Historic Scotland Autumn 2017 by Historic Scotland Members

Stirling weekend brings past to life Featuring RENAISSANCE REVELRY FORENSIC FUN COSTUMED CHARACTERS

E YEA R MEMBER MAGAZINE OF TH

AUTUMN 2017 THE MAGAZINE FOR HISTORIC SCOTLAND MEMBERS

GREAT DAYS OUT TAKE A TRIP TO

Edinburgh Castle Bridge of Oich Craigmillar Castle Inverlochy Castle

ROYALTY! Scotland prepares for James VIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1617 return

Tall tales

Author James Robertson encounters the Calanais Standing Stones

Mozolowski & Murray Conservatories Orangeries

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Sun Lounges Garden Rooms

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Welcome to

HISTORIC SCOTLAND The Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology was always going to be a special one for Historic Environment Scotland (HES), giving us even more excuse than usual to show off our fantastic properties and impressive collections that shine a light on Scotland’s turbulent past. The biggest event on our 2017 calendar – History Live – is now just around the corner. With activities, performances and exhibitions sprawling across Stirling, it offers some rare viewing opportunities such as the chance to go inside the Cambuskenneth Abbey tower, and it all kicks off with a splendid classical concert in the Church of the Holy Rude. Read more on page 26, where Jonathan McIntosh gives us an A to Z on what not to miss. Elsewhere in this issue, Indira Mann explores the Great Glen, Chris Tabraham looks back 400 years to James VI’s only return visit to Scotland after his English coronation, and author James Robertson ponders the purpose of the Calanais Standing Stones in an extract from the new book Who Built Scotland. Don't forget you can order it from our online shop and enjoy a 20% discount and free postage using the code on page 41.

TAKE TWO CHRISTMAS GIFT MEMBERSHIP

CLAIRE BOWIE Membership and CRM Manager

Holyrood Park

OFFER SEE PAGE 49

MALCOLM COCHRANE, GL PORTRAIT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, COVER: FUNKYFOOD LONDON ! PAUL WILLIAMS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

CONTRIBUTORS

... and Tantallon Castle

CHRIS TABRAHAM James VI homecoming (p20) A medieval archaeologist, Chris was previously the principal historian for Historic Scotland

INDIRA MANN The Great Glen (p32) A former archaeologist, Indira is a journalist with a lifelong love of Scotland’s castles

JAMES ROBERTSON Stand and deliver (p38) A poet, novelist and short story writer, James was born in Kent but grew up in Bridge of Allan

Archaeology in autumn Two September events offer the chance to dig a little deeper into Scotland's past with a focus on archaeology. Go to page 52 for details or visit historicenvironment.scot/events

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 1

CONTENTS A U T U M N

HISTORIC ENVIRONMENT SCOTLAND Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH 0131 668 8600 historicenvironment.scot Membership enquiries 0131 668 8999 members@hes.scot Editorial enquiries members@hes.scot Membership and CRM Manager Claire Bowie Assistant Membership Manager Pauline Brews Membership Co-ordinator Katie Mathers Editor Fiona McKinlay fiona.mckinlay@thinkpublishing.co.uk Assistant Editor Jonathan McIntosh Design Matthew Ball, Alistair McGown Sub-editors Sam Bartlett, Martin Sheach Advertising Sales Jamie Dawson jamie.dawson@thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7221 Publisher John Innes john.innes@thinkpublishing.co.uk Think Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA 0141 375 0504 Photography All images provided by Historic Environment Scotland unless otherwise stated. For access to images of Scotland and our properties, call 0131 668 8647/8785 or email images@hes.scot Historic Scotland is published quarterly and printed on paper made from pulp sourced from sustainable materials. The views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect those of Historic Environment Scotland. All information is correct at the time of going to press. ÂŠ Historic Environment Scotland. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited without prior agreement of the Membership and CRM Manager of Historic Environment Scotland.

The Great Glen Four must-see properties along the picturesque route

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is a Non Departmental Public Body established by the Historic Environment Scotland Act 2014. HES has assumed the property, rights, liabilities and obligations of Historic Scotland and RCAHMS. Visit historicenvironment.scot/about-us Scottish Charity No. SC045925.

38 James Robertson on the Calanais Standing Stones 2 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

20 James VI comes home

Where to go this autumn CALANAIS STANDING STONES P38

SKARA BRAE P56 URQUHART CASTLE P32

INVERLOCHY CASTLE P36 STIRLING CASTLE P26 CRAIGMILLAR CASTLE P18 THREAVE CASTLE P15

REGULARS

4 THE SCRIPT News and updates from around the country 49 MEMBERSHIP 50 EVENTS 56 TIME TRIP FEATURES

SHUTTERSTOCK

20 JAMES VI’S HAMECOMING How Scotland prepared for the king’s longawaited return in 1617 26 THE BUMPER A-Z OF HISTORY LIVE 26 reasons to head to Stirling for a weekend of events 32 THE GREAT GLEN Indira Mann explores four sites on the stunning highland route 38 STAND AND DELIVER Author James Robertson gets philosophical at the Calanais Standing Stones

18 Craigmillar Castle goes under the spotlight

26 Explore Stirling’s Old Town Jail during History Live HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 3

PEOPLE, PLACES, RESEARCH AND MORE…

T H E

SCRIPT

Make a date with history Communities to celebrate Heritage Awareness Day on 6 October 4 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

istoric Environment Scotland (HES) is marking the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology with a special celebration, Heritage Awareness Day, on Friday 6 October. Communities will shine a spotlight on the historic environment and heritage that surround them, from places, traditions, buildings and landscapes to family history,

people and archaeology. Everyone is invited to delve in to Scotland’s past, explore their heritage and celebrate what matters to them. HES communications manager Iona Matheson said: “There are lots of ways to get involved, from organising a heritage-themed quiz night to fundraising for a charitable cause in your community. You could dress up as a character from Scotland’s

Eastern insights Traditional craft skills from China go on show in Stirling Stirling Castle is hosting a showcase of Chinese traditional skills as part of a collaboration between Historic Environment Scotland (HES), the University of Stirling and the Art Exhibitions China. The exhibition comprises around 100 Chinese artisan craft objects made using traditional materials and techniques. Some of them are contemporary in design and material, but are combined with traditional style, employing innovative craftsmanship. The exhibits include iconic bronze reproductions, stone craft, wood craft and other objects made using longestablished techniques.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN As Heritage Awareness Day draws closer, keep an eye out for the social media hashtag #heritageday17

history – it could be anyone from Mary Queen of Scots to Andy Murray. Or why not showcase heritage-related projects in your area?” Another great way to mark Heritage Awareness Day is to theme an existing event or gathering in your area. For inspiration, check out the resources on the HES website, which have lots of fun ideas to make your celebrations a success.

Keep an eye on the website and follow @HistEnvScot on Twitter for more information over the coming weeks as the countdown continues, and on the day itself don’t forget to share your photos and videos using the hashtag #heritageday17. Find out more at historicenvironment.scot/ heritageday

SEE THE EXHIBITION The showcase of traditional Chinese craft skills is on in the Chapel Royal at Stirling Castle until 29 September

Dr David Mitchell, director of conservation at HES, said: “Traditional skills and materials are particularly important to us, and our discussions with our Chinese colleagues have demonstrated that we share many common challenges and can benefit from sharing knowledge. “As a part of important activities in the Scottish Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, HES and the University of Stirling have been working with Beijing HUA XIA YAN International Culture and Creative Company to make this exhibition possible.” Two replica terracotta warriors, made using traditional materials and techniques, will also be on display, having been presented to Scotland by our Chinese cultural counterparts as part of the 2017 Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 5

Old meets new: the Engine Shed

Making a sustainable Engine Shed Vanesa Gonzalez reports from the technical outreach and education team We were keen to combine traditional and modern materials and techniques when we turned a former engine shed into our built conservation centre. We wanted to show the benefits of each, as well as how they can work together to create warm, comfortable and healthy environments. A lot of effort was put in to restoring the beautiful roof structure, but when it came to insulating the building the roof couldn’t cope with the extra load of many modern insulation materials. Instead, we used an aerogel insulation – an ultra-lightweight gel-based insulation with a gas component in place of a liquid one – developed by the Kennedy Space Center. We also used the traditional method of sheep’s wool insulation in our new extensions. This kept the character of the roof while improving the energy efficiency of a traditional building. Find out more at engineshed.org

6 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Survey reveals public’s passion Heritage snapshot will shape management of nation’s historic sites

lmost 2,000 people shared their views on designations and managing change for Historic Environment Scotland’s (HES) What’s Your Heritage? consultation. Workshops across Scotland attracted 200 attendees. The survey invited opinions on some general and some very specific

issues. Participants were asked if they thought the house where George Orwell wrote Nineteen Eighty-Four should be recognised: 95% said yes, 70% said they would like to have a say in how HES decides what becomes listed or designated. Topics discussed in workshops included local language, traditions and experiences.

Head of designations Elizabeth McCrone said: “We’d like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who took part in our What’s Your Heritage? online survey and workshops. We were delighted with the enormous amount of passion and interest in our historic environment shown by all. We will analyse the results of

THE SCRIPT

Stanley Mills joins European heritage elite

NEWS IN BRIEF

CAST YOUR VOTE Edinburgh Castle has been nominated in the Best UK Heritage Attraction category in the British Travel Awards 2017. You can vote at edinburghcastle.gov. uk/britishtravelawards – voters are entered into a prize draw to win a £2,000 holiday voucher.

John Clancy, proprietor of the Laurieston Bar in Glasgow, added his voice to the campaign and, below, Stephen Smart from the Citizens Community Collective and HES head of designations Elizabeth McCrone at Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre

this dialogue to write new heritage policies using the public’s views. The people of Scotland have shaped how we will recognise and manage Scotland’s heritage in the future.” Read the full report at historicenvironment.scot/ whatsyourheritage

The mill is part of a trail stretching across the continent

Cotton mill gains prestigious ‘anchor point’ designation

tanley Mills has become the fourth Scottish anchor point in the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). Built in the 1780s by Sir Richard Arkwright, the mill is one of the bestpreserved cotton mills from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. It is the first Historic Scotland property to join as an anchor point, alongside the celebrated World Heritage Site of New Lanark and two independent industrial museums, the National Mining Museum

Scotland at Lady Victoria Colliery in Midlothian, and Dundee Heritage at Verdant Works. ERIH is a cultural route that takes large industrial heritage attractions with visitor staff and uses them as an anchor point where people can hear about some of the hidden gems in the area. These other sites might often be connected to the anchor functionally and historically. Users of the route will be encouraged to visit other industrial Historic Scotland properties, including Bonawe Iron Furnace, Dallas Dhu Distillery and New Abbey Corn Mill. Explore the route at erih.net

MAESHOWE ON YOUR MOBILE The Explore Maeshowe smartphone app lets users delve into one of Europe’s finest chambered tombs. Virtually visit the Orkney site and learn more about its past. Available on Android and iOS.

