Well-known Edinburgh geologist, Angus Miller, will lead a special tercentenary walk in honour of James Hutton (3 June 1726 – 26 March 1797), the father of modern geology. This will be on Saturday, 20 June, starting at 10.00 from the Portuguese Cannon.
Entitled ‘The view from Calton Hill: James Hutton’s Edinburgh’, Angus will take us around the summit of Calton Hill, reflecting on the role of this landscape in influencing the ideas of Hutton and his friend John Clerk of Eldin.
Angus Miller writes: “On his death in 1797, Hutton left an unpublished volume of the Theory of the Earth, to be illustrated by beautiful, detailed geological drawings by John Clerk, including several of Edinburgh. These drawings were lost, and only recently rediscovered, and they help show the depth of understanding that Hutton and Clerk had of this landscape and its underlying geology.” Angus will be talking more about this important discovery during the walk.
An event in the Scottish Geology Festival 2026, organised by the Scottish Geology Trust.
