Amongst Heritage Collections' vast archives, we have items that speak loudly and clearly about our relationships with the natural world, with matters of climate and sustainability and with our colonial past and how these issues reverberate through time and place. Heritage Collections look after the University of Edinburgh’s cultural heritage. Our collections span thousands of years and are diverse in content and format, from rare books and archives to oral histories, geological and anatomical collections, musical instruments and artworks.Amongst our vast collections, we have items that speak loudly and clearly about our relationships with the natural world, with matters of climate and sustainability and with our colonial past and how these issues reverberate through time and place.Here we are collecting case studies to reflect on individual collection items and what they can tell us about our changing climate. Withdrawn Objects Withdrawn Objects: exploring art, science, preservation and value. Artworks that brings together ideas of philosophy, scientific experimentation and storytelling. Unpacking their fascinating production offers ways into thinking about sustainability, the environment, collections, time, value and care. Barkcloth catalogue Alexander Shaw’s Barkcloth Catalogue: From Scientific Curiosity to Contemporary Artistic Revival Shells, Science & Empire: Rethinking the Climate Archive A study for interrogating the entanglement of land and sea based scientific exploration and colonial expansion, highlighting how historical data could contribute to current climate science: Public health and the City of Edinburgh Exploring how the City of Edinburgh City local authority handled matters relating to the health and well-being of its citizens; from the appointment of its first Medical Officer of Health, Henry Duncan Littlejohn in 1862, to the eventual establishment of Public Health Scotland. Auld Reekie? Clean air and health in Edinburgh Investigating the use of clean air in treatments for infectious disease and the fight to legislate against air pollution through Lothian Health Services Archive collections: This article was published on Thursday 20 August 2026