WINTER IS COMING Please note that some Historic Scotland properties close or operate reduced hours over the winter period (from October onwards). Consult your members’ handbook for seasonal opening hours and visit historicenvironment.scot/ closures for any unplanned closures. HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 7

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To book using your discount code HISCOT10 call the HISCOT booking hotline 0800 0355 108 or visit www.fredolsencruises.com *All bookings are subject to Fred. Olsen’s (FOCL) standard terms & conditions, available on our website & on request. All prices quoted under the HISCOT readers discount offer are exclusive to qualifying members & their travelling companions only, members must quote their discount code at time of booking. Membership discounts cannot be applied retrospectively. Bookings must be made via the booking hotline number 0800 0355 108. Proof of membership will be required at the time of booking. Offers cannot be extended to any unrelated third party, are subject to availability & may be withdrawn or amended at any time without prior notice. From time to time FOCL may run special offers which cannot be combined with this discount, including selected group travel deals. All guests booked under this scheme are requested to refrain from disclosing the fare paid whilst on board. Offer is for fi rst-time cruisers with Fred. Olsen only. Fred. Olsen Oceans members are entitled to a 5% HISCOT discount subject to the same terms & conditions, to be applied after the standard Oceans discount, where applicable. In this instance, Oceans Terms & Conditions apply. This offer expires on the 31st August 2018. E&OE.

THE SCRIPT COMPETITION

Eyes on the prize Test your historical knowledge by spotting which of our properties the detail below comes from … and win.

Knockando Woolmill’s Bryan Moorhouse and Emma Nicolson with the Edinburgh Castle tweed

It’s a wrap

ANSWER THIS QUESTION

A bespoke tweed inspired by Edinburgh Castle is unveiled

he UK’s oldest surviving district wool mill – Knockando Woolmill – was charged with an important task last year: to create a bespoke tweed for Edinburgh Castle that would feature in a brand new range of products including tote bags, scarves and teddy bears. Emma Nicolson, marketing and merchandising manager at Knockando Woolmill, says: “Together with Historic Environment Scotland we wanted to create a contemporary, freshfeeling tweed that really took its influence from the landscape and history of Edinburgh, as well as key parts of the castle. “The colours that really worked once we had gone through various designs were the grey of the cobbles and the blue representing the Firth of Forth, and the red and gold, which were taken from the Honours of Scotland which are displayed in the castle.” 250 metres of cloth were made, with production manager Bryan Moorhouse overseeing things. “Creating the tweed was a really intricate process from start to

The weaving machine at work

Which Historic Scotland property is this detail above taken from? ●●Glasgow Cathedral ●●Arbroath Abbey ●●Melrose Abbey

UP FOR GRABS The winning entrant will receive a hamper from M&S containing a selection of delicious treats including biscuits, preserves, chocolate truffles and a bottle of Bordeaux. The competition is only open to members aged 18 and over.

finish,” he says. “From finalising the designs and working out the weights and lengths of yarn required for each individual colour, to manually loading the weaving machines for manufacturing, it’s really labour intensive.” Emma Nicolson admits the team relished the opportunity to create a tweed in colours that separate it from the pack. “Traditional tweeds, made up of shades of green and brown, were worn as camouflage while hunting. We wanted this tweed to really encapsulate the vibrancy of the castle and the surrounding cityscape – it’s very much an urban camouflage,” she says. Find out how to buy on page 46

HOW TO ENTER If you can identify the correct monument from the options above, visit historicenvironment.scot/ guesstheplace or post the answer with your name and membership number to Guess the Place, Historic Scotland magazine, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH by Friday 10 November. HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 9

THE SCRIPT

Holyrood Park Lodge reopens Renovated visitor centre offers improved facilities

Get hands on with history this autumn

Tanks at Stobs Camp

STOBS MILITARY CAMP The lodge replaces the shop at Abbey Sanctuary

A royal exclusive Members can join a guided tour of Holyrood Abbey and gardens The Royal Collection Trust invites Historic Scotland members to the Palace of Holyroodhouse on Sunday 8 October for a tour of Holyrood Abbey and the palace gardens. Led by expert guides, visitors will tour the romantic ruins of King David I’s Holyrood Abbey and the royal gardens, and learn about the Augustinian canons and royalty laid to rest in the royal vault. Tours will set off at 11am and 2pm, with tickets priced

Archaeology Scotland is on the lookout for inquisitive individuals to research the use of Stobs Military Camp in the Scottish Borders throughout World War One and 1919. This will involve desk-based activities including transcribing research for publication, annotating photographs and creating content for the Stobs website, www.stobscamp.org. These desk-based activities can be carried out remotely. Contact info@stobscamp.org for further details.

CLACKMANNANSHIRE BRIDGE at £5 adults/£4 concessions. Booking essential. Visit historicenvironment. scot/member to log in and book your place

Learn about the abbey’s remarkable history from expert guides

Holyrood Abbey is accessible through the Palace of Holyroodhouse

10 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Volunteering opportunities

new exhibition will help people to plan their visit to Holyrood Park at the refurbished Holyrood Park Lodge. The Holyrood Park Visitor Information and Shop, which dates from 1860, has had a conservation makeover and showcases many sustainability and energy-efficiency improvements. The shop sells souvenirs, hot and cold drinks, ice cream and more. A further phase of conservation work is expected on the lodge exterior.

VOLUNTEER

Scotland’s Coastal Heritage at Risk (SCAPE) is already investigating the south side of Clackmannanshire Bridge as a potential site for James IV’s Royal Dockyard. In October, their community excavation is looking for volunteers to help solve the mystery of the royal docks. Contact Ellie at elg5@ SCAPE st-andrews. volunteers ac.uk. on site Find the latest volunteering opportunities at historic environment. scot/ volunteer

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Your 12-day voyage itinerary DAY 1: Embarkation, Bergen

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2018 Early Bird Prices for Historic Scotland Readers

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Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin including full board voyage and return flights from Edinburgh, Glasgow or Aberdeen and transfers. Price includes the £350 discount advertised. *Available to book at extra cost. Prices and availability correct at time of going to press. **Receive a 6-day Classic Voyage South or 7-day Classic Voyage North FREE OF CHARGE if the aurora borealis does not occur on your 12-day voyage. Hurtigruten’s full terms and conditions apply.

THE SCRIPT

Get the full picture on Historic Environment Scotland Brand manager Rory Cameron gives an update and explores the expanded family

If you have any feedback or questions, please contact us at members@hes.scot

●●Canmore is the online catalogue of Scotland’s archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage canmore.org.uk

●●SCRAN is an online portal with more than 490,000 images and media from museums, galleries and archives scran.ac.uk

●●NCAP is the national collection of aerial photography, and one of the largest collections of aerial imagery in the world ncap.org.uk

●●The Engine Shed is Scotland’s dedicated building conservation centre, based in Stirling and opened in July 2017 engineshed.org

Historic Environment Scotland includes:

12 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

hope you are enjoying the new look and feel of our members’ magazine to reflect the changes to our brand that we are evolving as part of our ongoing organisational transformation as Historic Environment Scotland (HES). Some members may recall completing a recent online survey about the magazine and we appreciate the positive results. Based on this feedback no dramatic changes are planned for the magazine. Historic Scotland remains the name for our membership scheme and to represent our visitor attraction business. Edinburgh and Stirling Castles also retain their own identity. Historic Environment Scotland has an expanded remit. It is Scotland’s lead public body for the historic environment, caring for Scotland’s historic places and helping everyone to understand, enjoy and celebrate them and the stories they tell. Our activities are based around five core themes to ensure that we lead, understand, protect, perform and value Scotland’s historic environment. As part of future magazine features you will now see more of our work and projects appearing under other names, as part of the expanded remit for HES. These include Canmore, SCRAN, NCAP and the Engine Shed.

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THE SCRIPT NEED TO KNOW

Flight of fancy Falconry was very popular among royalty during the middle ages, finds Bob Tevendale

LOTS TO LEARN ●●A new book in the Building Knowledge series explores the architectural legacy of the University of Edinburgh. Featuring never-before published archive material and stunning photography, An Architectural History of the University of Edinburgh is available now, priced at £25. See page 46 for 20% member discount code. historicenvironment.scot/ shop

WORD UP ●●The Scottish History Network has launched an essay competition for pupils studying history at Higher or Advanced Higher level. Entrants are invited to answer one of five essay questions, with a range of Historic Scotland membership prizes up for grabs. scottishhistorynetwork. wordpress.com

JOIN IN A GAELIC CONVERSATION ●●Historic Environment Scotland has unveiled a draft plan for protecting and promoting the Gaelic language over the coming years. Make your voice heard by joining in the consultation at historicenvironment.scot/ gaelic-survey-members

A pair of peregrines has successfully reared a family of three chicks at Threave Castle this year, having chosen to nest there in the spring. This is the second year running that peregrines have nested at the site. For the monument manager and stewards working there, this adds a different dimension to their role – keeping a journal on the birds and monitoring them carefully. Peregrine falcons are found all over the world – if there are birds around, there will be peregrines to hunt them. They are superbly skilled hunters and notoriously fast, able to dive at more than 200 miles an hour. Skydivers in freefall have filmed them passing as if they were standing. Their eyes have special membranes to spread their tears so as not to impair their vision, and their nostrils have built-in baffles so they can breathe without their lungs exploding. This speed allows them to surprise their prey, which they usually catch mid-air. Falconry was the sport of kings during the middle ages – an indulgent hobby that the royal and the wealthy enjoyed beyond its practical function of hunting for food. Keeping falcons was a costly business. The birds were expensive and required staff and buildings, called mews, for their care. Falconry became a way of showing off your wealth and power.

