The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Monday 27 April 2026

Stockbridge & Abbeyhill residents 'trapped in homes' by roadworks, no Spiegeltent for St Andrew Square, candidates on Roseburn Path tram extension plans + tributes to Morningside Oxfam bookshop manager

Michael MacLeod

27 Apr 2026 — 11 min read

Friday's haar seen from Edinburgh Castle, photographed by subscriber Barbara Lassen.

👋 Good morning Edinburgh. A busy week ahead, with the return of council meetings, plus local election candidates appearing at hustings events around town. It's all summarised in Monday's Edinburgh Minute. With huge thanks to everyone who subscribes to help keep this newsletter ad-free.

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🌦️ This week's weather forecast: A dry start but the chance of rain increases throughout the day and is very likely around lunchtime. Cloudy but dry tomorrow. Returning to clear and sunny on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. A temperature high of 18C on Friday. A low of 4C on Tuesday morning. - Edinburgh’s full Met Office forecast is here.

📰 A quick summary of the weekend headlines:

🗳️ 'Exclusive: Angus Robertson moved out of Edinburgh constituency ahead of tough fight to keep seat' - David Bol, The Scotsman.
⚽️ 'Easter Road left in a sorry state after Hibs' derby defeat' - Isla Storie, Edinburgh Live.
⚠️ 'Lucky escape for Pokémon fans after masonry falls outside Toys Galore on Morningside Road'. - Jack Davies & Callum McCormack, Evening News.
🏥 'Patients wait up to six hours at Wester Hailes GP walk-in clinic'. - Rebecca McCurdy, The Herald.
🚣‍♂️ 'Rowing club boats and trailer worth £100,000 written off in motorway crash' - Calum Loudon, STV News. (The club is fundraising to get back in the water)
🍽️ 'Broughton Street restaurant Lucky Yu added to Michelin Guide' - Sarah Campbell, The Herald.
✈️ 'Edinburgh Airport delivers £2.7bn boost to Scotland’s economy' - Liam Eunson, Midlothian View.
🚄 'Flying Scotsman train service to regain London-Edinburgh departure after 15-year gap' - Ian Mansfield, IanVisits.

🎪 The Famous Spiegeltent, home of La Clique cabaret show, won't be returning to St Andrew Square this summer after the council said 'the required paperwork was not submitted'. - Exclusive by Brian Ferguson, The Herald.

🚧 Residents in Stockbridge and Abbeyhill sent photos to this newsletter showing what they describe as sub-standard pavement resurfacing last week. One said locals were stuck in their houses waiting for the concrete to dry outside their front doors.

"Hi Michael. Residents are trapped in their homes by footpath works on Dean Park Street (Stockbridge). Tuesday at 2pm, Kiely Bros, on behalf of the council, resurfaced footpaths on both sides of Dean Park Street. Residents were not given notice, leaving them unable to get in or out of homes while it dried. At the time of writing, 6pm, it was still wet."
"Maryfield in Abbeyhill, pavement has been tarmaced, totally different day to what they proposed. And looks diabolical. I thought it would be interesting topic for your audience as we feel it is happening all around Edinburgh with road works. St Andrew’s Square looks similar. Honestly I don’t think there was anything wrong with our pavements before. And they’ve sent some company in and literally ruined it 😠"

⮑ The council took a couple of days to respond, but here's its response:

Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson, said: "We’re continuing our work programme to fix our pavements across the city. Under normal circumstances, it takes between 30 to 60 minutes for the material used to repair the footway to set. On Dean Park Street, whilst most of this work took place as normal there was one section in the shade which took slightly longer. Throughout this period there was a pedestrian marshal on site to assist residents. At Maryfield, the quality of the works is generally in line with what would be expected. If there are any minor defects this will be fed back to the contractor for rectification at no further cost to the Council."

🗑️ As is sadly too common after warmer evenings, litter covered parts of the Meadows after Friday and Saturday evening's sunshine. - Evie of @simpleexplorer on Instagram shared a video of the aftermath, saying: "Smashed glasses, rubbish, bottles, old BBQs, burnt grass, food rubbish - everything. Yes, some made effort to put it in the full bins, others just left it on the field. It’s dangerous. It’s lazy. It’s unacceptable behaviour for Edinburgh."

