Exhibition at National Library of Scotland celebrates rain
9 reported
The National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh has opened an exhibition celebrating rain, drawing on the country's scientific, literary, and cultural history. The display features the 1784 rain theory calculations of James Hutton, considered the father of modern geology, alongside items from literary figures such as Minnie the Minx and Robert Burns. It also includes a rare original copy of King James VI's 1597 treatise Daemonologie, which blames witches for conjuring storms that delayed his queen's arrival. The exhibition, which opens to the public on 19 June and runs until 30 April 2027, is dedicated to the memory of preventive conservator Mel Houston, who was killed in a flash flood in early 2023.
What’s reported
James Hutton wrote a formula for "a theory of rain" in 1784.
Between 100bn and 160bn cubic metres of rain fall on Scotland each year.
The exhibition includes tartan samples of Mackintosh rainproof fabric, invented by Charles Macintosh in 1823.
A rare original copy of Daemonologie by King James VI is displayed, written in 1597.
The exhibition features early rain maps, including one from 1912 charting 25 years of rain.
Edinburgh is one of the drier cities in the UK; Rome gets more rain annually.
The exhibition includes a weather forecast wall where visitors can play TV meteorologist.
Heather Reid, known as Heather the Weather, opened the exhibition on 17 June.
The exhibition is dedicated to Mel Houston, a preventive conservator killed in a flash flood in early 2023.
Key figures
James Hutton, father of modern geology
Charles Macintosh, Glasgow-born chemist
King James VI of Scotland and I of England and Wales
Alison Stevenson, director of collections at the National Library of Scotland
Heather Reid, forecaster known as Heather the Weather
Thomas Tod Stoddart, angler poet
Mary Cumming Bruce, diarist
Mel Houston, preventive conservator
Sources: The Guardian
