With plans to convert the site into a museum of photography on hold, a military museum and a museum of the Scottish diaspora have been suggested. Both proposals are backed by the Scottish National party (SNP).
Until recently, the Scottish National Photography Centre (SNPC) was thought to be a viable use for the building. The school is close to Rock House, the former studio of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, who pioneered photographic techniques in the 1840s.
In 2003 the project got a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £48,600, and the following year it received sponsorship thought to be worth more than £1m from Sony UK. But the SNPC has had uncertainties over funding and rumoured disagreements over location.
The military museum proposal comes from the One O'Clock Gun Association, a small voluntary society founded in 1998 to mount an exhibition about the time gun, which is fired at 1pm every day from Edinburgh Castle.
George Robinson, the association's secretary, told Museums Journal: 'The whole thing would work in conjunction with all the regimental
museums. They've got all the uniforms and medals. We would include multimedia screens and that kind of thing.'
Meanwhile, the diaspora scheme is a long-running idea that has been revived by the SNP's Kenny MacAskill, the MSP for the Lothians. He said: 'We should pay tribute to our emigrant community. The story of Scotland is not simply about the people who live here. It's also about the people from here: where they went to and what they did.'
The Royal High School was the site of a Democracy for Scotland vigil between April 1992 until September 1997, when a referendum confirmed the establishment of the Scottish parliament. MacAskill said he would prefer that the building was now depoliticised. 'I don't want to get involved in a turf war, and I've actually been supportive of the photography centre scheme.'
Dorothy Marsh, the senior conservation officer at Edinburgh City Museums, expressed scepticism about both museum plans. 'Any of us can come up with ideas - the question is whether they're relevant and sustainable. Getting capital money to convert the building is easy. It's much more difficult to identify a revenue stream for the future,' she said.
But Michael Shea, chairman of the action committee for the SNPC, is determined to keep the photography scheme alive. 'We're continuing with the idea. Absolutely. We're going ahead,' he said.
Andrew Burnet
Until recently, the Scottish National Photography Centre (SNPC) was thought to be a viable use for the building. The school is close to Rock House, the former studio of David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson, who pioneered photographic techniques in the 1840s.
In 2003 the project got a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £48,600, and the following year it received sponsorship thought to be worth more than £1m from Sony UK. But the SNPC has had uncertainties over funding and rumoured disagreements over location.
The military museum proposal comes from the One O'Clock Gun Association, a small voluntary society founded in 1998 to mount an exhibition about the time gun, which is fired at 1pm every day from Edinburgh Castle.
George Robinson, the association's secretary, told Museums Journal: 'The whole thing would work in conjunction with all the regimental
museums. They've got all the uniforms and medals. We would include multimedia screens and that kind of thing.'
Meanwhile, the diaspora scheme is a long-running idea that has been revived by the SNP's Kenny MacAskill, the MSP for the Lothians. He said: 'We should pay tribute to our emigrant community. The story of Scotland is not simply about the people who live here. It's also about the people from here: where they went to and what they did.'
The Royal High School was the site of a Democracy for Scotland vigil between April 1992 until September 1997, when a referendum confirmed the establishment of the Scottish parliament. MacAskill said he would prefer that the building was now depoliticised. 'I don't want to get involved in a turf war, and I've actually been supportive of the photography centre scheme.'
Dorothy Marsh, the senior conservation officer at Edinburgh City Museums, expressed scepticism about both museum plans. 'Any of us can come up with ideas - the question is whether they're relevant and sustainable. Getting capital money to convert the building is easy. It's much more difficult to identify a revenue stream for the future,' she said.
But Michael Shea, chairman of the action committee for the SNPC, is determined to keep the photography scheme alive. 'We're continuing with the idea. Absolutely. We're going ahead,' he said.
Andrew Burnet