🗳️ If you want to raise issues like the above to local political candidates, there are a few Scottish Parliament election hustings events this week:

Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with The Scotsman, is hosting a hustings debate today from 2pm at Saltire Court, 20 Castle Terrace. - More details here.
This evening from 6.30pm, the Southside Community Council hosts its election hustings with local candidates of all parties invited. It's at Greyfiars Charteris Centre, 138-140 Pleasance. - More details here.
The Educational Institute of Scotland is hosting an in-person Scottish Parliamentary Election hustings with prospective MSPs on Tuesday from 6.30pm at the Apex Grassmarket Hotel. - More details here.
On Tuesday from 6.30pm Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans are hosting an online hustings where representatives from Scotland’s main political parties will respond to questions from blind and partially sighted voters on topics important to you. - More details here.
The Poverty Alliance anti-poverty network has an online hustings on Thursday from midday. - More details here.
Here's a hyperlocal piece of election research: The 'Save The Roseburn Path' campaign team have asked multiple parties for their stance on the Roseburn Path tram extension plans. - See each party's response here.

**@southsidecommunitycouncil on Instagram**.

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🏃‍♀️ Hundreds took part in the now annual Race The Tram charity fun run at the weekend. - Blast Running shared some clips.

🚲 Cycle parking will return to the spaces opposite the King's Theatre now that the building's refurb is almost complete. - edi.bike has this week's cycling news here.

⚓️ There was plenty of activity in the Forth at the weekend. The Spurtle spotted Inch Cape cargo vessels and a £38m luxury super yacht.

⮑ The HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier sailed under the Forth bridges on Friday as it left Rosyth dockyard 'several months behind schedule'. - Lisa West, UK Defence Journal.

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📚 Passing of Much Loved Edinburgh Bookshop Manager - 'Stephen McMahon, for many years the much loved manager of the Oxfam bookshop on Morningside Road, died last Monday following a courageous battle against cancer. A tribute to him on the Done With Numbers website.' - More details here, shared by Mark Howitt.

🤖 National robotarium CEO quits - 'The head of the National Robotarium at Heriot Watt quit in true toys out if the pram fashion via a LinkedIn In post on Thursday' - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🍻 Three locals open a boardgame bar on Broughton St offering 'the cheapest pint on the street' - 'Note to editor: My girlfriend and I live on the street, we've been here twice since it opened last week. Excellent atmosphere, locally made drinks selection, great boardgames, and good playlists. We're really hoping it does well, has a great vibe.' - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

📚 Holy Corner Booksale - 'The Holy Corner Booksale will be open on Saturday 9 May 10 - 5, Sunday 10 May 1 - 5 and Monday 11 May 10 -3. It is in Morningside United Church, entrance on Bruntsfield Place. The money raised goes to Christian Aid.' - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🐣 The Chicken Coop Writing Group - 'Join Leith-based writer, Naomi Head, for the next Chicken Coop Writing Group at Lost in Leith on Tuesday, April 28, for an evening of writing, book swapping, and meeting other writers!' - More details here, shared by Naomi Head, The Good Egg Project.

Events:

🎨 Between the Lines [Daily]
Today, Mon 27 April - 'Australian artist Pip Marshman joins Edinburgh based artists Ruth Thomas RSW and Soosan Danesh SSA to exhibit paintings, artists books and scrolls inspired by the beauty of natural landscapes.'
10am to 6pm | Whitespace, EH8 9HQ | Free - More details here, shared by Ruth Thomas.

🎸 Edinburgh Anarchist Bookfair - Fundraiser Gig
Wed 29 April - 'Three of Edinburgh's best punk groups come together to raise funds for the Edinburgh Anarchist Bookfair. Tickets are on a sliding scale and no one will be turned away for lack of funds.'
7pm to 10pm | People's Leisure Club, EH1 1HB | Sliding scale - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🎻 Tom McConville at Edinburgh Folk Club
Wed 29 April - 'The legendary Geordie, one of the UK's favourite fiddle players, is back in Edinburgh bringing great tunes, songs and his famous dry wit. Raised in a Newcastle pub and matured in the clubs of the 1970s, Tom is an outstanding musician and entertainer.'
7.30pm to 10.30pm | Ukrainian Community Centre (AUGB Edinburgh), EH7 5AB | £15, £12 concessions - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🏺 Archaeology Class [Weekly]
Thu 30 April - 'Come join the absolutely fascinating Archaeology course at Craigentinny.. Classes include 'UnNatural Histories', 'At Sea' and 'Medicine'. So many interesting discoveries to be made. Ring 0131 556 7978 or online, CRA02712.'
11.30am to 1.30pm | Craigentinny Community Centre, EH7 6JE | £26.80 - More details here, shared by fiona henderson, edinburgh council adult education programme.

🏠 ETF's Housing Association Tenants Forum
Thu 30 April - 'Are you a housing association tenant looking to connect with other tenants, raise shared issues, and learn more about your housing rights? Then join ETF's first Housing Association Tenants Forum! This tenant-led forum will be supported by ETF staff.'
2pm to 3pm | Norton Park Business and Conference Centre, EH7 5QY | FREE - More details here, shared by Edinburgh Tenants Federation (ETF).

