The Dalkeith THI/CARS has awarded the last building grant to No 2 High Street, the Blossom Garden Restaurant. This is a priority building in the grant scheme. Dalkeith Business Renewal, one of the grant partners agreed to allocate an additional sum to the grant fund to enable this property to be repaired and restored.

The Blossom Garden Restaurant is in a very poor condition and has in the past been served with a Dangerous Structure Notice due to loose render falling off the building on to the footpath below. The cement render is in a very poor state and the roof needs urgent attention.

The building is situated in a very prominent location within the Dalkeith Conservation Area at the junction of the High Street with Buccleuch Street and Eskbank Road and currently gives a poor impression of the town as you enter the High Street at this point. The work that has been completed to repair and restore the property opposite 1-3 High Street has had the effect of making the Blossom Garden Restaurant even worse. The town is currently being regenerated in this area with the development of the Morrison's supermarket so it is important that the condition of the Blossom Garden Restaurant is addressed.

The grant has been awarded for the repair of the roof, chimney, rainwater goods, all the doors and windows will be repaired and refurbished and the cement render taken off and the stonework beneath repaired to receive a new lime harl and lime colour wash. The exposed stone work on the Buccleuch Street elevation will be repaired and repointed in a lime mortar.

The work will start on the 13th January for a 14 week contract period and will significantly upgrade the building and will enhance and improve this area of the town, complimenting the work that has been done on 1-3 High Street opposite and the public realm work (i.e. the widening and repairing of the footpaths here in yorkstone) that was completed a year ago.

Photographs of the building illustrating it's current condition and a couple of old photos .

DAME is staging their autumn exhibition of local arts and crafts in Dalkeith Arts Centre from the 16th November to the 30th November, click here to view the programme, and visit their website, www.dalkeitharts.org.

As part of the exhibition there will be a number of workshops open for the public to attend, two of which are being supported by the Dalkeith THI : 

Architecture and Drawing :Cornices,Parapets and Balustrades:Thurs 21st Nov ,7-9.00pm

A workshop about Georgian and Victorian architecture in Dalkeith with the opportunity to look at the old buildings in Dalkeith town centre and to do some drawing.  Architect Daphne Kessissoglou will be talking about her recent project looking at architectural details with the add of a model, poster and photographs.

Illustrating the written word:Wed 27th Nov .1-3.00pm

This workshop will be lead by Greame Stewart and the Dalkeith Princes Trust Team Programme. The workshop will encourage participants to create an illustration of their favourite book or poem.

Historic Scotland's annual seminar for CARS officers across Scotland was hosted in Dalkeith on the 4th December 2013. This is the first time the annual seminar has been held outside Historic Scotland's main HQ in Edinburgh.

Dalkeith was choosen as a venue for the CARS officers to see what had been achieved in the town over the last 4 years. Presentations were given about the scheme and partners joined the seminar to share their experiences of the work that had been done .

Gerry Goldwyre(BBC Master Chef) from Dalkeith's water tower , historic landmark building in the town provided home made soup and bread at lunch time for the delegates.

Other partners who attended to share their experiences were:Kenneth Ferguson QS for the Tolbooth, Nigel Hallworth and Andrew Watt from St Mary's Church Dalkeith owner of the Tolbooth , Lyall Suntherland and Jane Burridge from SHS Burridge architects for 1-3 High Street , Gary Byrce  from G.Grigg and Sons contractors for some of the grant schemes in the High Street , Alan Mason chair of Dalkeith History Society , David Murphy from Dalkeith Community Council , John McLeish from Melville Housing Association , Mike Armstrong volunteer , and Derek Welsh from Midlothian Council Regenerationm Team .

After lunch there was a walkeabout in the town centre to look at some of the completed grant schemes as well as the public realm work.

Feedback from the delegates was very positive and as a result Historic Scotland are to hold next years annual seminar in Paisley, where there has also  been a CARS scheme successfully delivered.

The Princes Trust Team Programme provides young people with valuable skills and qualifications to help them enter education, training or employment.

The Dalkeith team is delivered in partnership with Edinburgh College and Police Scotland. It is also supported by the European Social Fund.

The Dalkeith THI Project Manager has been helping the Princes Trust team leader, Greame Stewart  working with young people in the area to develop a project around the history and heritage of Dalkeith.

The result is a project to provide decorative panels for the front windows of the Corn Exchange, as a temporary measure before repair and restoration work starts on the building probably in the spring.  The panels were exhibited at Dalkeith Arts Centre on 7th November 2013 to a large audience and reived a great deal of praise.  It was obvious that the young people involved were extremely proud of their work, the project has enabled them to express themselves in visual form. They have learnt alot about the history and heritage of the area in the process. Well done to all those involved !!.  Click here to view invite leaflet.

Some photographs from the exhibition: