On the Trail of Patrick Geddes

About the Book: 

From Princes Street looking up at the skyline of Edinburgh’s Old Town, Ramsay Garden and the Outlook Tower shine like beacons above the grey city and provide a vibrant counterpoint to the brooding presence of the castle. The iconic view encapsulates the soul of Patrick Geddes and his vision for greening the environment and urban revitalisation.

This guide is a voyage into the world of Patrick Geddes, giving us a fresh look at his life and his significance in the modern day. Follow the trails in Edinburgh, Perth and Ballater, see how Geddes was connected to locations further afield like India and discover the impact and ideas of the great Scottish genius whose Outlook Tower was ‘the world’s first sociological laboratory’.

Reviews: 

It’s a great read, with some fascinating stories I hadn’t been aware of before. GRAEME PURVES, PGMT Trustee

About the Author:

WALTER STEPHEN was born in Thurso, Caithness and educated at schools and universities in Glasgow and Edinburgh, with degrees in Geography, Economic History and Education. He was Principal Teacher of Geography in distinguished schools in Fife and Edinburgh, then became the first Adviser in Social Studies in Edinburgh and Senior Adviser in Lothian Region. In schools shrunk by falling student numbers, he set up Castlehill Urban Studies Centre, the first successful Urban Studies Centre in Britain, and the History of Education Centre.

As an independent scholar he has been active in investigating Interesting Victorians and has been responsible for books on Patrick Geddes (planner and polymath), Willie Park Junior (‘The Man who took Golf to the World’), Frank Fraser Darling (born in 1903, but a Victorian in spirit who lived among the red deer and founded the environmental movement) and Charles Darwin (in The Evolution of Evolution: Darwin, Enlightenment and Scotland).