The hidden UFO history of country house near Edinburgh
Sir Mark Dalrymple, the third baronet of New Hailes, was the honorary chairman of the Scottish UFO Research Society
Its handsome edifice played host to some of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment and once boasted one of the largest private libraries in Europe.
But now a very different aspect of the history of Newhailes House on the edge of Musselburgh is being brought into the spotlight - namely, its connection to UFOs.
Sir Mark Dalrymple, the third and final baronet of New Hailes, who died in 1971 with no heir, was the honorary chairman of the Scottish UFO Research Society (SUFORS).
Founded in 1959 and lasting until the early 1970s, this small, Edinburgh-based organisation existed at a time when Cold War anxieties and the accelerating space race dominated the popular imagination.
Dr Gavin Miller, an academic at Glasgow University who has researched the cultural history of UFOs in Scotland, is behind a new display at the National Trust property celebrating this hidden history.
He said the story of UFOs at Newhailes began in the late 1950s, when 14 tattie howkers - or potato pickers - were allegedly chased by a “flying saucer” (more likely a weather balloon) when returning from Musselburgh to Edinburgh on the back of a flatbed lorry.
Two years later, George Adamski, who claimed to have made contact with aliens from Venus, came to Edinburgh to lecture in Central Hall on Lothian Road.
Dr Miller said this “growing media buzz” contributed to the formation of SUFORS. “This was very much the Cold War period of the UFOs,” he told Scotland on Sunday.
Sir Mark was interested in the area, as well as in audio technology. He had a home recording studio and possessed hundreds of tape recordings, including of large UFO-related meetings in London.
Dr Miller said membership of SUFORS was “quite varied” and comprised around 50 or 60 people at its peak, evenly split between men and women.
Most of its work was driven by Sheila Walker, its honorary secretary and a secretary at a local primary school, who organised its meetings, handled its correspondence and maintained a small lending library for members.
One such member, Colonel Bob Henderson, later became known for his vast collection of more than 600 teddy bears - one of which sold at auction for £110,000 in 1994.
Dr Miller said he hoped the new display would help change the mindset around the history of paranormal topics in Scotland, which is often forgotten or overlooked.
Information banners will go on display at Newhailes from July 20 until August 14, alongside a UFO hunt for children.
Diane Martin, National Trust for Scotland visitor services supervisor at Newhailes House and Gardens, said: "It is fascinating to explore the pastimes of the people who once lived at our places.
“Our research has shown that Sir Mark Dalrymple had many interests in his lifetime and often picked up new hobbies. He was chairman of the Scottish UFO Research Society for around a decade until his death in 1971 and he seemed especially keen on anything related to the dark sky.
“We have a series of voice recordings in our collection where he discusses some of these topics, along with diary entries, and there is also a letter written to his mother about a presentation on UFOs that he was extremely impressed by, and which may have set him down this path.”
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.