Location: 11 – 13 Regent Terrace

The widowed Duchesse de Berry, sister in law of the Duke of Angoulême, lived at 12 Regent Terrace from 1830 to 1832. Her young son, Henri, Count of Chambord, grandson of the French King Charles X and next in line after the dauphin, the Duke of Angoulême, is said to have wept bitterly when his family left for Austria in 1832 as he had become very attached to Scotland.

Almost 100 years later, we find another link to France at 12 Regent Terrace. Janet Tessier du Cros born Janet Grierson (1905-1990), was brought up here. In 1930, she married François Teissier du Cros in 1930 and moved with him to his home in the Cevennes, France. She wrote a book “Divided Loyalties: a Scotswoman in Occupied France” about her experiences in wartime France and the French resistance movement.

The buildings to the left and right of 12 Regent Terrace also have European links – 11 Regent Terrace houses the Swiss Consulate General, while the first floor of 13 Regent Terrace was owned by Sir James Marjoribanks, UK Ambassador to the EEC, from 1961-2002.

Peter Muller-McDougall is the Swiss Honorary Consul General at number 11 Regent Terrace. Peter studied in Switzerland and Germany and holds degrees in engineering, environmental technology and economics. From 1987 he was the head of Swissair’s international engineering unit. From 2001 he was British Vice-Consul for trade based in Berne, Switzerland. Since 2011 he has been the Swiss Honorary Consul General in Scotland and takes a keen interest in economic, cultural, educational and public diplomacy projects. He plays the bagpipes.

Sir James Marjoribanks (1911-2002) studied in France, Italy, Germany and Edinburgh and was consul in Marseilles, France from 1939-40 and a diplomat in Romania from 1944-45. He represented Britain at the successful Austrian Peace Treaty negotiations after the war and was deputy head of the British delegation to the  European Coal and Steel Community in Luxembourg from 1952-55. He recommended the UK join but this was rejected by the UK government at the time.  He was Economics Minister at the British  Embassy in Bonn before becoming the UK Ambassador to the EEC from 1965-71 in Brussels.  He handed in the UK’s application to join the EEC that was ultimately successful. After retirement he became chairman of Scotland in Europe.

Continue walking along the Terrace for about 50 metres to the next stop on our tour – 22 Regent Terrace, where the last French Dauphin lived for a time.

Picture credits: Stuart Baillie Strong, Edinburgh4Europe