Threave Castle is now home to nesting peregrines

VIEW FROM OUTDOORS WITH

Bob Tevendale

James IV visited Threave Castle in 1502 and records show that falconry was on the agenda. He would have used a gyrfalcon, though. The ownership of different species was determined by class and status: the gyrfalcon was reserved for the monarch; nobility used the peregrine; knights the lanner falcon; ladies the merlin (also said to be favoured by Mary Queen of Scots); yeomen the goshawk; and knaves the kestrel. Some common words may derive from old falconry terms. During hunting expeditions, the hawks were carried on a wooden frame, called a cadge, by retired falconers known as cadgers or codgers. When the birds drank it was called bowsing – which gave us the modern-day word of boozing.

FAST FACT The peregrine is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 15

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THE SCRIPT

Ready to snap? There’s still time to take part in the photography competition

How to enter Send us your images by email to hs.photo@thinkpublishing.co.uk by Friday 20 October 2017

Categories

Submit up to six photographs – two per category:

RICHARD HARRIS, ROBERT SHEPHERD, ANA BARRERA GORDILLO, ANTONIO MARTIN MEDINA, DEREK YULE

PROPERTIES

YOUR HERITAGE

HAVING FUN

1. PROPERTIES Take our breath away with images of Historic Scotland properties. You could capture them in a luscious landscape or show us an eye-catching detail

3. HAVING FUN Capture the atmosphere of an event or a fun day out with family or friends at a Historic Scotland property RULES 1. An entrant can submit a maximum of six photographs. 2. All images must be submitted as digital files 3. Digital images should be high resolution and submitted by email or on CD. Each image should not exceed 6MB in size. 4. Copyright for all images submitted for this competition remains with the respective entrants. Photos submitted

for the competition may be featured in future Historic Scotland calendars, other publications or materials, or used online. Where an image is used in the magazine or Historic Scotland calendar the photographer will be credited. However, in consideration of entering the competition, each entrant grants Historic Environment Scotland a perpetual, irrevocable and

Files should be no larger than 6MB and saved using the following naming format: [property]_[category]_[yourname]. [filetype] eg Stirling_HavingFun_RobertSmith.jpg Entries by email are preferred, but you can also send your images on a CD to HS Photography Competition, Think, Suite 2.3 Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA. Please include your email address.

2. YOUR HERITAGE Photograph the places and buildings that make you feel proud or have special meaning for your community

Tell us where each photograph was taken and include your name, age (if 15 or under) address, telephone number, membership number and email address.

OVERALL WINNER

YOUNG TALENT

£200 Amazon gift card plus one year’s renewal membership

For entrants aged 15 and under: £100 Amazon gift card plus one year’s family membership

CATEGORY WINNERS

One year’s renewal membership

royalty-free licence to feature competition images in the publication, online or in promotional material connected to Historic Environment Scotland. 5. The competition is not open to employees of Historic Environment Scotland or Think. 6. The closing date for entries is Friday 20 October 2017. Winners will be notified by 10 April 2018. 7. The decision of the

judges is final. 8. Entrants must be a Historic Scotland member or, for entrants aged 15 and under, their parent/guardian must be a Historic Scotland member. 9. The judging panel will be made up of the Historic Scotland membership and photographic teams, and the editor and publisher of Historic Scotland magazine. 10. The first prize includes a £200 Amazon gift card, and

the young talent prize includes a £100 Amazon gift card. These prizes are subject to availability. If, for any reason, these become unavailable we reserve the right to supply an alternative prize of similar value. Please visit historicenvironment.scot/ member and view the terms and conditions page for a list of the full competition rules.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 17

SPOTLIGHT

Craigmillar Castle A location for the Outlander series, drama has never been far from this scene of a murderous plot in 1566 One of Scotland’s bestpreserved castles, Craigmillar may not be the main headline grabber in Edinburgh but, sitting high on the city’s outskirts, it offers its own stunning views and gripping role in history. The earliest parts of the castle are thought to date from the 14th century, with various enhancements added over time. The Preston family probably built the tower house, which still stands strong in the centre of the site. Marks of the family can still be seen around the castle – the Preston arms, bearing three unicorn heads, are displayed throughout, and there is the

imprint on surrounding grounds of a P-shaped pond. Sir Simon Preston was a loyal supporter of Mary Queen of Scots, who is known to have visited the castle a couple of times – including for three weeks in late 1566. At this time a group of her advisors allegedly plotted to kill her husband, Lord Darnley. The murderous pact became known as the Craigmillar Bond. In late 2016 Craigmillar Castle welcomed stars of Outlander to film scenes for the television programme’s third series. The castle is expected to appear as Ardsmuir Prison in forthcoming episodes.

1 PRIVATE CHAPEL Built by the Preston family in the 1500s this remains the burial place of the Gilmours, who later owned the castle

8 DOVECOT TOWER The outer curtain wall features this dovecot tower which interestingly includes a great number of gunholes

EXPLORE The site is in south-east Edinburgh on Craigmillar Castle Road. It is open daily, 9.30am–5.30pm, until 30 September. From 1 October to 31 March its opening hours are reduced to 10am–4pm and the site is closed on Thursdays and Fridays. Craigmillar Castle

Timeline C.1140

C.1374

1517

C.1520

1544

David I gives land at Craigmillar to Dunfermline Abbey monks

Sir Simon Preston acquires Craigmillar from the de Capella family and probably builds the tower house

The infant James V is moved to safety at the castle during an outbreak of plague in Edinburgh

The Prestons construct their private chapel in the east garden

During the Rough Wooing invasion, the castle was torched after a siege by English troops under the Earl of Hertford

18 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

DID YOU KNOW?

2 FISHPOND

Mary Queen of Scots was a big fan of sport and loved to play golf. The word ‘caddie’ may have originated from her use of the French word ‘cadet’ for those who accompanied her

The P-shaped fishpond sits in the south gardens of the castle, where sports such as hawking and archery would have been played 3 WEST RANGE Sir John Gilmour entirely rebuilt the west range in the 1660s – the drawing room fireplace is a notable feature

4 PRESBYTERIAN KIRK Inhabitants of the parish of Liberton attended a Presbyterian kirk here in 1687, accommodated in what may have previously been a barn

6 TOWER HOUSE

Standing more than 17m high and with sandstone walls almost 3m thick, the L-plan tower house was well designed to deter intruders

5 OUTER COURTYARD This space would once have included stables and outbuildings, and food would have been grown here

7 EAST RANGE

A basement here included a prison. During clearance work in 1813 an upright skeleton was found

1563

1566

1660

1687

1886

Mary Queen of Scots and her entourage visit the castle

Mary Queen of Scots stays for three weeks; a deadly plot against her husband is allegedly conceived by her advisors

Sir John Gilmour purchases the castle and barony

A building in the outer courtyard becomes a Presbyterian kirk for locals

Queen Victoria visits the castle, following much restoration work by its then owner, Walter James Little Gilmour

1949 The Gilmour family entrust Craigmillar Castle into state care

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 19

In 1617 Scotland pulled out all the stops for the long-awaited return of James Linlithgow Palace

Edinburgh Castle

VI PROFILE James VI

Born 19 June 1566

Crowned king of Scotland 29 July 1567

Crowned king of England and Ireland 25 July 1603 Died 27 March 1625

ILLUSTR ATION BY TIM McDONAGH WORDS BY CHRIS TA BR A H A M

20 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

our hundred years ago James VI of Scotland and I of England made an emotional trip back to his native land. In making his intention known in 1614, he told of a ‘salmon-like instinct’ to return to the place where he had been born. On departing for London in 1603 to become king of England James had promised to return ‘every three year at least’, but had singularly failed to do so. However, 1617 was special. It would be his golden jubilee as King of Scots. James’s Scottish chancellor, Alexander Seton, immediately put plans in hand to prepare for his majesty’s ‘hamecoming’. Highest on his ‘to do’ list was getting the royal palaces fit for the king and his 5,000-strong retinue. The priority was Holyroodhouse - ‘the place of his first rendezvous and longest abode’. Stirling Castle and Falkland Palace were also singled out for special attention. None of them had been used since 1603, and all were drastically in need of a fresh lick of paint. By far the biggest concern, however, was what to do about Edinburgh Castle. James had expressed a wish to visit the tiny closet in the palace in which he had been born on 19 June 1566. But the place was in a dreadful state. Seven years after his birth a massive artillery bombardment had brought David’s Tower crashing to the ground and left the palace behind it a burnt-out shell. It had lain in ruins ever since. Chancellor Seton chose to turn a negative into a positive and rebuild it – no matter the cost. Edinburgh Castle was, after all, the premier fortress of the kingdom, and even though it would never again serve as a royal residence it still retained huge significance as a place of state ceremony. He instructed James Murray of Kilbaberton, the king’s master of works, and William Wallace, the king’s master mason, to draw up plans for its reconstruction. Stonemasons were on site by January 1615, and in March they were given ‘founding drink and lentell ayle’, indicating that work had reached as high as the first lintel. HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 21

Edinburgh Castle’s great hall

Over the next two years the masons were joined by an army of joiners, plumbers, blacksmiths, glaziers, plasterers and painters. By the time King James crossed the Tweed on 13 May 1617 the work was all but finished. Only the painters were behind schedule. It is said that the smell of fresh paint follows our present queen around her realm; it was aye thus evidently. On entering Edinburgh on 16 May James made directly for the castle to be formally welcomed back into his northern kingdom. A gun salute greeted his arrival, including mighty Mons Meg herself, brought out of retirement for the occasion. His majesty can have been nothing but impressed by what he saw. The medieval palace had been transformed into an impressive contemporary royal residence, its exterior and interior a fascinating combination of ancient and modern, expressing the roots from which James’s new ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ had sprung. Externally, the chief focus was upon the east elevation, the ‘show front’ facing the town. Ashlar-faced and 22 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Details throughout Edinburgh Castle celebrate the king

crowned by a battlemented, cannon-spouted parapet, it positively dripped with symbolism, especially the two great stone panels – one richly emblazoned with the royal arms, the other depicting the Honours of Scotland. The former was destroyed on Cromwell’s orders in 1652 but the latter still graces the façade. Above the entrance doorway to the royal lodgings from Crown Square, itself an intriguing mix of Romanesque and Renaissance forms, Murray placed a

cartouche bearing the cipher ‘MAH’ (for Mary and Henry, James’s parents) and ‘1566’, the year he was born. Internally, the focus was on the two royal suites on the upper floors, one for James and the other for Queen Anna. (In the event, Anna stayed behind in London and her top-floor suite was taken by the Earl of Buckingham, the king’s favourite.) Scarcely anything of their layout or sumptuous décor survives –with two notable exceptions. The stone-vaulted crown room adjacent to the king’s suite remains, still with those treasured

Homecoming timeline

The room in which James VI was born

SHUTTERSTOCK

A gun salute greeted his arrival, including mighty Mons Meg herself Honours of Scotland secure within. The other is the tiny closet on the ground floor where James was born. James did not see his birth chamber on his first visit because the painter, John Anderson, hadn’t quite finished; in fact he hadn’t even started. But it was ready for his second visit, on 19 June, his 51st birthday. After several lengthy addresses, including one given by a nine-year-old in Hebrew, James was shown ‘the rowme quhair his Majestie wes borne’. A banquet followed in the great hall which lasted for five hours and was attended by his Scottish and English nobility. It was to be his last visit to the castle. On leaving Edinburgh, James set out on a royal progress of sorts. He wasn’t the least like his mother, who made several long and arduous progresses around her realm. James got no further than Brechin in the north or Paisley in the west. And his stays at Stirling and Falkland had more to do with shooting stags than shaking hands with his subjects; James had a passion for outdoor pursuits.

