Culture And Memory

Astley Ainslie Oral History Project

The Astley Ainslie Hospital celebrated its Centenary in 2023. It was built on land acquired through a trust established by David Ainslie in memory of his nephew and ward John Astley and was intended as a convalescent hospital for patients of the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.The Astley Ainslie grew to become a leading school for occupational therapists and later a major centre for Rehabilitation Medicine. It still functions as a hospital but the NHS have plans to sell the hospital and land at an undisclosed date but probably within the next 10 years. We see this project as an opportunity to gather spoken memories from those with lived experience of the Astley Ainslie and preserve them in a digital archive open and accessible to all. Many of these people are of advanced years which adds urgency to the project. Losing these memories risks losing valuable heritage for local and wider communities.