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Oysters and a Pearl of a Club
Posted on December 21, 2006 by Christine Richard OBE FRSA


If you mention oysters to most people the reaction is either “yummy” or “yeuch” with little, or nothing, in between. The original Oyster Club was founded by James Hutton, often said to be the father of the science of geology and among the first to theorise about the antiquity of our planet. He, Joseph Black a chemistry scientist and the famous economist and author Adam Smith established the Oyster Club as a weekly meeting for Edinburgh intellectuals as well as visiting thinkers like James Watt and Benjamin Franklin.

Other members in the beginning were David Hume, John Clerk, Adam Ferguson and William Robertson. They were all avid oyster eaters and would meet each week in a different tavern to discuss art, architecture, philosophy, politics, science and economics. Each member gave a brief update on their projects. In Hutton's words the discussions were "informal and amusing, despite their great learning."

The Oyster Club was one of many supper clubs for the "literati" who spent time in the taverns of the Old Town during the latter half of the 18th century. At that time as now Edinburgh was a city full of hostelries offering dinner in the early evening with copious amounts of claret, champagne, gin, ale brandy and whisky on tap. These clubs were forums for men of varied professions to meet and share ideas and humour over such delicacies as dried salt haddock and, of course, oysters.

Today's Oyster Club, under the chairmanship of former Lord Provost Eric Milligan follows a similar pattern, though in today's busy pace of life the Club does not meet weekly. Another major difference is that, unlike its 18th century equivalent, women are permitted to join.

Eric Milligan Councillor Milligan refers to the newly refurbished Caves in South Niddry Street as "the spiritual home of the Oyster Club" and indeed there is evidence that this hostelry was where it first began. It was described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "It is a rabbit warren not only by the number of its twists and turns but by its dark stairs frequented by loiterers and other such low characters and as treacherous a place as I saw."

What remains the same, though, is the eclectic mix of “movers and shakers”, writers and politicians, artists and business people. Authors like Ian Rankin and Michael Shea, Lord and Lady Steel, judges and civil servants as well as a sprinkling of politicians make up the "invitation only" membership.

The Club still moves round the city, from New Club, to the Oyster Bar to the Caves and other city centre venues. Yes, oysters are still consumed, wine is taken and there is always an interesting talk. Dried salt haddock, however, is no longer on the menu.


This weekly dining club for scientists and philosophers met regularly throughout the 1770s. It had been established by the great economist and political philosopher Adam Smith, the chemist Joseph Black and the geologist James Hutton. The club was attended by a veritable constellation of Edinburghs most brilliant thinkers, including John Playfair, Adam Ferguson, David Hume and Sir James Hall. It also payed host to a wide variety of visiting international scientists, including the French geologist Barthlmy Faujas de Saint Fond, James Watt the engineer and inventor from Glasgow, and Benjamin Franklin the American scientist and inventor.


The Oyster Club

I can deliver a satisfactory lecture, however when it comes to debate I am somewhat at a loss and my skills at conversation are altogether weak (or so I have been told). Nevertheless I love the form of conversation above others. I have been fortunate to have taken part in some serious and fascinating conversations, although my role in the best of them was mostly audience or witness.

During the early-mid eighties while in art school in New York an outstandingly productive educational model was demonstrated by a number of my teachers (Craig Owens, Thomas Lawson, Joseph Kosuth, the Whitney Independent Study Program staff). The idea was simple but demanded time and energy beyond what most faculty and students are willing to devote. In this model, issues formally presented in class would be pursued afterward in the local restaurant or bar. Away from the overt hierarchy of the lecture hall or studio room more inclusive conversations flowered. These discussions flowed over a variety of topics, from serious debate of the problems presented in class to saucy gossip. Often a dinner would turn into a night in a bar or club and then to apartment gathering of the die hard crowd. Certainly this is not a new method, and is common place in universities around the world. I find it a compelling model.

Occasionally during these meetings the discussion would turn anecdotally to other groups which had gotten together to talk. It seemed we had always missed something - the Cedar Tavern scene, Smithson confronting Andre in Max's Kansas City and so many other great debates of our artworld recently passed. History is jammed with extraordinary conversations missed, but given the choice to sit in anywhere at any time I would cherish a cornerseat at the Oyster Club.

