Historic Scotland Winter 2016

Trainspotting at three listed stations

33

EXCITING EVENTS

INSIDE

THE MAGAZINE FOR HISTORIC SCOTLAND MEMBERS WINTER 2016

ME

E GAZIN MB E R M A

OF T H E

YEAR

Through the

keyhole

How the nobility lived in style at Huntly Castle

Great

DAYS OUT INCLUDING

Caerlaverock Castle Tantallon Castle Mousa Broch EXECUTED! 9th Earl of Argyll

Tales from the grisly past of Edinburgh Castle

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Some itineraries are available in the reverse direction. We reserve the right to amend itineraries for operational reasons. Single supplements apply. For more information please visit vikingcruises.co.uk/terms-conditions or call us.

Welcome to

CHRISTMAS

These are exciting times for anyone, like me, with a passion for Scotland’s past. Having recently taken the helm of Historic Environment Scotland I am aware just how special our heritage is. With impressive properties steeped in history, six World Heritage Sites and stunning natural terrain, the nation has a wonderful resource linking ancient times with our present and future.

Next year marks the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology – a great opportunity to celebrate our rich past. It is timely that the Engine Shed, Scotland’s new flagship building conservation centre, will open its doors during this year. Encouraging people to experience hands on how we look after our historic environment, it will be just one landmark event during a fascinating 12 months.

See page 9 for a preview of the year ahead.

Storytelling is at the heart of how we bring Scotland’s rich history to life. On page 20 you can enjoy seeing some of our sites through the eyes of award-winning artist Leo du Feu. Meanwhile, historic inventories have provided the inspiration for expert Michael Pearce, who has painstakingly recreated what the interior of Huntly Castle may have looked like 400 years ago. See page 14 and step into the past.

And for those of you who enjoy your history with a generous serving of intrigue, Nicki Scott from our cultural resources team exposes the dark underbelly of some of our best-known properties. All that, and Christmas is neatly wrapped up in our gift guide on page 44.

MEMBERSHIP OFFER

HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Contributors MICHAEL PEARCE Whispers from a bygone age (p14) Michael is an independent scholar and leading authority on historical Scottish interiors

SEE PAGE 49

ALEX PATERSON Chief Executive, Historic Environment Scotland

SHUTTERSTOCK

5 big things to see and do this issue 1

Besiege the battlements of Tantallon Castle P12

2

Unravel the grisly story of St Magnus Church P26

3

Discover a remarkable railway station P36

4

Christmas shop at Stirling Castle P44

5

Relish some regal fare at Edinburgh Castle P50

NICKI SCOTT Dark deeds (p26) A historian by trade, Nicki is a cultural resources adviser for Historic Environment Scotland

The medieval Tantallon Castle

ELIZABETH MCCRONE Tracks of my years (p36) Elizabeth is head of designations for Historic Environment Scotland

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 1

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

LOOK INSIDE HISTORIC SCOTLAND WINTER 2016 30 | Discover the secrets of painting conservation

Membership and CRM Manager Claire Bowie Assistant Membership Manager Morag Paterson Membership Co-ordinator Pauline Brews Editor Kathleen Morgan kathleen.morgan@thinkpublishing.co.uk Deputy Editor Fiona McKinlay fiona.mckinlay@thinkpublishing.co.uk Design Matthew Ball, John Pender Sub-editors Sam Bartlett, Sian Campbell, Kirsty Fortune Editorial Assistant Jonathan McIntosh 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. Š 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.

ANGELA CATLIN; LEO DU FEU; KIERAN DODDS; ALAMY

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 www.historic-scotland.gov. uk/historicenvironmentscotland Scottish Charity No. SC045925.