He was also passionate about religion. Even before his ‘hamecoming’, rumours abounded that the trip was not so much about celebrating his golden jubilee as coercing the Scottish clergy into toeing the royal line. James apparently saw his two quite different established churches – the Scottish Kirk and the Anglican Church – impeding his planned vision for a ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’, and the answer for James was obvious – the Kirk would have to fall into line with the Church of England. But the Kirk wasn’t for kneeling at communion, wearing surplices and such like. Matters came to a head during a visit to St Andrews Castle in mid-July, which ended acrimoniously, and with James committing to prison one particularly awkward minister, David Calderwood. The highly charged atmosphere continued to dog James as he continued his progress westward to Glasgow and Paisley, before turning southward for the border via Hamilton Palace, Sanquhar

TUESDAY 13 MAY 1617 James crosses the River Tweed at Berwick and enters his motherland for the first time in 14 years. FRIDAY 16 MAY Travelling via Dunglass, Seton and Leith, James is formally welcomed back into his northern kingdom at Edinburgh Castle. MONDAY 19 MAY James travels to Falkland Palace for a spot of hunting, and makes a ‘royal progress’ as far as Brechin. TUESDAY 17 JUNE James formally opens parliament in Edinburgh. THURSDAY 19 JUNE James visits his birthplace in Edinburgh Castle and hosts a banquet in the great hall. MONDAY 30 JUNE James enters Stirling Castle, the childhood ‘place of his nurture’. SUNDAY 13/MONDAY 14 JULY At St Andrews Castle James has several uncomfortable meetings with the Scottish clergy. He sends one of them to prison. SUNDAY 27 JULY In Glasgow, James meets with his Scottish Privy Council for the last time, before heading south. MONDAY 4 AUGUST After stays in Hamilton (below), Sanquhar, Drumlanrig and Dumfries, James crosses into England via Annan and the Solway Firth.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 23

Health and safety in the 17th century

The rejuvenation of Scotland’s royal buildings didn’t only happen in the run-up to James’s visit Castle, Drumlanrig House, Dumfries and Annan. By the time he crossed into England on 4 August there was little love lost between sovereign and subjects. The rejuvenation of Scotland’s royal buildings didn’t only happen in the runup to James’s visit, however, but carried on as its legacy. Linlithgow Palace is one such example of this. The itinerary for James’s ‘hamecoming’ included a brief visit to the palace, where he had spent part of his honeymoon in 1590. By then it was showing its age. In 1583 the master of works, Sir Robert Drummond, had reported that the west range was ‘altogidder lyk to fall down’, although nothing was done to prevent such a calamity. Disaster eventually struck in September 1607. The keeper, Alexander Livingston, in a letter to James, told of how ‘the north quarter of your Majesties Palace of Linlithgow is fallin, rufe and all; […] but the wallis ar standing yit, but lukis everie moment when the inner wall sall fall, and brek your Majesty’s fontan’. Perhaps to save his own skin, Livingston added that he had informed his majesty about this possibility two years earlier. Yet again, nothing was done. 24 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

That was, until James’s visit in 1617. Amid the euphoria James issued instructions that the north range be rebuilt. Work began in 1618, under the direction of Murray and Wallace, the men behind the rebuilding of the palace at Edinburgh Castle. The result is there for us all to see, most pleasingly its splendid courtyard elevation centred on a central octagonal staircase flanked by four tiers of pedimented windows adorned with carvings symbolising the union of the crowns. James never saw it – he died eight years after his visit to Scotland, at Theobalds Park, Hertfordshire. His son, Charles I, spent just a single night there during his coronation visit of 1633, the last reigning sovereign to do so. In September 1745 another royal figurehead, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, visited briefly on his way to Edinburgh, a memorable occasion, during which it is said that the king’s fountain ran with red wine. Within six months, however, James VI’s north quarter had been reduced to a roofless ruin once more, when a fire lit by the occupying redcoats heading for Culloden raged out of control.

Danger money was paid for daredevil work at the castle

SHUTTERSTOCK

Linlithgow Palace, where James VI ordered restoration work during his visit

As an inspector of ancient monuments in the 1970s I saw the discovery by stonemasons from Dirleton Castle of a finger bone sandwiched between two huge door rybats at Hailes Castle, East Lothian. I recall thinking at the time whether the unfortunate stonemason received any compensation for his loss. I doubt it, for there was no ‘health and safety at work act’ on the statute book in those days. There are no records of fatalities or injuries during the rebuilding of the palace at Edinburgh Castle from 1615-17, although there must surely have been. However, the accounts of the master of works shed light on some of the working practices then prevailing. On 9 September 1616 John Thomson was given a substantial bonus for his ‘grit panes’ in hanging perilously out from the walls while harling them. On another occasion common sense prevailed when a left-handed mason was paid for ‘ane daingerous piece of wark to hew that uther richt handit maissouns could nocht win to’.

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R E P M U B THE

Z A Y R O T S I H E V LI of

g hoachin 29 e b l il w Stirling ry from Friday ctober to with his r to Sunday 1 O e city th be Septem Live events fill ry .scot as Histo torylive re at his See mo

Whether a novice or the next Robin Hood, get fired up by the Have A Go archery sessions at the Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre, where fully qualified instructors can help keep you on target. Have A Go Archery Sessions, Battle of Bannockburn Visitor Centre, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 12–4pm, £3 for 6 arrows

Bowls

In the 1630s, a bequest by Stirling’s wealthiest merchant built Cowane’s Hospital, with a garden and bowling green designed by the king’s master mason. Explore the hospital and gardens before having a go on one of the world’s oldest bowling greens. Tour of Cowane’s Hospital and bowls tournament, 30 Sep, 10am-4pm, free Cowane’s Hospital

Coal

Marking the 30th anniversary of the end of the Miners’ Strike, the Gary Clarke Company’s Coal takes a look at the realities of life at the coal face, exposing the dark underbelly and demands of a once-prominent working-class industry. Featuring seven professional dancers, a community cast of local women and a live brass band, expect a powerful and poignant performance. Coal, Macrobert Arts Centre, 28–30 Sep, 7.30pm, adults £10.50, concessions £8.50, students £5.50, booking essential

JOE ARMITAGE, SHUTTERSTOCK

Archery

Add a new string to your bow at the Bannockburn Visitor Centre

Dram

On the banks of the River Teith, Deanston Distillery was a cotton mill for 180 years before it was transformed into a distillery in 1966. Take a tour to experience the craft and devotion that go into the award-winning whisky before enjoying a dram in the tasting room. Eagleeyed Outlander fans will recognise the distillery as the warehouse where the Comte St Germain stored his wine shipment. A Dram With An Outlander Twist, Deanston Distillery, 29 Sep–1 Oct, 9am–5pm, tours start at £9 per adult

Eyeballs

Head to the Gruesome Games at the Wallace Monument for a medieval twist on traditional lawn games. Modern-day warriors will storm the castle and knock the knight before tossing body parts (a gory take on bean bags) and hooking eyeballs. Not for the faint-hearted! Gruesome Games, The National Wallace Monument, 30 Sep–1 Oct, included in monument admission price

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 27

Ironworks

Showcase your crafting skills at the Engine Shed’s Heavy Metal Weekend where you’ll witness gilding and blacksmithing by leading experts in metalworking, and find out what makes ironwork really rock. Heavy Metal Weekend, Engine Shed, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 9.30am–4pm, free, booking advised

Flutes

Gaelic

Many of the best historical sources for Jacobite tales and traditions are found in Gaelic songs. Join Gillebrìde MacMillan (Outlander’s Gwyllyn the Bard) as he guides participants through the struggles of the Stuarts via songs, beautiful melodies and powerful poetry. Gaelic Jacobite Songs For All, Argyll’s Lodging, 1 Oct, 11am–12.30pm, free, booking essential

28 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Heroes and Villains

See gilders in action

Visit the Old Town Jail for a journey through the grim history of crime and punishment in the royal burgh. From the Tolbooth’s notorious ‘happy hangman’, Jock Rankin, the ‘radical martyrs’ Baird and Hardie – hanged and beheaded in 1820 for seeking to overthrow the state – to the crusading prison reformer Frederick Hill, visitors will be treated to the bloody, bizarre and sometimes baffling tales of the heroes and villains who were incarcerated in this grisly prison. Tours of the Jail, Old Town Jail, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 10.15am–5pm, adults £6.50, children £4.50

A feast fit for the royal table

James VI

There’s no escaping the jailor’s gripping tales

Walk in the footsteps of royalty at the Church of the Holy Rude. Built on the grounds of David I’s church after a fire destroyed it in 1405, the infant King James VI was crowned here in 1567, establishing Holy Rude as the only working church in the UK – other than Westminster Abbey – to have held a coronation. Walking In The Footsteps Of Kings And Queens, Church of the Holy Rude, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 1–1.45pm, £3 suggested donation

FOR FULL PROGRAMME AND BOOKING SEE HISTORYLIVE.SCOT

SHUTTERSTOCK, DONALD MACLEOD, SUPERSTOCK

Kick-starting this great weekend, the History Live opening concert celebrates extraordinary music through the ages. Showcasing the talents of John Maxwell Geddes, one of Scotland’s leading composers, hear stunning performances by musicians from the Big Noise and Glasgow Philharmonia in the 800-year-old Church of the Holy Rude, the second oldest building in Stirling. History Live opening concert, Church of the Holy Rude, 29 Sep, 7.30–9.30pm, adults £12.50, children 5-15 and concessions £10, booking essential

