📚 Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
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leightonlibrary.bsky.social
📚 Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
@leightonlibrary.bsky.social
Scotland's oldest purpose-built independent library, built 1687 from bequest of 17th century Robert Leighton, Principal of University of Edinburgh, Chancellor of University of Glasgow, Bishop of Dunblane Cathedral

https://www.leightonlibrary.org.uk
#Museum30 theme 11 is #reflection. Is Dunblane's historic Leighton Library a reflection on shiny Gold Postbox marking 2012 Olympic win of Sir Andy Murray?

🚶Visit Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
📅 Open only on Saturdays in November
🕚 11am-4pm
🆓 Free admission (donations invited)
November 11, 2025 at 8:14 AM
All welcome on Sat 15 Nov at 10.30am in Dunblane Cathedral Hall, to free 2025 Geraldine Goddard Memorial Lecture, “Enlightenment & Conspiracy at the Leighton Library, 1780-1832’ presented by Dr Josh Smith

www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/calendar/202...
November 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
#Museum30 theme 10 is #rainbow. Dunblane's historic Leighton Library is a Rainbow of Reading, with diversity of genres, languages, & subjects - from theology to travelogues, poetry to politics.
Using the rainbow as metaphor for post-Reformation intellectual flourishing…/👇
November 10, 2025 at 8:54 AM
#Museum30 theme 9 is #map. Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1630 edition of "Atlas minor, ou Briefve description de tout le monde" by Flemish cartographer, philosopher & mathematician Gerardus Mercator. He gave his name to Mercator Projection. He is best known for…/👇
November 9, 2025 at 8:45 AM
#Museum30 theme 8 is #stitch. Some books in historic collection of Dunblane’s Leighton Library, due to wear & tear, have binding which has come loose, revealing stitching of pages. Help by adopting a book, & have your name associated with book www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/adopt-a-book...
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November 8, 2025 at 8:04 AM
#Museum30 theme 7 is #box. There is free downloadable board game bringing to life how, in 17th century, books of Robert Leighton were boxed up & brought in chests from Horsted Keynes to Dunblane to be housed in library built to hold them in Dunblane www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/journey-of-b...
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November 7, 2025 at 7:17 AM
November #Museum30 theme 6 is #clay. Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library has ceramic mugs available for sale featuring images of the Leighton Library as well as images from historic books in its collection leighton-library-shop.co.uk/collections/...
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November 6, 2025 at 7:20 AM
November #Museum30 theme 5 is #sharing. Volunteer Guides from Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library share on its YouTube channel about historic books in library youtube.com/playlist?lis...

🚶Visit Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
📅 Open only on Saturdays in November
🕚 11am-4pm
🆓 Free admission
November 5, 2025 at 7:17 AM
November #Museum30 theme 4 is #sketchbook. Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library has 1898 book “The Battle of Sheriffmuir,” by John E Shearer, containing sketches, about the 1715 Jacobite battle fought at Dunblane
www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/1715-jacobit...
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November 4, 2025 at 8:34 AM
November #Museum30 theme 3 #eyes. Here are eyes of Robert Leighton from portrait in 1662 as Principal of University of Edinburgh (where original is on display)

🚶Visit Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
📅 Open only on Saturdays in November
🕚 11am-4pm
🆓 Free admission (donations invited)
November 3, 2025 at 8:18 AM
November #Museum30 day 2 theme is #signage. There’s new signage at entrance to Dunblane's historic Leighton Library for recently created free digital guide, with audio tours - listen on your mobile phone as Volunteer Guide tells you about the library
www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/digital-guid...
November 2, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1707 edition of "Oeuvres diverses du sr. Boileau Despreaux" by French poet & critic Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux (known as Boileau), born #OnThisDay 1636

