Between two of our buildings, General Register House and New Register House, is the Archivists’ Garden.
The Archivists’ Garden is open during office hours and admission is free.
About the Archivists' Garden
There are 59 plant species and all are connected in some way to Scotland’s collective memory, whether through:
- myth and folklore
- heraldry
- an association with a famous Scot
We're responsible for the archives of Scotland. Our buildings house some of the records including:
- registers of vital events (births, marriages and deaths)
- government records
- private papers
These records are filed, indexed and ordered. The human mind is not like that. Living memories are random and often incomplete, sometimes part-fact and part-fiction.
The Archivists’ Garden takes inspiration both from the purpose of NRS in storing and preserving the nation’s records; and from the minds of those who visit it, and from the unique way the human brain stores information.
Interview with the garden creators
The garden was conceived and coordinated by David R Mitchell, Curator at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He, who researched and produced the interpretation. It, and the plant palette used, was designed by Gross. Max.
To hear more on how they created the garden, watch the interview with David and Eelco.
Explore the garden virtually
The Archivists’ Garden can now be explored remotely! Take a walk round the garden in this full 3D scan. Follow the link below and explore the garden by clicking and dragging your mouse, or using the keyboard arrows to move through the space. Hovering over and clicking on the large dots will reveal the name of each plant and why it is included.
You can view the Archivists' Garden in:
Guide to the plants in the Archivists' Garden
Detailed information about every plant is available on the NRS web archive. It is indexed by the topic that connects it to Scottish history:
Official opening of the garden
The official opening was by Jim McColl of the BBC's Beechgrove Garden on 25 June 2010. Jim was given a guided tour by George MacKenzie (former Keeper of the Records of Scotland) and David Mitchell (former curator of Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh). The event was filmed by BBC television and featured on their Beechgrove Garden programme.
Jim said: "I was aware of the raison d'être for the garden, having seen the planting plan. It was absolutely fascinating. This garden is chock-a-block with an amazing variety of plants. All the plants you see here have earned their place. They are each uniquely significant because of their connection to Scotland and its culture. We will be highlighting many of them on the show".
The Archivists’ Garden has also featured:
Bibliography
The references listed below were used in the production of the planting scheme and the interpretation.