Nibbles

Sunny delight: Orkestra del Sol

From everyday delicacies to feasts fit for a king or queen, head along to Argyll’s Lodging to get a taste of how palates developed over the ages. Food Tasting, Argyll’s Lodging, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 12–4pm, free to members and those on the walking tours

Performers

STEPHAN TALNEAU, CLASSIC IMAGE / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, KIERAN BAXTER

Cambuskenneth Abbey played a key role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, and after Robert the Bruce’s army beat Edward II’s, the king of Scots held a parliament in the abbey, at which any who opposed his rule were stripped of their titles. Join historian Dr Murray Cook for a tour and a rare chance to enter the tower – the only remaining structure on the site. Talk and Tour, Cambuskenneth Abbey, 30 Sep, 2–3.30pm, £4 (members go free), booking essential

Musket balls Join Dr Murray Cook’s familyfriendly walk where you’ll discover the historical significance of Stirling’s Old Town Cemetery. Beginning at Cowane’s Hospital, you’ll learn fascinating facts spanning Bonnie Prince Charlie’s siege of 1746 and grave robbing, to Scotland’s first female archaeologist and the hunt for musket-ball impacts from the 1651 siege of Stirling Castle. Talk and Tour, Old Town Cemetery, 1 Oct, 2–3.30pm, £4 (members go free), booking essential

Latin carnival

King of Scots

See the evidence of a siege

Immerse yourself in Orkestra del Sol’s explosive live show, with the riotous energy of a Latin carnival. More of a performer than spectator? From 1.30pm to 3pm you can join a brass and drums workshop at the venue. Orkestra del Sol, Tolbooth, 30 Sep, 8pm, adults £13, concessions £11

Performers dress to impress

As Stirling gets into the spirit of the History Live weekender expect to see costumed performers dotted throughout the city streets bringing the past to life. Stirling town centre, 30 Sep–1 Oct, throughout the day, free

Orkney

O| Maeshowe on Orkney is one of the featured properties

Kieran Baxter’s exhibition, Flights into Scotland’s Past, features aerial images and visualisations that offer a new perspective of some of Scotland’s best-known monuments and landscapes, including Skara Brae and the Broch of Gurness. Flights Through Scotland’s Past, Stirling Castle Nether Bailey, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 9.30am–5pm

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 29

Free walking tours leave from the Engine Shed

Questions

Relish some Renaissance Revelry

30 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Secrets

Renaissance

Stirling Castle will be bustling with music, dance and drama throughout the Renaissance Revelry weekend. Wander around the castle to meet Mary Queen of Scots, servants and court officials, who will share the intrigue of the Stuart court, before visiting the kitchen to rub shoulders with the cooks preparing delicacies that have been enjoyed by royalty throughout the ages. Renaissance Revelry, Stirling Castle, 30 Sep–1 Oct, noon–4pm

Discover the skeletons of Stirling’s past on a guided walking tour of the royal burgh’s curious nooks and crannies. Hear how the Tolbooth Prison became famed as ‘the worst gaol in Britain’ and learn about the magical curse placed upon Mar’s Wark by the fiery Abbot of Cambuskenneth after wandering through the oldest arcade in Europe and uncovering its hidden theatre. Tours depart from the Engine Shed on the hour from 10am until 1pm and will end at Stirling Castle. Walking Tours, Engine Shed, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 10am, 11am, noon and 1pm, free but booking essential

Torbrex Tam

Archaeologists Emily McCulloch and Dr Murray Cook guide us through the 3D reconstruction of a Bronze Age skull, dubbed Torbrex Tam. Don’t miss this chance to hear about Stirling’s earliest people, their art and their burials. Stirling’s Oldest Cemetery in its Prehistoric Context, Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, 29 Sep, 11am–noon, adults £5, concessions £3, booking essential

Unicorn

Marvel at the set of seven intricate hand-woven tapestries in Stirling Castle’s Queen’s Inner Hall. Based on the Hunt of the Unicorn series created in the Low Countries in the early 1500s, the new tapestries were created in a £2 million project which took 13 years to complete. Unicorn Tapestries, Stirling Castle

SHUTTERSTOCK

The Scottish History Network is on the lookout for budding young historians to take part in the National History Essay Writing Competition, which challenges high school students to answer one of five Scottish history questions. With prizes including a Historic Scotland annual membership and a book token for Blackwell’s bookshop, head along to the writing workshop at the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum to hone your skills and garner top tips for constructing the perfect history essay. History essay writing workshop, Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, 1 Oct, 2–5pm, free, booking essential

Young Pretender

Charles Edward Stuart

Y| Battle axes are among the weapons on show

Viking Battle Axe

For an arsenal including a Celtic leaf sword and a Viking battle axe, head to the weapons tent on the Abbey Craig where costumed historians will discuss armaments and their connections to the conflicts that shaped Scotland’s destiny. Weapons Tent, The National Wallace Monument, 30 Sep–1 Oct, all day, included in monument admission price

Prior to the Battle of Falkirk in 1746, Hugh Paterson entertained Charles Edward Stuart at Bannockburn House. The prince met Paterson’s niece, Clementina Walkinshaw, who would later become the Young Pretender’s lover and mother of his child. Visitors can enjoy a costumed tour of the 17th-century mansion and uncover its links to the Jacobite cause, including the bed that Bonnie Prince Charlie once slept in. Donations welcome. Tours of Bannockburn House, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 10.30am–4.20pm, free, booking essential

Warriors

PICTORIAL PRESS LTD / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, SHUTTERSTOCK

Travel back to 1297 when William Wallace claimed his greatest victory over the English at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Join two warriors as they reveal the realities of life on the front line in one of the most dramatic clashes in Scottish history. Tales from the Battlefield, The National Wallace Monument, 30 Sep–1 Oct, 11.15am–4.30pm, included in monument admission price

Hear Tales from the Battlefield

Zebras

From the zebras of the Kalahari desert to Glasgow foxes, Gordon Buchanan, the award-winning wildlife cameraman and presenter of BBC’s Animal Families and Me, will share a trip into his wonderful world of animals. Illustrated with his own film footage and photography, Buchanan’s talk will reveal how he gets close to some of the world’s most majestic creatures, and take questions from the audience. An Evening With Gordon Buchanan, Macrobert Arts Centre, 1 Oct, 7.30–9.30pm, adults £16.50, concessions £14.50, booking essential

X marks the spot

Unearth the secrets of a mysterious box of bones. Join in to work out the age, sex and fate of these fragments of the past. CSI Stirling, Stirling Castle, 10.30am–noon, booking essential

FOR FULL PROGRAMME AND BOOKING SEE HISTORYLIVE.SCOT

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 31

f an engineer, a boat builder and a merchant had sat down to design the perfect route from the fishing grounds of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s western Highlands to the fertile Moray Firth in the north-east, they could not have done better than the Great Glen and its connecting lochs. This 62-mile faultline has created a natural corridor across Scotland that would prove crucial to the success or failure of many a character and cause. I visited four sites along the Great Glen, or An Gleann MĂ˛r, which have supplied their fair share of historical intrigue and drama.

Start: Knocknagael Boar Stone

Urquhart Castle Bridge of Oich Finish: Inverlochy Castle 32 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Four fabulous stops on a stunning highland route

Urquhart Castle overlooks Loch Ness and was once a strategic stronghold

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 33

SHUTTERSTOCK

WORDS AND SELECTED IMAGES: INDIRA MANN

KNOCKNAGAEL BOAR STONE

34 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

The eponymous boar may be the symbol of a powerful chieftain eastern stretch of Loch Ness, its waters ruffled by a stiff breeze rather than a creature from the deep. When I stop at a lay-by for the view, some fellow tourists are mesmerised by a set of elongated ripples. They are so keen for a glimpse of Nessie that I haven’t the heart to point out a yacht rapidly exiting the scene.

URQUHART CASTLE

y next milestone is Urquhart Castle which has witnessed more drama than you can shake a claymore at. Over the centuries the Great Glen was a strategic route for anyone seeking to control or conquer the Scottish Highlands. The movement of armies and goods through the glen would have been by boat due to the difficult terrain. Urquhart Castle held a commanding position, keeping watch over the loch, usefully housing a garrison of soldiers and Indira protecting Urquhart Bay Mann at from invaders coming Inverlochy Castle from the mountains

behind. The area was worth protecting. Whoever controlled the castle could also impose rich rents on the people working the fertile land around the bay. Two excellent guides, Donald Rodgie and Graham Thomson, share their knowledge of the castle with me. I learn that Alan Durward (his name roughly translating as Door Ward, or king’s bodyguard) built the original castle in the 1220s, having been granted the land by his father-in-law, King Alexander II. As we stand at the dry ditch, one of the castle’s many defensive features, Graham explains why it was once such an effective fortress. Thought to have been the site of a stronghold from Pictish times, the castle built by Durward was strengthened by the next owners, the powerful and ambitious Comyn family. Picture yourself trying to gain entry. You reach the dry ditch and look towards the curtain wall and its gatehouses. It is bristling with crossbows. There is a drawbridge then a sturdy oaken door to negotiate while dodging all manner of missiles and boiling water. The castle approach has been deliberately skewed to prevent a good run at the portcullis with a battering ram. In any case, soldiers are waiting in the “sally ports” to “sally forth” and cut you down where you stand. Perhaps it is

INDIRA MANN, SHUTTERSTOCK

y journey through the Great Glen begins in Inverness, at the mouth of the Moray Firth, which has, over the centuries, served as a major trading hub with the Northern Isles, Scandinavia and Europe as far as the Baltic States. I’m making for Highland Council’s head office, near the River Ness, to see an intriguing Pictish relic housed there. The Knocknagael Boar Stone stood at the head of the Great Glen before being moved here to protect it from vandalism and weathering. The story behind the large, irregular slab of rock is open to theory but it is thought to date to around 500-600 AD when Picts inhabited the area. The eponymous boar – a wonderful beast with a long snout, muscular body and bristling spine – may be the symbol of a powerful chieftain; the wild boar was lauded for its aggression. It could be a memorial stone or, more probably, a marker on the route into the Pictish kingdom of Fortriu, as the area was then known. An interpretive panel provides more detail about Pictish stones in general, of which around 350 have been found. The Knocknagael stone, which also features a “mirror case” symbol, is typical of its time. The artwork certainly conveys the stone’s great antiquity and I spend a few moments taking in the carvings while reflecting on the artisans who created them. Then it is time to let my council guide get back to his 21st-century work. A few miles out of Inverness and I reach the

The dry ditch at Urquhart Castle slowed down would-be attackers

wiser to wait until the age of gunpowder, which will blow the castle walls apart. In around 1290 Scotland is plunged into a succession crisis. Alexander III has died without heir and his successor Margaret, Maid of Norway, dies on her way home to Scotland. John Balliol assumes the Scottish throne but provokes the English king, Edward I, by refusing a summons. Edward heads north to try to subdue the Kingdom of the Scots and, so I am told, targets Urquhart for its strategic location. Alexander Forbes, the castle’s constable, has sent the women and children away but his pregnant wife has stayed behind. The enemy blocks food supplies coming by boat to the castle’s water gate, so Forbes’ wife dresses as a tinker to make her escape. She signals to her husband once safely through enemy lines. The Scots storm out but are all killed. Much of this tale could be legend but it describes an Achilles’ heel – the castle could be besieged.