The Oyster Club was one of the numerous supper clubs for the 'literati' which haunted the taverns Old Town Edinburgh during the latter half of the eighteenth century. Edinburgh was a city crowded with hostelries offering an early afternoon dinner liberally lubricated with claret, champagne, gin, ale, brandy and whiskey. These social clubs allowed men of varied professions to meet, share ideas and laughs over dried salt haddock and oysters. The Scottish lawyers, writers, philosophers, doctors and artists had made the city one of Europe's prominent intellectual centers.

The contributions to science and culture in Edinburgh can not be isolated from the general social and economic situations which characterized by a close mixing of the social classes. This is evident in the pragmatic approach of the intellectuals as well as the ability to explain themselves in a language assessable to a wide public and their inclination to the forms of conversation and debate.

I first encountered references to the Oyster Club some years ago, while reading about the discovery of Geological Time. A hero in that discovery was one of the Oyster Club's founders, James Hutton, said to be the father of the science of geology and certainly one of the first men to begin to appreciate and theorize the enormous antiquity of the planet. He along with Joseph Black, a giant in the history of chemistry and the economist/ author Adam Smith established the Oyster Club as a weekly meeting for Edinburgh intellectuals as well as visiting thinkers (James Watt and Benjamin Franklin, for example). David Hume, John Clerk, Adam Ferguson, William Robertson were all members and avid eaters of Oysters. Each week, in a different tavern, since the meetings were often a bit too sought after, they would convine to discuss art, architecture, philosophy, politics, physical science, economics, each giving a brief update on their special projects. The discussions were, in Hutton's words "informal and amusing despite their great learning". Hutton never drank spirits.

What appeals to me most about Hutton and his Oyster Club companions is the fluidity by which they moved through the indeterminate boundaries of disciplines. In our period of extraordinary specialization and hierarchy it is difficult to imagine the time in which destinctions between science and philosophy were non existent. It was a time dominated by a meticulous, yet less restricted curiosity, which I find irresistibly spellbinding. Perhaps I too romantically morn the polymath. The Oyster Club for me seem both, familiar and impossible.


To mark the beginning of the new Reiwa era and celebrate Japan-Scotland match in the 2019 Rugby World Cup, Consul General Nozomu Takaoka hosted a reception at the Residence for Oyster Club members and guests contributing to Japan-Scotland relations.

The Oyster Club is the group of celebrities and academics in Edinburgh, in which Adam Smith also was a member in the 18th century.

The group was revived in this centuryby the initiative of former Lord Provost of Edinburgh The R.H. Eric Milligan. Following the introduction from Mr Milligan, the Consul General gave a short speech.

The attendees included The R.H. Lord David Steel and the R.H. James Douglas-Hamilton of the House of Lords, Lord Charles Bruce, Dean Lockhart MSP and Maureen Watt MSP, Convenor and Deputy Convenor of the Cross Party Group on Japan, Principal Peter Mathieson of the University of Edinburgh, Professor Ian Gow of the Japan Society of Scotland, Mrs Ann Budge, CEO of the Heart of Midlothian Football Club. Everyone came together to toast a prosperous new era of Reiwa and a successful Rugby World Cup, resulting in a full house.


The Oyster Club met regularly at a venue, of dubious reputation, on Niddrie Street South which lies below the South Bridge for dining and conversation on the important topics of the day.

John Playfair in his biography of Hutton notes that the venue for the Oyster Club was one of the most disreputable houses in the city.

Alongside the trio of Edinburgh literati, it seems that visiting thinkers were also invited.

Some sources suggest James Watt and Benjamin Franklin took part in discussions. Other members were described as savants, manufacturers and entrepreneurs.


Beneath the cobbled streets of Edinburghs Old Town, nestled in the underground vaults of the South Bridge, lies The Caves; a breathtaking exclusive-use venue, unlike any other.

Each room in this UNESCO World Heritage Site has a coveted place in Scottish history. This was the spiritual home of The Oyster Club of the Scottish Enlightenment, frequented by David Hume, Robert Burns and Benjamin Franklin; it was the rumoured hunting ground of the notorious Burke and Hare; and played host to the stables of the French Cavalry. In fact, The Caves once served as the capitals Whisky Row, with more than 20 illegal whisky distilleries hidden in its vaults.


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