‘West End Girls’: An Exhibition at The Georgian House, 7 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh

‘West End Girls’ – an exhibition now open at The National Trust for Scotland’ Georgian House – offers a glimpse of the lives three young ladies who lived in or near Charlotte Square in the early nineteenth century. Curated by Antonia Laurence Allen, Regional Curator for Edinburgh and East at the National Trust for Scotland with research assistance from me in my role as a Visitor Assistant at The Georgian House, the exhibition challenges received notions about female education and accomplishments.

Elizabeth Grant of Rothiemurchus was born at No. 5 Charlotte Square in 1797. Her Memoirs of a Highland Lady recount her earliest memories of playing in the gardens of the square. She fondly remembered playing with a toy wheelbarrow – a reminder that the square was not fully completed until the early 1820s. Grant wrote her Memoirs for her children and they were not published until after her death. They reveal the intricacies of female education in the early nineteenth century, including music and dance lessons and the development of social skills. Elizabeth’s sisters Jane and Mary Frances were presented at court during George IV’s visit to Edinburgh in 1822. This required extra lessons in deportment and grace. They were fortunate in having the friendship and guidance of Harriet Siddons, actress and manager of the Theatre Royal, who taught them how to manage their court dresses and helped them to style the feathers they needed to wear in their hair.

Catherine Sinclair was born in 1800 at No. 9 Charlotte Square, later moving to No. 6 (now Bute House). She was her father Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster’s secretary from the age of 14 and managed his voluminous correspondence as he worked on a new edition of his Statistical Account of Scotland. Catherine began her career as a writer with her first publication, ‘The Murder Hole’ in Blackwood’s Magazine in 1829. Her novels Modern Accomplishments (1836) and its sequel Modern Society (1837) offered critiques on female education via the story of two cousins who have opposite experiences. Sinclair’s best-known and influential work is Holiday House (1839), which began as stories for her nieces and nephews. In it, young Laura and Harry learn to control their mischievous ways through a series of misadventures. ‘West End Girls’ uses objects from the Georgian House’s collection to illustrate some of their adventures which were inspired by Catherine’s early life in Charlotte Square.

Marjory Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy in 1803. From the age of five she lived with her aunt and cousins at 1 North Charlotte Street. Her cousin Isabella encouraged her learning, guiding her reading, writing, and composition of poems. A set of Marjory’s journals was kept by her family after her tragically early death just before her ninth birthday. Her journals have been digitised by the National Library of Scotland and can be enjoyed here.

Elizabeth, Catherine, and Marjory’s stories offer a chance to re-assess some of the myths and perceptions about female education in the early nineteenth century. Girls were barred from formal higher education and did not attend high schools or universities with their brothers, but they had opportunities to learn mathematics, astronomy, and geography, languages such as French and Italian, and creative arts such as music, dancing, painting and drawing, and expert needlework.

A highlight of the exhibition is a rare early nineteenth century musical game designed by Ann Young in Edinburgh in 1801. The complex game is only one of three known to survive and is on display for the first time. All three of our featured ‘West End Girls’ wrote to express themselves. Grant and her sisters corresponded when they were apart, reporting on their experiences and escapades. This practice later informed Grant’s techniques in writing her Memoir. When the family’s fortunes declined, Elizabeth and Mary Frances Grant turned to their pens and published stories in periodicals. Catherine Sinclair found expression in her stories and novels which explored faith, education, and the roles expected of young women in late Georgian and early Victorian society. Marjory Fleming captured her precocity in her journals which show that she enjoyed reading and critiquing the same books as her much-older cousin.

For information about The Georgian House’s opening hours and admission prices, see https://www.nts.org.uk/visit/places/georgian-house. Admission is free for National Trust for Scotland members, National Trust members, and Art Pass holders.

Don’t forget to visit Below Stairs Books when you come to see the exhibition. This bookshop in the basement gives pre-loved books a new chapter of life and supports the timeless tradition of storytelling as well as the National Trust for Scotland’s commitment to sustainable practices.