Today, the water gate is a popular spot for visitors and you can imagine a busy medieval scene as flat-bottomed boats headed out with local wool, cattle and timber and brought back wine, foodstuffs and other goods from further afield. Another tale from the castle’s turbulent past provides a record of this wealth. In the 16th century, Urquhart was held by the Grants. There were many raids and periods of occupation in long-running hostilities with the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. But none bolder than the Great Raid of 1545, when the men from the west systematically stripped the castle of everything of value, even its locks. In 1692 the Grants, who backed the Protestant King William and Queen Mary, blew up the gatehouse as they left to prevent the Jacobites from making use of the castle in their campaign to return a Stuart king to Scotland. Urquhart Castle was left to become a romantic ruin and one of our most iconic sites.

BRIDGE OF OICH

am looking forward to the next leg of my trip, which takes me deep into the Great Glen, through Fort Augustus and on to the head of Loch Oich. After the Jacobite Rising of 1715 the Hanoverian powers sought to control the Highlands, expanding the network of military roads around the Great Glen. The Highlands were changing and, in 1822, Thomas Telford designed the Caledonian Canal, which linked lochs Ness, Oich, Lochy and Linnhe. It was now possible for seagoing vessels to

This 46m suspension bridge, built in 1854, offers an elegant route across the River Oich HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 35

Well preserved and worthy of a visit: Inverlochy Castle

negotiate the lochs and they were joined, later, by steamers and pleasure-boat trips. The 19th century brought invaders of a different type: Victorian tourists escaping industrial life to find nature and a romanticised view of the Scottish Highlands. Visitors included Queen Victoria herself, as well as the romantic poet, William Wordsworth, JMW Turner, the landscape painter, and the grieving Pre-Raphaelite artist, John Everett Millais. The Bridge of Oich is an elegant wrought-iron suspension bridge over the River Oich towards the west end of the Great Glen. It opened in 1854 to carry traffic and served its purpose well until bypassed in 1932. The 46m long bridge was designed by engineer James Dredge, a former brewer from Bath. His clever plan involved the use of two sections, or cantilevers, joined in the middle. A nearby panel explains what this means: each half of the bridge can support its own weight, so Dredge could trim the size of the supporting chains to create a lighter, more flexible bridge. This was important, given that its predecessor was swept away by a flood. The bridge is now in the care of Historic Environment Scotland and is all the more precious due to conservation methods used. High-quality blacksmithing has preserved the original chain links. 36 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

INVERLOCHY CASTLE

y final destination is Inverlochy Castle on the edge of Fort William at the head of Loch Linnhe – a place of beauty and tranquillity, nowadays at least. Inverlochy was built in 1280 by John Comyn, the Lord of Badenoch, as one of a network of strongholds. By holding castles at each end of the Great Glen the Comyns commanded a powerful position. When Comyn died in 1302 his son John assumed the reins but was

Millais’ Tower of Strength

A fortifying experience The English painter and illustrator, Sir John Everett Millais, was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite movement. He came to the Highlands in 1878 to grieve after his son’s death. His painterly eye was caught by Urquhart Castle, by then a romantic ruin on the shores of Loch

Ness. Millais captures Urquhart Castle, by paint rather than by force, in his Tower of Strength, which now hangs in his great grandson’s home. The painting is notable in that he seemed to have abandoned his Pre-Raphaelite roots in favour of a more Impressionistic style.

Distinctive fishtail arrowslits survive in each corner tower

murdered by Robert Bruce, who soon afterwards became Scotland’s king. Bruce seized Inverlochy in 1307 and it was more or less abandoned. This may explain why the castle remains so intact after more than seven centuries. Comyn’s Tower is still a commanding presence, the portcullis and drawbar slots at both gates are hard to miss, and the distinctive fishtail arrowslits survive in each corner tower. Your imagination fills in the rest – the deep surrounding moat, timber stables and kitchens in the courtyard, and the comings and goings of soldiers and merchants from the nearby River Lochy. Sadly, Queen Victoria’s imagination failed her when she visited in September, 1873. The owner, William Scarlett, had even added battlements for her visit. Her journal records: “A most beautiful, bright, sunny day. — drove to old Inverlochy Castle, which is nearer to Fort William, than the new Castle. Got out to look at the ruin, but there is little left of it to see.” Urquhart Castle is impressive but Inverlochy’s integrity – the survival of its medieval self – gives it a palpable sense of history. This stays with me all the way home.

SCOTLAND

2018 Tours British Isles

Scotland: Dumfries and Galloway England: Lake District, Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top home Wales: Snowdonia National Park, Welsh Castles Ireland: Dublin, Newgrange, Belfast

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15th Annual Outlander Tour

Based on the book series by Diana Gabaldon. Time travel, history, intrigue, passion, loyalty, and pride – the 18th-century Highlands.

June 24-July 4, 2018 • 10 Nights • $4,695 September 16-23, 2018 • 7 Nights • $3,695

Lords of the Isles

Hogmanay 2017 New Year’s Eve in Scotland

Isles of Lewis, Harris, Skye, Mull, Iona Western Scotland and the islands ruled by the Lords of the Isles until the 15th Century. Includes the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

August 11-23, 2018 • 12 Nights • $5,395

Ring in the New Year with a traditional Highland celebration at the award-winning 18th-century Culloden House Hotel. Includes private luncheon at Castle Fraser in Aberdeenshire and 3 nights in Edinburgh. A five-star experience!

Haunted Scotland

December 29-January 4 • 6 Nights • $3,195

Ghost hunting in the Highlands and Lowlands Explore chapels, castles, cathedrals, battlefields, and Kilmartin Glen’s ancient monuments. Plus the Tam O’Shanter Experience with Rabbie Burns!

Oct 24-Nov 1, 2018 • 8 Nights • $3,795

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W H O B U I LT S C OT L A N D

STAND AND

DE 38 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Calanais Standing Stones

Author James Robertson considers the Calanais Standing Stones in an extract from Who Built Scotland

rom the west coast of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides it is 600 miles to Iceland, 2,000 to Newfoundland. Here, at this extremity, stand the stones of Calanais (or Callanish in its anglicised form). Only once have I been there before, 30 years or half my life ago, but that, however it may seem to me, is not even the first movement of a blink in geological time. The Lewisian gneiss of which these huge slabs are all composed is a hard, crystalline rock that has been crushed, melted and folded over a span of 3,000 million years. When, in 1788, James Hutton wrote in his revolutionary Theory of the Earth that â&#x20AC;&#x153;time, which measures everything in our idea, and is often deficient in our schemes, is to nature endless and as nothingâ&#x20AC;?, this was the scale of incomparable comparison he was describing. The main group of stones at Calanais is the largest of some 12 similar sites in the vicinity. That so many sites have survived suggests that, when the stones were erected between 4,500 and 5,000 years ago, the area was home to a well-developed HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 39

FUNKYFOOD LONDON ! PAUL WILLIAMS / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

ELIVER

culture which had these laboriously constructed formations at its heart. The climate was warmer then, the sea level lower, the sea and rivers full of fish, the land free of peat and fertile enough to support grazing cattle and sheep, as well as the growing of barley. There was woodland, marshland and an abundance of birds, deer and other wildlife. A mixture of simple farming, hunting and gathering would have sustained a sizeable human population. Such a society would surely have asked the questions that humans always ask. Who are we? What are we doing here? What happens to us when we die? And looking at the sun and the night sky, observing the seasons and the stars – as we seem to be a part of something which 40 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

The local people sometimes referred to the great stones as ‘the false men’ is also beyond our reach, does this make us feel happy or afraid? Out of such questions, perhaps, the great stone setting at Calanais arose. In about the year 1680, a Lewisman called John Morisone wrote of the Calanais stones that “it is left by traditione that these were a sort of men converted into stone by ane Inchanter: others affirme that they were sett up in places for devotione”. A visitor to the island a decade later, Martin Martin, said that he

had been told that Calanais “was a Place appointed for Worship in the time of Heathenism, and that the Chief Druid or Priest stood near the big Stone in the centre, from whence he address’d himself to the People that surrounded him”. In this period the local people sometimes referred to the great stones as ‘na fir bhrèige’, that is, ‘the false men’. As late as 1866 another visitor jotted down in his notebook that this name was still being used, and that the locals “made out that they [the stones] could not be counted”. Perhaps the natives were having fun at the expense of an inquisitive stranger: by the 1860s more and more visitors were turning up, the stones of Calanais were becoming famous and attracting the attention of archaeologists and historians

TRAVELLINGLIGHT / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

The Calanais Standing Stones were erected between 2900 and 2600 BC

W H O B U I LT S C OT L A N D

Strong words Four other sites explored by Scottish authors in the book

MOUSA BROCH Well-preserved Iron Age roundhouse KATHLEEN JAMIE

LEBRECHT MUSIC AND ARTS PHOTO LIBRARY / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Who Built Scotland A history of the nation in 25 buildings Five celebrated authors traverse the country, from abandoned islands and lonely glens to the heart of modern cities, to tell the story of the nation and the Scottish people. The authors explore sites including Iona Abbey, Hampden Park and a lost whisky village in Strathconon. Neolithic families, exiled hermits and ambitious royal dynasties, Highland sheiling girls, peasant poets, Enlightenment philosophers and iconoclastic artists are all considered in looking at how the Scottish people have shaped their Author buildings, and in turn, James how those buildings Robertson have shaped them.

