Bringing Excellence in Live Arts to Linlithgow since 1969.

Linlithgow Arts Guild is one of the foremost Music Clubs in Scotland

How did this come about?

It is a worthwhile story. In the autumn of 1968 Linlithgow Town Council, against the background of an Art Exhibition put on by Richard Demarco, whose irrepressible enthusiasm for modern art and for persuading the unconvinced to appreciate it, was infectious, was enlightened enough to organise a fortnight of culture in the town. Mrs Julia Wade, then a member of the Council, was designated to bring this about.

Distinguished exponents of the arts were invited and duly came to give talks and lead discussions and seminars. Robert Ponsonby, the then Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, was the music expert. Allen Wright, and Conrad Wilson, the Drama Critic and the Music Critic respectively of The Scotsman also came to Linlithgow. And so it came to be that at one of the many "chummy chats" Robert Ponsonby said to Mrs Wade: "Why don't you start an Arts Guild in Linlithgow?" And continued "Well, you could invite the Scottish National Orchestra to give a concert here". Seeing her surprise, he went on: "You could have half of it here and the other half could go to some place like Dornoch." And that is exactly what happened. (Needless to say, these six words give little hint of the feverish activity that followed).