Forest Cafe
Encyclopedia
The Forest, also referred to as Forest Café, was an independent social centre and arts centre
located on Bristo Place, central Edinburgh
, Scotland.
It was notable for being run by volunteers as a charitable self-sustaining not-for-profit. Formerly the Edinburgh Congressional Church, the building was purchased by the Edinburgh University Settlement and housed the café
, an arts gallery, performance space, rehearsal/music studio, and darkroom.
Free events were held regularly, including workshops, music, film, poetry, theatre and readings. During each summer the venue ran the August Forest Fringe, a theatre and alternative arts programme as an alternative complement to the mainstream Edinburgh Festival
. The building is adjacent to the student-run Edinburgh University Bedlam Theatre
, also a converted church.
The Edinburgh University Settlement - the charity that owns the Forest building - went bankrupt in October 2010, and it was announced that the premises were to be sold. The Forest launched a campaign to raise £500,000 to try to buy the building, or buy or rent another property elsewhere in Edinburgh. As of October 2011 the organisation is without premises.
and Wilson for the Evangelical Union
on the site of a former Baptist Chapel. The category-B listed building has 659 square metres (788.2 sq yd) of floor space and was previously owned by the National Museums of Scotland
, who sold the building for £600,000 during 2003. The plaque over the door reflects its subsequent use as a Seventh-day Adventist Church
, who had purchased the building in 1942 and used it until 2000.
Social organisation
The Forest organisation itself started in August 2000 with a venue in West Port, off the Grassmarket
in Edinburgh's Old Town. Relocation to the Bristo Place premises started in September 2003 and the Forest Café opened there in October 2003.
Café
In 2004, the Forest Café became one of only four internet café
s in the United Kingdom to have won a highly recommended citation in the Yahoo! Mail Internet Café Awards.
The café serves vegetarian cuisine
, locally produced organic food
, vegan food and Fairtrade drinks.
Free Wi-Fi
and public computer terminals are provided.
. This is powered by compressed air and has 16 feet (4.9 m) high pipes. It was originally installed at the Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle
in the late nineteen century and transferred to its present location in 1900. The organ fell into disrepair until mid-June 2007 when the Debian
annual conference—DebConf
7—was held in Edinburgh. During the week-long event, sufficient repairs were made by Tore Sinding Bekkedal and others to enable the organ to function again at which point it was played by Keith Packard
.
In 2008–2009, Project (English: "Forest Flute") was initiated, a musical experiment to control sections of the mechanical musical keyboard
via an electronic MIDI interface from a computer. is the designation of one of the organ stop
s available and was chosen because of the connection of the word "forest
". The argumentation of the keyboards was undertaken by Dorkbot
Alba without any long-term modification of the original organ.
Arts centre
An art centre or arts center is distinct from an art gallery or art museum. An arts centre is a functional community centre with a specific remit to encourage arts practice and to provide facilities such as theatre space, gallery space, venues for musical performance, workshop areas, educational...
located on Bristo Place, central Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland.
It was notable for being run by volunteers as a charitable self-sustaining not-for-profit. Formerly the Edinburgh Congressional Church, the building was purchased by the Edinburgh University Settlement and housed the café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, an arts gallery, performance space, rehearsal/music studio, and darkroom.
Free events were held regularly, including workshops, music, film, poetry, theatre and readings. During each summer the venue ran the August Forest Fringe, a theatre and alternative arts programme as an alternative complement to the mainstream Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
. The building is adjacent to the student-run Edinburgh University Bedlam Theatre
Bedlam Theatre
Bedlam Theatre is a student-run theatre owned by the University of Edinburgh and notable for being the oldest student-run theatre in Britain.It is housed in the former New North Free Church building at the foot of George IV Bridge in Edinburgh; a building which was designed by Thomas Hamilton, an...
, also a converted church.
The Edinburgh University Settlement - the charity that owns the Forest building - went bankrupt in October 2010, and it was announced that the premises were to be sold. The Forest launched a campaign to raise £500,000 to try to buy the building, or buy or rent another property elsewhere in Edinburgh. As of October 2011 the organisation is without premises.