20% OFF Who Built Scotland is available from historicenvironment.scot/shop. Use the code MEMBERBOOK at the checkout to receive a 20% member discount PLUS free UK postage (code valid until 30 Sep for this item only)

CAIRNPAPPLE HILL Neolithic ceremonial site with henge ALISTAIR MOFFAT

At Cairnpapple, mystery clings to the cold stones around the great cairn like morning mist, but the site is not entirely inscrutable – because it can be read, can be at least partly understood. Here it is important to look, but also to listen for the faint echoes of voices racing across the millennia on the windy hill. Alistair Moffat is an award-winning writer of history books, including The Great Tapestry of Scotland

Then, at the darkest and most overcast hour, it begins. With a sound. Yes, from here and there in its dour walls, the broch is beginning to send sounds out into the night. Up there it begins to churr and purr; down here, to purr and hiccough. It’s midnight, and slightly, discreetly at first, the Iron Age building is coming alive. Kathleen Jamie is a poet and essayist, and winner of the Saltire and Costa Book of the Year Awards

IONA ABBEY Birthplace of Christianity in Scotland? ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH

My first visit to Iona many years ago brought tears to my eyes; it must do that to many visitors, not just the oversentimental or the sad. Alexander McCall Smith is the world-famous author of the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and the 44 Scotland Street novels

THE GREAT HALL OF STIRLING CASTLE Centrepiece of James IV’s royal residence JAMES CRAWFORD

I was standing right at the centre of Stirling Castle’s great hall, looking up. Above me was a huge wooden ribcage, the exposed timber framing of the hall’s massive hammer-beam roof. It reminded me at first of a ship’s hull, like I was peering into the superstructure of some hulking old galleon. James Crawford is the author of the Saltire-nominated Fallen Glory: The Lives and Deaths of the World’s Greatest Lost Buildings, and a publisher at HES

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 41

W H O B U I LT S C OT L A N D

as well as wealthy tourists. One of the reasons for their growing fame was that they could be more easily seen than previously, because in 1855 the owner of Lewis, Sir James Matheson, had given instructions for the peat to be cleared from around them. Peat some five feet deep was removed: it had been accumulating for nearly 3,000 years, which gives an indication as to when the stones were abandoned, in around 800 or 1000 BC. Some cultural change must have occurred – a belief system became redundant, new inhabitants displaced the old, or there was a deliberate cleansing of the ancient site which, however, stopped short of toppling the stones. Whatever it was they lost their meaning, becoming figures in a landscape which gradually began to cover them. A ring of 13 stones, with an enormous monolith standing near the middle but not in the true centre, is the main feature of the formation. Two long rows of stones, more or less in parallel, approach the ring from the north, northeast like an avenue. Much shorter, single rows of stones lead from the ring to the west, east and south, creating a rough ‘Celtic cross’ shape if viewed from above – not, of course, that this design has anything to do with Christianity,

The stones are set on a prominent ridge, visible for miles around

To split these huge slabs from a rock face and transport them would need many hands which it pre-dates by 3,000 years. The middle stone is 15 feet high and three feet wide, and has been estimated to weigh about seven tons. Calanais, like Rome, was not built in a day. To split these huge slabs of gneiss from a rock face and transport them to

Stand up and be counted

STANDING STONES OF STENNESS Orkney The Stones of Stenness, arranged in an oval shape, may be the earliest henge monument in the British Isles, built about

5,400 years ago. Excavated animal bones and pottery show that Neolithic visitors cooked and ate food at the site.

OTHER STONES TO SEE AROUND SCOTLAND

RING OF BRODGAR Orkney In 1846 Scottish geologist Hugh Miller, visiting the 27 stones – which may originally have numbered 60 – that make up the Ring of

the site would have needed the strength of many hands, and some ingenious use of log rollers, even though the land over which they had to be dragged was drier, grassier and probably less pitted than it is today. The foundation holes dug from the clay, into which the stones were

Brodgar, wrote ‘they look like an assemblage of ancient druids, mysteriously stern and invincibly silent and shaggy’.

LAGGANGARN STANDING STONES near Stranraer Tradition has it that these two 2m-tall stones were originally part of a circle of up to 14 megaliths. The name

translates to ‘hollow of the cairns’, which may indicate there were once prehistoric burial mounds located nearby.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 43

W H O B U I LT S C OT L A N D

The Calanais Standing Stones pre-date Stonehenge

placed, were not deep. Once the stones had been heaved upright, more clay and stones were packed around their bases to keep them vertical. This simple technique worked remarkably well. In 1980, during archaeological work across the whole site, a fallen stone was located under the peat at the eastern end of the east row. Careful excavation exposed the hole into which the stone had originally been placed, and when it was put back it fitted precisely into the socket, and thus regained the orientation it had been given five millennia ago. To walk among the Calanais stones, touching them and seeing their beautiful layers, striations and suggestive shapes – one looks like a hand held up in peace, another like a woman with a creel on her back, a third like a huge bird on its nest – is somehow an intimate experience, despite the presence of others doing the same thing. And it is an

To walk among them is an intimate experience despite the presence of others 44 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

experience that people seem, mostly, to want to do on their own. Groups and couples split up and become individuals, at one with the place. When I step back to the western edge of the site, everybody else disappears from view behind the stones. There are sheep with lambs in the next field, and crofts and bungalows spread across the landscape beyond: life continuing. When I walk on round the perimeter, I pass a woman quietly chanting an incantation. People come here for all kinds of reasons. Maybe for her it is the end of a pilgrimage. Maybe it is the beginning of one, or a point on some other journey. Maybe she knows something I don’t. Scientists and artists, believers and agnostics, seekers of truth and weavers of myth all can – and do – pick and choose how to interpret the stones. But an interpretation remains just that, an interpretation. The questions that all standing stones ask, relentlessly – “Who are you, and what do you think you’re looking at?” – are of our own making. They go to the heart of being human, and there are no easy or definitive answers.

Crime fiction compilation hits shelves Christopher Brookmyre and Louise Welsh are among the acclaimed crime writers who have lent their words to Bloody Scotland – which is also released this month. Explore the thrilling potential of Scotland’s iconic sites and structures – from murder in a Hebridean

blackhouse and a macabre tale of revenge among the furious clamour of an 18th-century mill to a dark psychological thriller set within the tourist throng of Edinburgh Castle and an ‘urbex’ rivalry turning fatal in the concrete galleries of an abandoned modernist ruin.

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White t-shirt, £13 Navy t-shirt, £12

Mugs, £5 each

48 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Navy hoodie, £18

Kid’s Cannon t-shirt, navy blue, £12 Kid’s Cannon hoodie navy, £18

Kid’s water cup, £6

SPEND AND SAVE Members receive a 20% discount by using the code MEMBER0917 at the checkout SHOP Visit the online shop at historicenvironment.scot/ shop

SPECIAL DISCOUNT

CHRISTMAS GIFT BONUS M E M B E R S H I P

O F F E R

MONTHS FOR THE PRICE OF 12

or a Christmas gift with a difference, buy your loved one a year’s Historic Scotland membership. If you pay for the membership online using a credit or debit card

your gift will include an extra three months’ membership free. What’s more, as a member, you will receive a 20% discount on your order.

●●To get your discount – and three months’ extra free – check you are registered and logged in to the members’ website at historicenvironment.scot/ member

For more information call 0131 668 8999 or visit historicenvironment.scot/ member. Terms and conditions apply. The offer is valid from 1 October to 31 December 2017

FIVE REASONS WHY HISTORIC SCOTLAND MEMBERSHIP IS THE PERFECT GIFT

Free entry to more than 70 of Scotland’s top paid-for heritage attractions

A personal copy of Historic Scotland magazine posted out four times a year direct to their door

Half-price entry into 500 heritage attractions in England, Wales and on the Isle of Man

A chance to take part in member activities – including tours, lectures and lunches

Discounts on Historic Scotland products and dining events

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 49

EXCITING ACTIVITIES ACROSS SCOTLAND

EVENTS SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER

Members get more Daytime events are free to members, unless otherwise stated

Parking 50 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Toilets

Gift shop

Restaurant/café

Reasonable wheelchair access

Picnic area

Dogs not permitted

DIARY DATES

Urban legends There’s loads to see and do this autumn – including Stirling’s History Live extravaganza and a spooky nighttime tour of Linlithgow Palace Pick up your events guide at any of our properties or visit historicenvironment.scot/events

A Symbol of Power HUNTLY CASTLE

Fancy that: costumed interpreters take over Stirling

Sat 23–Sun 24 Sep; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events Wealth, power and status describes this elaborate castle that was home to the Gordon family. Join us to find out what happened when the castle was occupied by Presbyterian Covenanters in 1640.

History Live STIRLING

Fri 29 Sep–Sun 1 Oct;

Get your spook on at the Linlithgow ExFEARience and tour the palace in the dark

Various times and prices; many events free for members historylive.scot Join us for a

Meet the Covenanters at Huntly Castle

weekend of events throughout Stirling and its environs that will celebrate and showcase Scotland’s rich, diverse history and cultural heritage. For more information on events across the city, see page 26.

The Linlithgow ExFEARience LINLITHGOW PALACE

Fri 27–Sun 29 Oct; 6.15pm, 7.45pm, 9.15pm £12 – 10% members’

discount Booking essential online 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events As night falls, come to the palace as we approach Halloween. Tour the dark corridors of the palace, hear tales from the past and meet some unexpected characters along the way.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 51

DIARY DATES

STIRLING CASTLE

Sat 30 Sep-Sun 1 Oct; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events

Until Tue 31 Oct; 9.30am-6pm 01786 450000 stirlingcastle.gov.uk/ events

Hear the story of the Jacobite general who almost led the army to victory.

SEPTEMBER

Flights into Scotland’s Past

Kieran Baxter’s aerial photographs and visualisations offer a unique and transformative glimpse into Scotland’s historic monuments and landscapes.

Standing Stones of Stenness and Barnhouse Village Walk STONES OF STENNESS

Every Wed until Dec (except Wed 27 Sep); 10-11am 01856 841732 orkneyrangers@ hes.scot Join the ranger service for a guided tour of our oldest stone circle.

