884.

Community Centre Landmark