In 2026 I worked as part of the team of CMC Associates Ltd and our client Greyfriars Kirk to produce content for a new flexible display/exhibition about this heavily-visited Edinburgh landmark.
Choosing which stories to tell was no mean feat with an incredible history stretching back to medieval times, and what with about 700 headstones, and around 20,000 – yes, you read that correctly, twenty-thousand individuals thought to have been buried in this small area of land.
Finding the story
We toyed with various ideas and angles, but came back to providing a good basic introduction, or grounding, to the stories in the stones for first-time visitors, highlighting significant historical happenings such as the signing of the covenant, and bringing out a few of the many characters associated with the kirkyard or buried beneath its headstones, or indeed lying in unmarked graves. Ultimately we were able to nod to Bobby and better known stories while also paying tribute to some hidden heroes such as deaf artist Walter Geikie, and school-founder and businesswoman Mary Erskine. We also left space for new stories or research to be featured as time goes on, such as a focus on women, or Caribbean connections.
The sheer number of people buried here felt key throughout, while remembering that each individual counts and to honour the lives they led. Equally important was the graveyards’ inextricable connection with the wider city – sharing both its darkness (a place often rife with death and disease), and its light (home to enlightenment thinkers, as well as a neighbouring with a famous school), and its continued life.
Unearthing images
My late father collected various books about Edinburgh and while browsing through these, I was delighted to find some archival illustrations that we were able to make use of. The one featured above is my favourite. I was so happy to stumble upon it during some last minute research, and it works really well in context. Against the backdrop of the castle and Heriot’s school, and the grand monuments along the walls, people are digging graves and attending funerals of loved ones.
Design
The graphic design by Shirley Lochhead pops with colour, with added liveliness from more up-to-date photo selections. Along with bespoke housings built by Al Campbell and panels printed by Eastern Photocolour, the new free-standing panels work brilliantly within the kirk’s architectural space.