Cover: Huntly Castle, Shutterstock

22 | Artist Leo du Feu reimagines Blackness Castle 2 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

42 | Scotland’s rich railway history unravelled

50

EVENTS

Get set for Christmas with a range of seasonal festivities and look ahead to the programme for early 2017

53 | Swinging Santas at Stirling

26 | The demise of St Magnus Shetland Mousa Broch P25

12 | Inside Tantallon Castle

PLACES TO VISIT

THIS WINTER

Calanais Standing Stones P20

Stirling Castle P50

20 | Seal of approval

4 THE SCRIPT News and updates from Historic Scotland sites around the country 49 MEMBERSHIP 50 EVENTS 56 GUESS THE YEAR FEATURES

Huntly Castle P14

14 | The lost treasures of Huntly Castle

REGULARS

Tantallon Castle P12 Blackness Castle P22 Caerlaverock Castle P24

14 WHISPERS FROM AN AGE GONE BY Michael Pearce investigates the old inventories of Huntly Castle 20 A BRUSH WITH THE PAST Artist Leo du Feu goes on a crosscountry adventure, capturing the beauty of five sites 26 DARK DEEDS The gory details of power struggles at

three of the nation’s most significant sites 30 MY DAY AS …

Ida Maspero in action with the painting conservation team 36 TRACKS OF MY YEARS Scotland’s glorious railway history and lives entwined in it 44 WINTER WONDERLAND Gifts and decorations to inspire that Christmas list

FIND US ON HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 3

SCRIPT THE

INCLUDING

The jewellery inspired by a 5,000-year-old cairn Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology previewed Rare trees discovered at the Palace of Holyrood House

PEOPLE, PLACES, RESEARCH AND MORE …

READ ALL ABOUT IT

The spotlight falls on Tantallon Castle

Afternoon tea at Edinburgh Castle

Author Sara Sheridan hosts afternoon tea at Edinburgh Castle during Book Week Scotland

B

ringing the past to life in her novels, Sara Sheridan seeks out inspiration wherever she goes.

“I constantly wander around places, imagining I’m there in 1820,” she explains.

“I spend a lot of time in the

archives but I’m pretty experiential as well.”

Sheridan will join visitors at Edinburgh Castle for afternoon tea themed around her latest novel, On Starlit Seas. The event is part of Book Week Scotland, and the menu will feature a special citrus scone inspired by her novel The Secret Mandarin.

Having lived in the capital her whole life, the castle has been a constant landmark for Sheridan – and this adds to the fun. The format is familiar

Historical fiction writer Sara Sheridan

4 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

too, since she has hosted afternoon tea in venues all over the world.

“It’s great, because people really relax,” she says. “They come along with friends and I’ll chat with them while they’re having their tea, so I get to suss them out. I like to figure out what they’re interested in, then I usually talk about my passion for history.”

Female figures are of particular interest to Sheridan, who laments their

under-representation in the history books: “It’s important we memorialise our amazing women. A lot are forgotten or not really honoured. In the UK, 15 per cent of statues are dedicated to women, and 85 per cent to men and animals – that seems outrageous.”

On Starlit Seas tells the story of one such female figure – Maria Graham – a British writer of travel books who spent a lot of time in Chile and Brazil in the 1820s, and ended up tutoring a

WOULD YOU JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER?

VISITOR NUMBERS SOAR

Exhibition in the castle vaults showcases distinctive designs A display of imaginative and eye-catching book covers can be seen in Edinburgh Castle vaults from 21-27 November as part of Book Week Scotland.

Design by the Book: a Scottish Publishing Showcase highlights distinctive contributions from a

princess. Sheridan explains she found her lead in the National Library of Scotland.

“I was in the John Murray archive, and was shown Maria’s journal. Her narrative voice was amazing. It was

Historic Scotland sites enjoy record-breaking summer season

dynamic and diverse array of Scottish publishers and goes behind the scenes of the creative process.

The exhibition is presented

by Publishing Scotland and sponsored by Bertrams and Bell & Bain.

like she was standing next to me; her story was riveting.”

Only time will tell where – and when – Sheridan’s next story takes her. Perhaps she’ll find her inspiration atop Castle Rock?

Afternoon tea with Sara Sheridan is at Edinburgh Castle on Fri 25 Nov, £17 all members, £35 nonmembers, £32 concession.

Visit historicenvironment. scot/member

Edinburgh Castle

Incredible figures were recorded at the gates of Historic Scotland castles, palaces, abbeys and other historical sites in the summer, with more than 1.9 million visits taking place.

Stephen Duncan, director of commercial and tourism, called it a “season for the record books”.

“This season has brought impressive new records and achievements for a number of our Historic Scotland attractions,” he said. “These figures demonstrate the real value and significance of heritage attractions and their important place within Scotland’s tourism offering.”

