Forest Café
Building in Lauriston Place, Tollcross Edinburgh / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Forest, also referred to as Forest Café, was an independent social centre and arts centre located in central Edinburgh, Scotland.[1][2] It was notable for being run by volunteers as a charitable, self-sustaining not-for-profit. The Forest was initially housed at a West Port venue from 2000 to 2003, then housed at 3 Bristo Place in the former Edinburgh Seventh Day Adventist Church, a building owned by the Edinburgh University Settlement[3] until August 2011. It featured a two room café with performance space, a single room art gallery named Total Kunst, a radical library named Old Hat Books housed in the café front room, an Action Room for consensus process based organisational working group meetings and internet access, artist gallery spaces, a meeting cum screen printing and crafting room, a rehearsal/music studio, a walk-in freezer, a woodworking and machining room, a darkroom specialising in alternative photographic process, and unisex toilets. In August 2012 The Forest reopened at 141 Lauriston Place, Tollcross[4] where it continued its activity as a volunteer-run vegetarian cafe with regular free events and workshops, assuming a pivotal role in the revival of the independent community development in central Edinburgh. In 2022 the physical space closed citing difficulties arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, despite arts activities continuing decentrally.[5]
The Forest | |
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General information | |
Status | Closed |
Address | 141 Lauriston Place, Tollcross EH3 9JN Edinburgh |
Coordinates | 55.9438°N 3.2031°W / 55.9438; -3.2031 |
Opened | 2000 |
Closed | 2022 |
Website | |
https://blog.theforest.org.uk/ |