OCTOBER

Meet a Jacobite at Kildrummy Castle

Sun 10 Sep; 11am-12.30pm Booking essential online 0131 668 8774 historicenvironment. scot/events Join one of our archaeologists to explore what new research tells us about this imposing stronghold.

Archaeology Day

scot/events Meet one of Bonnie Prince Charlie’s men as he marches his way across Scotland, and hear his tales of Jacobite bravery, success and failure.

The Guardian of Scotland ST ANDREW’S CASTLE

Sun 24 Sep; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events

and drama fill the castle once again and bring it alive. Meet the characters and learn about their life in the Royal Palace. Hear more about the pastimes of the nobility and Mary Queen of Scots. Part of History Live.

Lord George Murray HUNTINGTOWER CASTLE

RING OF BRODGAR

Every Thu until Dec (except Thu 28 Sep); 1-2pm 01856 841732 orkneyrangers@ hes.scot Explore the area around the Ring of Brodgar during our guided walk with a ranger.

Archaeology at Tantallon TANTALLON CASTLE

Parking

52 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Toilets

Sat 16 Sep; 11am-4pm 0131 652 8150 historicenvironment. scot/events Discover what life was like in the Iron Age by meeting characters from the past and trying out skills from the period.

HOLYROOD PARK

Sun 1 Oct; 1-4pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Learn about the fascinating history and heritage of Holyrood Park’s south side from local experts.

Volcano Fun Day HOLYROOD PARK

Sat 7 Oct; 11am-4pm 0131 652 8150 Standing Stones of Stenness

HOLYROOD PARK

Ring of Brodgar Walk

Holyrood Histories: A Duddingston Dander

Join Bishop Lamberton and his medieval soldiers to hear the story of how St Andrews Castle swapped hands during the Wars of Independence.

Renaissance Revelry STIRLING CASTLE

The March of the Jacobite KILDRUMMY CASTLE

Sat 16-Sun 17 Sep; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. Gift shop

Sat 30 Sep & Sun 1 Oct; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 stirlingcastle.gov.uk/ events Food, music, dance

Restaurant/café

Reasonable wheelchair access

Picnic area

Dogs not permitted

DIARY DATES historicenvironment. scot/events Join us for a fun-filled hands-on activity day to learn about Edinburgh’s volcanoes.

Fantastic Fungi

Jacobite supporters and is on his way to Edinburgh. He has decided to visit the palace en route where he has heard that the fountain in the courtyard may run with red wine.

LINLITHGOW PEEL

Sun 8 Oct; 1-3pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Join a ranger and local expert on UK Fungus Day and discover the weird and wonderful world of fungi around the Peel.

Dragons, Swords, Portraits and Lace – Study Day DUFF HOUSE

Tue 10-Wed 11 Oct; 10.30am-4.45pm £15 (includes tea, coffee and lunch) Booking essential online 0131 624 6315 historicenvironment. scot/events Join a group of leading object specialists for a day to explore some hidden aspects of the Dunimarle Collection.

Arthur’s Secrets HOLYROOD PARK

Sun 15 Oct, Sun 5 Nov (dog friendly), Sun 3 Dec; 1-3pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Come along on a guided walk to learn more about Arthur’s Seat’s turbulent past, created by fire and ice.

Linlithgow Holiday Club – Operation Hibernation! LINLITHGOW PEEL

Tue 17 Oct; 10.30am-12.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Autumn is a busy time of year for Linlithgow’s wildlife. Find out what they need to do to get

through the winter. Suitable for children between eight and 12

Saints and Sinners HOLYROOD PARK

Sat 28 Oct; 1-3pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Join us for a Halloween and All Saints’ Day walk to uncover the light and dark sides of the park’s history. NOVEMBER

David’s Tower EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 4-Sun 5 Nov; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov. uk/events Meet King David II of Scotland, son of Robert the Bruce, as he explains some of the history of the castle. Find out about military life and the arms and armour of the mid-14th century.

Festive fun with Charles Dickens

A Fountain of Wine LINLITHGOW PALACE

Sat 14-Sun 15 Oct; 12-4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events

Toilets

Sat 18-Sun 19 Nov; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov. uk/events

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Mon 6-Thu 9 Nov; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov. uk/events

Hear how King James II dealt with the overly powerful Douglas family at the castle and of the king’s fascination for siege cannons which resulted in the purchase of the mighty bombard Mons Meg in 1454.

The defining battle of 1917 was Passchendaele, the long fight for the high ground dominating the town of Ypres. Join us as we bring to life the experience of the Highland soldier in this year of endurance.

Winter Warmer Walk – Blackness

Holyrood Histories: The People’s Park

BLACKNESS CASTLE

Sun 19 Nov; 1-2.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot

HOLYROOD PARK

Sun 12 Nov; 1-3pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot

Come along on a guided walk to learn more about Blackness Bay on the shore of the Firth of Forth.

Come along for an easy guided walk in our Royal Park. Learn about the history of the local communities and how they utilised the park.

DECEMBER

Christmas Shopping Fayre

The King’s Cannon

STIRLING CASTLE

Tue 5 Dec; 6-9pm £6 including parking

EDINBURGH CASTLE

A Very Victorian Christmas STIRLING CASTLE

Sun 3 Dec; 12.30-3.30pm 0131 668 8885; stirlingcastle.gov.uk/events Learn about the tales and traditions of Christmas and discover where Charles Dickens found inspiration for A Christmas Carol.

Prince Charles Edward Stuart has successfully attracted a large number of Parking

They Called it Passchendaele

Gift shop

Restaurant/café

Reasonable wheelchair access

Picnic area

Dogs not permitted

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 53

POLYGALA PURPLE PASSION INCREDIBLY HARDY TO MINUS 35˚C

rare | unusual | exciting

AWARD WINNING EVERGREEN WITH AN AMAZING FRAGRANCE OF TUTTI FRUTTI SWEETS

BUY 1 FOR

Often seen growing in Norwegian gardens. Beautiful purple pink and yellow pea-like blooms smother the shiny foliage during early spring and early summer. Drought tolerant, happy in containers or perfect in a rock garden or at the front of border making excellent groundcover. Low maintenance, easy to grow preferring welldrained soil in sun or part shade. Height 20cm (8"). Spread 50cm (20"). Fully hardy perennial. Your order will be confirmed and your 11cm pots will be delivered in 21 days* with our no quibble guarantee.

£14 £21 OR 3 FOR

HALF PRICE

TO ORDER QUOTE HS0917 • ONLINE hayloft.co.uk/hs • PHONE 0844 335 1088 NAME & ADDRESS

PLEASE SEND

ITEM CODE

PRICE

1 × POLYGALA

PTPOL01-HS0917

£14

3 × POLYGALA

PTPOL03-HS0917

£21

QTY

P&P (UK ONLY)

£4.95 TOTAL DUE

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I enclose Cheque/PO made payable to Hayloft Plants Ltd or please debit my Mastercard/Visa/Maestro Card no.

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All orders will be confirmed with our latest catalogue. Call 01386 554440 for your FREE copy.

Signature EMAIL PLEASE ADVISE US OF YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS TO RECEIVE SPECIAL OFFERS

* Occasionally the advertised delivery date may change, however, this will be clearly stated on your order confirmation. Please tick here if you prefer not to receive offers other than from our company__

HAYLOFT PLANTS, MANOR FARM NURSERY, PENSHAM, PERSHORE, WORCESTERSHIRE WR10 3HB

DIARY DATES Booking essential online 01786 450000 historicenvironment. scot/events Join us for festive shopping showcasing Scottish brands, local crafts and fine food and drink.

Carols at the Castle STIRLING CASTLE

Sun 10 Dec; doors open 6.30pm for a 7pm start; adult £16, concession £11 – 10% members’ discount. Booking essential online 01786 450000 historicenvironment. scot/events Enjoy a glass of mulled wine and get into the festive spirit while the National Youth Choir of Scotland perform Christmas carols.

Traditions and Tales of Christmas

Adult £16, concession £14, child £12, family (2 adults, 2 children) £49 – 10% members’ discount Booking essential online 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment. scot/events Join us for a fun and exciting adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale. Celebrate this much-loved story which captures the magic of Christmas. A treat for all ages.

Arthur’s Secrets – Christmas Special HOLYROOD PARK

Wed 27 Dec; 1-3pm; Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Join us for a Christmas special of our muchloved guided walk. Learn more about Arthur’s Seat’s turbulent past, created by fire and ice!

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Tue 19-Fri 22 Dec 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov. uk/events Learn the origins of our modern-day Christmas traditions as we uncover the history behind carols, cards and crackers.

A Christmas Carol STIRLING CASTLE

A Very Mary Christmas EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 23-Fri 29 Dec (excluding 25 & 26 Dec); 11.15am, 12.15am, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov. uk/events It is the festive season at court. While Reformation Scotland shuns Christmas festivities, join Mary, Queen of Scots as she celebrates the 12 Days of Christmas with her courtiers.

Fabulous festive feasts Christmas Lunch

Christmas Lunch

Wine and Dine

EDINBURGH CASTLE

STIRLING CASTLE

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Mon 11-Sat 23 Dec (excluding Sun 17); 12.30pm-4pm; adult members £34, child members £17, adult non-members £40, child nonmembers £20 Booking essential online 0131 225 9746 historicenvironment. scot/events

Sat 16-Sat 23 Dec; 12.30pm arrival for a 1pm sitting; adult members £28, child members £14, adult non-members £34, child nonmembers £17 Booking essential online 01786 469491 historicenvironment. scot/events

Sun 17 Dec; 12.30pm arrival for a 1pm sitting; members £70, non-members £75 Booking essential online 0131 225 9746 historicenvironment. scot/events

Make Christmas 2017 special with a three-course lunch in the Jacobite Room at the castle. Dine in style while admiring the magnificent views across our capital.

Dine in the atmospheric Green Room in our beautiful castle and add a little festive magic to your Christmas lunch with a classic menu.

Dine like royalty in our newly refurbished Queen Anne Room and feast on a delicious four-course set menu with accompanying wines, starting with a welcome glass of prosecco.

Fri 22-Sat 23 Dec; doors open 6.15pm for 7pm start

Dine like royalty at Edinburgh Castle

Parking

Toilets

Gift shop

Restaurant/café

Reasonable wheelchair access

Picnic area

Dogs not permitted

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 55