HOT PROPERTY

1.9m

visitors at Historic Scotland attractions from April to July (that’s 169k more than in the same period in 2015)

755k 215k 192k

visited Edinburgh Castle

visited Stirling Castle

visited Urquhart Castle There were also big boosts in attendance at Doune Castle, Elgin Cathedral, Dumbarton Castle, and other sites

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 5

THE SCRIPT

GRAND DESIGNS

Inside the cairn

Maeshowe-inspired jewellery goes into production The Neolithic chambered cairn at Maeshowe

ACCESS CHANGES AT MAESHOWE Shuttle bus service keeps Neolithic cairn open ARRANGEMENTS have been made for visitors to Maeshowe Chambered Cairn in Orkney following the closure of Tormiston Mill visitor centre and car park.

A shuttle bus service to the site is running three times daily from nearby Skara Brae.

Maeshowe closed briefly in September before this interim solution was put in place .

Historic Environment Scotland is committed to working with Orkney Islands council and other partners to find a long-term, sustainable solution.

Visit historicenvironment. scot/maeshowe for updates

ORCADIAN student and plan and given it a artist Norna Sinclair won contemporary twist with Historic Environment modern connotations using Scotland and Ortak’s concepts that relate to competition to design Neolithic life.” a jewellery range The judging panel reflecting the consisted of history and Ortak owner mystery of Michael A bracelet designed Maeshowe Gardens,

by Orcadian Sinclair Chambered director of Cairn.

Scotland Sinclair won Re:Designed over judges with an Chris Hunt and elegant design inspired by Kari Coghill, HES head of an aerial view of Maeshowe. business development and In her entry, she said: “I’ve enterprise. Coghill said: “I taken this 5,000-year-old particularly liked that this

Competition winner Norna Sinclair

design was based on the archaeological field drawings.”

Ortak will create Sinclair’s range of jewellery, which will be available to purchase soon at Skara Brae and Edinburgh Castle.

FOUR STEPS TO VICTORY: HOW JESSICA AND FRASER CREATED A WINNER

1

2

CASTLE CONTEST WINNERS REVEALED 6 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

3

4

Making waves: brother and sister duo Jessica (7) and Fraser Welsh (5) have been crowned winners in the ‘build a castle’ competition featured in the Best Days Ever for Families insert. Their underwater-themed masterpiece was constructed from cardboard boxes, packing material, papier mâché, shells and more.

THE SCRIPT

GIFT AID GENEROSITY

Colin Muir, South Gyle Conservation Centre

BEHIND THE SCENES

Portrait series to show the staff who safeguard Scotland’s heritage A PHOTOGRAPHER from Illinois is capturing a series of portraits showing Historic Environment Scotland (HES) staff at work.

Daniel Overturf, a photography professor at Southern Illinois University, met HES stonemason Mark MacArthur during a trip to Scotland in 2000, and it is through this enduring friendship that the idea for a portrait project originated.

He began documenting in summer 2015 and has been back this year to take some more shots.

Bring your friends to Edinburgh Castle

HISTORIC SCOTLAND members are being asked to offer consent for the charity to claim Gift Aid on their membership fee.

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is a registered charity, protecting, conserving and preserving Scotland’s historic environment, and every penny makes a difference. As long as you are a UK taxpayer, HES can claim back at least an extra £7.50 of your membership fee – at no cost to you.

Membership and CRM manager Claire Bowie said: “Some members have already received a letter from us, and we would like to thank them for the great response. We hope our other UK-based members will take a moment to complete and return the Gift Aid declaration form sent to you with this magazine.”

Help protect Scotland’s history with Gift Aid Toby Tottle and Sandra Hunter, Knockando Woolmill, Moray

“I have been involved for some time with the documentation of people who do work that is often overlooked or

simply not well known,” explains Overturf. “My goal was to create a series of portraits on location in the workplace.

TICKET GIVEAWAY

THOUSANDS of tickets are on offer in our annual ticket giveaway over the St Andrew’s Day weekend of 26-27 November – so why not tell your friends?

Non-members can get free entry

to sites including Edinburgh, Stirling and Urquhart castles.

Advance booking is required.

Go to www.ticketgiveaway. co.uk for further information

PLAN AHEAD

HISTORIC SCOTLAND members are reminded that some sites close or operate reduced hours during winter.