🪴 Houseplant Bingo
Thu 30 April - 'Looking for an alcohol-free after work hangout? Come join us for our first Houseplant Bingo! Plants and other prizes to be won, view of the canal, food and drink available. We are locally owned :)'
6pm to 8pm | Fir Espresso Bar, EH3 9QB | FREE - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🖊️ Words that break the Siege - Writing as Resistance - Workshop and Exhibition
Thu 30 April - 'Palestine Museum Scotland is hosting a zine workshop on April 20th as part of an exhibition, Words that Break the Siege - Writing as Resistance, from April 18th-May 3rd. The exhibition features artwork and zines from the Zines from Gaza project.'
6pm to 7.30pm | Palestine Museum Scotland, EH3 6QG | FREE - More details here, shared by Palestine Museum Scotland.

🌈 Style Confidence Workshop- Colors, Shapes,Personal Style [Monthly]
Fri 01 May - 'Find your style, own your confidence. This workshop helps you understand your body, learn about colors, and define a look that feels truly you. Walk away with clarity, inspiration, and simple tools to dress with purpose every day.'
6.30pm to 9pm | Round The World Studios, EH6 6RS | £40 - More details here, shared by Elena Citarella.

🧘🏻‍♀️ Queer Yoga Edinburgh @ Yellow Bamboo [Weekly]
Sun 03 May - 'New queer yoga claseses in Portobello open to everyone! Inclusive, tauma -informed yoga practice for all LGBTQIA+ folx!'
3pm to 4.30pm | Yellow Bamboo Yoga, EH15 1NA - More details here, shared by Adri, Queer Yoga Edinburgh CIC.

🎨 Custom Keychain Workshop with second hand materials
Sun 03 May - 'This relaxed workshop is all about slowing down, getting creative, and making a keychain from second hand materials that actually means something whether it's your initials, a date, or a memory from your trip.'
5pm to 7pm | Round The World Studios, EH6 6RS | 35 - More details here, shared by Elena Citarella, Yellow Souls Studio.

🧸 Teddy Bears' Picnic
Mon 04 May - 'Join us for the second year of our Teddy Bears' Picnic! Bring your little ones and their favourite teddy for lunch and professional entertainment. £8.50 pp, under 12 months free. Check our socials for a discount code!'
11am to 1pm | LifeCare Edinburgh, EH4 1JB | 8.50 - More details here, shared by LifeCare.

💪 Beginners Pilates Leith - 3 week course [Weekly]
Mon 04 May - 'Get your motor running with a three-week starter course: Meet the Reformer, Tower, Chairs, Barrels, and the Mat - your full Pilates gym. Suitable for beginners and refreshers, but not those who are injured or currently pregnant.'
6.45pm to 7.40pm | The Pilates Hub, EH6 6SW | £88 - More details here, shared by Elaine Turner, The Pilates Hub.

🕊️ Is Peace Possible
Wed 06 May - 'In today's broken world, is peace truly possible? Join us to hear from experts Rachel Julian and Matthew Bittle and respond using the Quaker way of calm, collective discernment. People of all backgrounds and faiths (or none) are warmly welcomed!'
7pm to 8.30pm | The Quaker Meeting House, EH1 2JL | FREE - More details here, shared by Brian Wright.

🎬 The 48 Hour Film Project
Fri 22 May - 'The world's biggest filmmaking event returns to Edinburgh! Anyone can join, all films screened at the Cameo, and you could win £1500 towards your trip to Filmapalooza, the 48's international film festival.'
6pm to 7pm | Cameo Picturehouse, EH3 9LZ - More details here, shared by a Minute reader.

🌈 Morningside Umbrella Festival [Daily]
Sat 30 May - 'Come and see the church decorated with over 150 coloured umbrellas and support this unique community fundraising event. Help us create our umbrella rainbow by purchasing a miniature umbrella and fixing it to the railings'
10am to 5pm | Morningside Parish Church, EH10 6BQ - More details here, shared by Kerry watt Watt.

🎨 Forth Bridges Creative Trail [Daily]
Sat 30 May - 'The Forth Bridges Creative Trail is a free, artist-led weekend celebrating local creativity. Explore studios, pop-up venues and public spaces, and discover contemporary and traditional art alongside local businesses in South Queensferry, Dalmeny'
11am to 6pm | Various South Queensferry and Dalmeny | FREE - More details here, shared by Forth Bridges Creative Trail. (On Instagram here).

🧘🏻‍♀️ The Everywoman Festival
Sat 06 June - 'The Everywoman Festival brings together expert-led talks, workshops and interactive sessions, all designed to support and empower women at every stage of life. We're proudly clinically-led and community powered!'
11am to 5pm | The Meadows, EH9 1ND | FREE - More details here, shared by The Everywoman Festival (and on Instagram here).

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