Background
The building at 3 Bristo Place was constructed during 1899–1900 to a design by Sydney MitchellSydney Mitchell
Arthur George Sydney Mitchell was a Scottish architect. He designed a large number of bank branches, country houses, churches and church halls...
and Wilson for the Evangelical Union
Evangelical Union (Scotland)
The Evangelical Union was a religious denomination which originated in the suspension of the Rev. James Morison, minister of a United Secession congregation in Kilmarnock, Scotland, for certain views regarding faith, the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, and the extent of the atonement, which...
on the site of a former Baptist Chapel. The category-B listed building has 659 square metres (788.2 sq yd) of floor space and was previously owned by the National Museums of Scotland
National Museums of Scotland
National Museums Scotland is the organization that runs several national museums of Scotland. It is one of the country's National Collections, and holds internationally important collections of natural sciences, decorative arts, world cultures, science and technology, and Scottish history and...
, who sold the building for £600,000 during 2003. The plaque over the door reflects its subsequent use as a Seventh-day Adventist Church
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
, who had purchased the building in 1942 and used it until 2000.
Social organisation
The Forest organisation itself started in August 2000 with a venue in West Port, off the Grassmarket
Grassmarket
The Grassmarket is an historic market square in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland.In relation to the rest of the city the area is a hollow, well below surrounding ground levels.-Location:...
in Edinburgh's Old Town. Relocation to the Bristo Place premises started in September 2003 and the Forest Café opened there in October 2003.
Café
In 2004, the Forest Café became one of only four internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
s in the United Kingdom to have won a highly recommended citation in the Yahoo! Mail Internet Café Awards.
The café serves vegetarian cuisine
Vegetarian cuisine
Vegetarian cuisine refers to food that meets vegetarian standards by not including meat and animal tissue products. For lacto-ovo vegetarianism , eggs and dairy products such as milk and cheese are permitted...
, locally produced organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
, vegan food and Fairtrade drinks.
Free Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
and public computer terminals are provided.
Pipe organ
The upper floors of the building are the former church, the centre piece of which is an Gray & Davison-built pipe organPipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
. This is powered by compressed air and has 16 feet (4.9 m) high pipes. It was originally installed at the Chapel Royal, Dublin Castle
Chapel Royal (Dublin Castle)
The Chapel Royal in Dublin Castle was the official Church of Ireland chapel of the Household of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1814 until the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922...
in the late nineteen century and transferred to its present location in 1900. The organ fell into disrepair until mid-June 2007 when the Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
annual conference—DebConf
Debconf
DebConf is the yearly conference where Debian developers meet to discuss issues around the further development of the system.Besides the scheduled workshops and talks, Debian developers take the opportunity to hack on the Debian system in a more informal setting...
7—was held in Edinburgh. During the week-long event, sufficient repairs were made by Tore Sinding Bekkedal and others to enable the organ to function again at which point it was played by Keith Packard
Keith Packard
Keith Packard is a software developer, best known for his work on the X Window System.Packard is responsible for many X extensions and technical papers on X...
.
In 2008–2009, Project (English: "Forest Flute") was initiated, a musical experiment to control sections of the mechanical musical keyboard
Musical keyboard
A musical keyboard is the set of adjacent depressible levers or keys on a musical instrument, particularly the piano. Keyboards typically contain keys for playing the twelve notes of the Western musical scale, with a combination of larger, longer keys and smaller, shorter keys that repeats at the...
via an electronic MIDI interface from a computer. is the designation of one of the organ stop
Organ stop
An organ stop is a component of a pipe organ that admits pressurized air to a set of organ pipes. Its name comes from the fact that stops can be used selectively by the organist; some can be "on" , while others can be "off" .The term can also refer...
s available and was chosen because of the connection of the word "forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
". The argumentation of the keyboards was undertaken by Dorkbot
Dorkbot
Dorkbot is a group of affiliated organizations worldwide that sponsor grassroots meetings of artists, engineers, designers, scientists, inventors, and anyone else working under the very broad umbrella of electronic art...
Alba without any long-term modification of the original organ.