Please check the website or your handbook before making a journey. Unplanned closures will be listed at www.historicenvironment. scot/closures or search Twitter for #hsclosure

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 7

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Spectacular Jousting at Linlithgow Palace will be one of 2017’s big events

TIME TO SHINE

Looking ahead to the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology

SCOTLAND’S past will take centre stage in 2017, the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology (YHHA).

There will be a programme of events across the nation, while our own calendar will be more packed than ever.

Highlights will include the launch of the Engine Shed, Scotland’s flagship building conservation centre, which will promote public understanding of traditional building materials and skills; and an Edinburgh Castle tweed, developed with Knockando Woolmill.

We will collaborate on exciting projects with organisations including National Museums Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland.

Taking the YHHA message to the international stage, we are partners behind the exhibition Romantic Scotland – Castles, Land and Sea, showing in China from April to September.

See the spring issue of Historic Scotland for more details.

THINGS TO DO

YEAR OF ... EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THE GREAT BIG HISTORY WEEKEND STIRLING CASTLE Sat 1–Sun 2 Apr An exciting event kicking off our Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology programme.

SPECTACULAR JOUSTING CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE Sat 29–Sun 30 Jul Our popular jousting event staged annually at Linlithgow Palace will also be coming to Caerlaverock.

AMAZING AGES! FORT GEORGE Sat 12–Sun 13 Aug The mighty fortress hosts a new event showcasing Scotland’s history and culture. Enjoy living history, music and crafts.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 9

THE THESCRIPT SCRIPT

N AV I G A T I O N

WIN

ST KILDA BOOKS The Palace of Holyroodhouse grounds are home to rare weeping elms

Root and branch

I have been exploring the Palace of Holyroodhouse grounds recently, as I had been asked to check whether proposed tree surgery would impact on resident bats.

Trees form a backdrop to many of our properties and their significance can often be overlooked. This has started to change recently as we increasingly recognise the biological, historic and cultural importance of trees. The Royal Botanical Garden Edinburgh recently surveyed the gardens at Holyrood and discovered two weeping elms, a cultivated variety believed to be extinct. The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh hosts the National Tree Collections of Scotland, a project set up in partnership with the Forestry Commission, and Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, to protect this aspect of Scotland’s heritage. For its size, Scotland has one of the most dense concentrations of tree collections in the world.

Since the 17th century, many Scottish landowners sought to improve their estates through tree planting. In the early 1800s, David Steuart Erskine, 11th Earl of Buchan, FACT: TREES OF LIFE Inchmahome Priory and Dryburgh Abbey have specimens listed in Scotland’s top 100 most important heritage trees. The priory’s Spanish Chestnuts are some 400 years old, while the Dryburgh Yew is thought to have been planted around 1150.

10 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

VIEW FROM OUTDOORS

planted many trees in the grounds of Dryburgh Abbey in the Borders. To recognise his work, we have launched a self-led Trees of Dryburgh Abbey tour, allowing visitors to explore the abbey grounds and learn something of the remarkable specimens there.

Planting exotic trees was a way of showing off, and wealthy landowners could spend large sums on seeds of recently discovered trees. Some even employed plant hunters to scour foreign lands on their behalf, such was the allure of having a tree no one else owned.

Visitors to Dunkeld Cathedral will see some magnificent exotics, including at least one Douglas fir grown from seeds discovered by, and named after, one of Scotland’s greatest plant hunters, David Douglas. The grounds formed part of a much larger designed landscape, created in the 18th century, surrounding Dunkeld House, a summer residence of the Dukes of Atholl.

We are fortunate to benefit from the forethought of these landowners, and can appreciate the trees in their full magnificence and at a size their planters can only have dreamt of.

A favourite of mine is the massive stately ash standing at the centre of Bonawe Historic Iron Furnace. We can see the tree, many years younger than today, in a 1908 drawing of the site featured in the guidebook. I often imagine the workers sitting in its shade, eating lunch on hot summer days – a direct living link to the past.

The story of St Kilda still resonates nearly 90 years after it was evacuated. St Kilda: The Last and Outmost Isle, by archaeologists Angela Gannon and George Geddes, unravels a tale spanning 3,000 years.

