What do we do?
We meet at least six times during a Session, which runs from October to June, for dinner at
The Caledonian Club in Halkin Street, off Belgrave Square.
We traditionally call the dinners Little Dinners, as opposed to the great feasts in the nineteenth century!
We invite a guest speaker of distinction to deliver a sentiment after each dinner. In addition, the Society invites singers (often Scots students
from London’s music schools and academies) to sing predominantly Scots songs, often by Robert Burns and others including Lady Oliphant. We have
also invited young musicians to play the piano, flute and clarsach.
Unsurprisingly, we enjoy the music of the bagpipes, and have piping provided by The London Scottish Regiment, the Pinstripe Highlanders. together
with renowned pipers like Pipe Major Roger Huth and John-Angus Smith. Guests of members are warmly welcomed, and often we have as many guests as
members attending our events.
Highlights of the year include London Scottish Night, which we have held since November 1947, when the President welcomed his two sons back from
war service in the Regiment. This night often includes a performance by the Pipes and Drums of the London Scottish Regiment. We are able to hold a
first class Early Burns’ Night in January well before Burns’ Night itself on 25 January. We often hold dinners with our Charities, and are brought
up to date with their issues. In April, we hold a Ladies’ Night, prior to a businesslike AGM followed by a convivial summer dinner in June.
Most Dinners are held in the Caledonian Club in Belgravia. There is also an annual lunch held in Edinburgh for our more northern members, and
occasional outings are arranged – to the London Scottish Regimental Headquarters in Westminster, and to a pre-match lunch at London Scottish
Football Club at the Athletic Ground in Richmond.