He was a leading French poet & critic in 17th century. He helped shape rules of…/👇
November 1, 2025 at 8:14 AM
November #Museum30 is month of celebrating museums & heritage, day 1 theme being “introduction.” Dunblane's historic Leighton Library is Scotland’s oldest purpose-built independent library, founded on collection of 17th century academic & churchman Robert Leighton…/👇
November 1, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1776 edition of "Sylva: a discourse of forest-trees together with a historical account of the sacredness & use of standing groves" by English writer, gardener & diarist John Evelyn, born #OnThisDay 31 Oct 1620. Evelyn's diaries…/👇
October 31, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1606 edition of "Les vies des hommes illustres" by French Renaissance writer & translator Jacques Amyot, born #OnThisDay 1513

Book was translation of Plutarch’s “Parallel Lives” series of biographies pairing famous Greeks & Romans…/👇
October 30, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1799 edition of "The Life of Samuel Johnson" (considered one of greatest biographies ever written) by Scottish biographer James Boswell, born #OnThisDay 1740

It tells story of Samuel Johnson, brilliant English writer, dictionary-maker…/
October 29, 2025 at 7:27 AM
#OnThisDay 1726 the novel "Gulliver's Travels" by satirist Jonathan Swift was first published. Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1757 edition of "Works of Dr Jonathan Swift," which includes this & more

It preserves wit, satire, & social critique of one of sharpest…/👇
October 28, 2025 at 7:22 AM
A date for your diary! All welcome, Sat 15 Nov at 10am in Dunblane Cathedral Hall, to 2025 Geraldine Goddard Memorial Lecture, “Enlightenment & Conspiracy at Leighton Library, 1780-1832’ presented by Dr Josh Smith, Leighton Library Volunteer Guide
www.leightonlibrary.org.uk/calendar/202...
…/👇
October 27, 2025 at 2:10 PM
It's #WorldDayForAudiovisualHeritage
#DayForAudiovisualHeritage. Explore videos about Dunblane’s Leighton Library on its YouTube channel

▶️ youtube.com/@leightonlib...

🚶Visit Dunblane's historic Leighton Library
📅 Open Mon-Sat
🕚 11am-4pm
🆓 Free admission (donations invited)
Leighton Library Dunblane
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library, the oldest purpose-built independent library in Scotland founded on the collection of Robert Leighton (1611-1684), Principal of the University of Edinburgh, Bisho...
youtube.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Enjoy watching a podcast-style video about life & legacy of Robert Leighton - who chose bridge-building over battle lines - & whose bequest led to Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library, Scotland’s oldest purpose-built independent library.

▶️ youtu.be/q0GMwC54eG8
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Robert Leighton: a man who chose bridge-building over battle lines
YouTube video by Leighton Library Dunblane
youtu.be
October 26, 2025 at 7:07 AM
It's #InternationalArtistDay #ArtistDay today. So here's portrait of Robert Leighton (whose gift to Dunblane saw creation of Leighton Library) in 1662 from when he was Principal of University of Edinburgh (where the original painting is on display). Artist is considered to be…/
October 25, 2025 at 6:52 AM
Dunblane's historic Leighton Library has 1649 edition of "Exercitationes paradoxicae, adversus aristoteleos" (Paradoxical Exercises Against the Aristotelians) by French philosopher, priest, astronomer & mathematician Pierre Gassendi who died #OnThisDay 1655

He challenged…/👇
October 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM
According to 17th century scholar James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh & Primate of All Ireland, whose chronology of history of world, formulated from literal reading of Old Testament, published in 1650 in a work known as Ussher chronology, world was created #OnThisDay 4004 BC…/👇
October 23, 2025 at 6:16 AM
Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library has 1642 edition of “Makariou Theodoritou episkopou Kurou 'Apanta. Beati Theodoreti episcopi Cyri Opera omnia” edited by French scholar Jacques Sirmond, born #OnThisDay 1559

It’s a collected works (“Opera omnia”) of Theodoret of Cyrrhus…/👇
October 22, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Dunblane’s historic Leighton Library has 1581 edition of “Poetices libri septem” (Seven books on Poetics) by Italian scholar & physician Julius Caesar Scaliger, who died #OnThisDay 21 Oct 1558

This can be thought of as a “how-to” guide for writing & understanding poetry…/👇
October 21, 2025 at 9:03 AM