We have six copies to give away. For a chance to win, answer the following: PRIZE QUESTION When was St Kilda evacuated?

Post your answer and details to St Kilda Competition, Think Scotland, Suite 2.3, Red Tree Business Suites, 33 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow G40 4LA, or email hs.comps@ thinkpublishing.co.uk including “St Kilda Competition” in the subject line. The closing date is 9 December.

BUY ME St Kilda: The Last and Outmost Isle, published

by Historic Environment Scotland, £16, is available at historicenvironment. scot/shop. For a 20% discount, use the code MEMBER1016

SHUTTERSTOCK

Our sites are home to some rare, old and striking tree specimens, explains natural history adviser Bob Tevendale

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THE SCRIPT

Spotlight on

TANTALLON CASTLE A formidable stronghold for 300 years, this former noble residence still stands proudly in its clifftop location

The last of the grand medieval castles, Tantallon makes an indelible impression as you climb to its battlements and take in its sheer scale. The clifftop stronghold, probably started in the 1350s by William Douglas, must have seemed a suitably intimidating and noble home for one of the most influential families in Scotland.

After the family split during the 1380s, the Red Douglases,

who became the earls of Angus, held the castle for three centuries. The formidable fortress endured military sieges, as well as the biting wind and salt air. What remains today – including the red standstone curtain wall more than 1m thick – has withstood more than 650 years of war and weather.

In October 1491, the castle was besieged by the forces of

EXPLORE

EDINBURGH

TANTALLON CASTLE

TANTALLON CASTLE The site is a 50-minute drive from Edinburgh along the A1, A199 and A198. Open daily, 10am–4pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing

TIMELINE 1384 1388 William, 1st Earl of Douglas, dies after building Tantallon

12 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

The Douglas inheritance is divided after William’s heir dies at the Battle of Otterburn

James IV, possibly fuelled by rumours of treasonous negotiations between Archibald, the 5th Earl of Angus, and Henry VII of England. The result of the siege is unknown, but Archibald had received a gift of a black velvet gown from the king by Christmas.

Under siege again in 1528, the castle withstood 20 days of bombardment by the forces of James V after the king charged the 6th Earl of Angus with treason. Strengthened outer defences had helped quell the royal guns. James took control of Tantallon in 1529, but only through negotiation. Green basalt marks the repairs to the castle ordered by the king.

The work was still incomplete on the earl’s return from exile in 1543.

Finally, a year after defeating the Scottish army at Dunbar in 1650, Oliver Cromwell ordered a bombardment of Tantallon.

The impact on the castle was devastating, ending its days as a stronghold. Interest in the castle continues, though.

An excavation at the site in 2015 included investigations of a trench once used by Cromwell’s attacking forces.

1. EAST TOWER Originally five storeys high, the tower housed accommodation for the earl’s household staff and guests

6. LEAN#TO BUILDINGS These were much-needed storage areas. The roof lines and rows of holes for timber beams are still visible

1424

1491

1529

1543

James I returns from many years of captivity to Scotland, escorted by William Douglas

The forces of James IV besiege Tantallon

James V takes control of Tantallon following negotiation

Archibald, 6th Earl of Angus, returns from exile

2. MID TOWER This formidable gatehouse to the castle controlled access to the inner close and housed high-status members of the earl’s household. Each floor would have been plastered and painted, with wall hangings to insulate and decorate

3. DOUGLAS TOWER The inner sanctum of the castle was originally seven storeys high – an impressive 30m – and is likely to have housed the apartments of the earl and his family. In its basement was a dark pit prison

4. HALL BLOCK This two-storey range that began as a freestanding hall block contains the great hall – the castle’s main public space – where the earl held feasts and judged criminals.

The great hall would have been richly decorated to convey power and wealth

5. PARTITION WALL Separates the courtyard into high- and low-status areas

7. WELL At more than 30m deep, this provided an essential fresh water supply

SHUTTERSTOCK

8. SEA GATE Provisions to sustain the household arrived here by sea before being hoisted up and taken into the inner close

DID YOU KNOW? In its heyday, the Douglas Tower was an imposing structure that reached 30m – the equivalent of a 10-storey block of flats

1565

1566

1650

1651

1924

2013

James Douglas the 4th Earl of Morton, is put in control of Tantallon

Mary Queen of Scots visits the castle

Oliver Cromwell invades Scotland and defeats the Scottish army at Dunbar

General Monck is ordered

by Cromwell to lead a bombardment of Tantallon

Tantallon is placed in state care by Sir Walter Hamilton Dalrymple

Archaeologists begin excavation work at Tantallon. The project continues in 2015

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 13

14 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

INVENTORIES

WHISPERS FROM

AN AGE GONE BY Huntly Castle was once filled with splendid furnishings.

