Walking in David Hume’s footsteps

27 Aug

We worked in partnership with Lisa Williams, founder of the Edinburgh Caribbean Association and creator of Edinburgh’s Black History Walking Tours on a bespoke walking tour focussed on the Life, Times and Legacy of David Hume.

Groups walked in the footsteps of David Hume, to better understand his life and times and how Edinburgh was changing dramatically at this time due to financial gains from slavery and colonialism.

Beginning at the statue of David Hume, Lisa took participants around locations connected with key figures and events of the time.

The tours ended at Riddles Court, the place where Hume lived when he first wrote the infamous footnote. Here participants had a chance to reflect on their learning journey and hear from others, mirroring the coffee house conversations of the Scottish Enlightenment.

With a special thanks to everyone at Riddles Court for hosting the discussions and to Indhira, owner of the Caribbean cafe Guajira on St Mary Street, for her delicious cakes which helped fuel the discussion.

Surveys taken before and after the tours found that participants had increased their understanding of the life and times of David Hume and Scotland’s involvement in slavery.

You can find out about Lisa’s other tours on instagram @blackhistoryedinburgh, or read more in her latest publication, The Big Book of UK History.