£50,000 mystery gift to develop photo museum 

By SAM HALSTEAD
Thu 10 Oct 2002 


A £50,000 donation from a secret benefactor will help fund a lottery bid to set up a Scottish National Photography Centre in the Capital. 

The surprise gift will pay for a feasibility study as part of a bid to secure cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund. 

Today the group which wants to transform the old Royal High School on Regent Road into the photography centre said it was delighted with the donation. 

City heritage groups have also welcomed the windfall . 

Michael Shea, a spokesman for the Scottish National Photography Centre, said: "The first tranche of money for any project is the most difficult to get. We’re very excited to be on our way." 

The national photography centre already has the backing of Sir Timothy Clifford, director of the National Galleries of Scotland, and film star Sir Sean Connery. 

The complex will showcase the history of photography in Scotland, and be a centre of excellence for Scottish photography. Thousands of archived images will be displayed in public alongside the work of contemporary photographers. 

Plans for the site also include developing the outer buildings of the old Royal High School into research and library facilities. 

Edinburgh City Council, which owns the property, has already given the project its blessing. 

Today Sir Timothy said he was delighted to learn about the £50,000 donation. 

"That is very generous. Consultation is a very expensive exercise. They will have discussions with all the interested parties in Scotland and the UK. They’ll have to cost the whole thing, look at revenue and who is going to exhibit. I am massively in favour of it." 

City heritage groups have also hailed the donation towards the campaign. 

Martin Hulse, director of Edinburgh’s civic trust, the Cockburn Association, said: "A feasibility study is an essential part of an application for lottery funds. 

"The building is itching for a new use and it would be a fantastic venue for the museum." 

Edinburgh arts impresario Richard Demarco, whose Demarco European Art Foundation uses the old high school, said: "The donation is fantastic news. It is one of the great masterpieces of architecture Edinburgh has. This will bring photography to the forefront of Scotland’s heritage." 

The source of the donation remains a closely-guarded secret, with details known only to Mr Shea, the Queen’s former press secretary. 

Adam Elder, a director of the photography centre, said: "The whole project is going extremely well. We have had more than 500 messages of support from all over the world." 

The £50,000 will help pay for the estimated £150,000 cost of the feasibility study, said Mr Elder. 

But the huge cost of restoring the grade-A listed building could be a stumbling block to the plans. 

Mr Elder predicted fitting out the centre and carrying out repairs to the building could cost as much as £25 million. 

Scotland’s national photography collection features about 27,000 images, many stored in boxes at the National Portrait Gallery.