Scholar Michael Pearce dusts off ageing inventories to imagine its interiors

The French-inspired palace block of Huntly Castle

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he rich wall hangings and embroidered beds that once graced Scotland’s castles and palaces have long since worn out and been discarded. But sometimes the furnishings that made austere buildings into comfortable homes live on, recorded in the inventories that listed the movable possessions of the great and good.

Such documents detail chambers hung with tapestry and portraits, smart dining rooms and pantries stocked with crockery and cups, and the jewellery our forebears wore. Often, every pot, pan and pewter plate in the kitchen was carefully recorded. Inventories fuel the mind with facts and enable us to imagine the life and colour in what are now bare stone rooms. They can even help us recreate a scene and give us clues about an individual’s preferences and character.

One such inventory in the National Records of Scotland illuminates Huntly Castle in Aberdeenshire.

This Historic Scotland property is now roofless, but the impressive ruin of the French-inspired palace block rises to almost full height. Near the top the names of George Gordon, 1st Marquess of Huntly (d.1636), and his wife Henrietta Stewart (d.1642) were carved in huge letters in around 1602. While the upper floors have gone, the layout is clear. The Huntly inventory names the rooms and gives a sense of a route around the building.

Using the inventory we can envisage the castle in its heyday, furnished with pictures and expensive fabrics. This helped us understand and interpret the castle, providing illustrator Stephen Conlin with detailed HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 15

INVENTORIES

guidance to create a reconstruction ‘cut-away’ drawing for an on-site interpretation panel.

The Huntly inventory was made on 10 November, 1648, during the War of the Three Kingdoms, by royalist soldier Colonel John Innes. Although the castle was on a war footing, the marquess’s furniture seems to have been left in place but there was also a well-stocked ammunition house with 81 muskets, a batch of match cord and 10 cannons.

The first room mentioned in the inventory is the master of the household’s chamber, suggesting this servant of the 2nd Marquess of Huntly was still in residence when it was made. He might even have shown the soldiers around the castle to make the inventory. His bed had plain cloth curtains, contrasting his lower status with the elaborate beds used in the three family rooms.

The first grand bedchamber in the round tower above had ‘five hangings that completely hangs the room’. Each of the family rooms mentioned had hangings that were warm and decorative – whether tapestries or embroidered fabrics. The bed had seven curtains of gridelin-coloured cloth embroidered with silk and wool appliqué in diverse colours.

Gridelin is an old name for pale red or purple and by cloth, the writer meant woollen material for winter warmth.

The bed had an orange taffeta roof but the valances matched the curtains. A chair and four stools were upholstered with the same gridelin-coloured fabric.

The style of this bed suite dates from no earlier than the 1620s. The highest bed chamber in the tower had an orange taffeta silk bed, 17 red velvet chairs, stools and a little table with an ‘ironcoloured’ marble top. Perhaps this had been the bedchamber of Henrietta Stewart, Lady Huntly. All the bedchambers were crammed with George furniture, much of it Gordon, 2nd Marquess matching and some of Huntly possibly shipped in from London or Paris – although the beds were supplied with locally-made woollen ‘bed plaids’ for extra warmth.

16 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

The room contents in a reconstruction illustration of the palace were guided by the Huntly inventory

The highest bed chamber had an orange taffeta silk bed, 17 red velvet chairs, and a marble-topped table The bedchamber of the late marquess was hung with red cloth curtains embroidered with black velvet. Chairs and a table were covered with matching fabric. This cloth, perhaps like the Lochleven and Linlithgow hangings kept in the National Museum of Scotland, is thought to have been made in Edinburgh in the early 17th century. In the ‘late marquess’s study’ there were trunks and cabinets full of writs, three more portraits, and ‘27 score and two’ – or 542 – books ‘great and small’. It is rare to find books mentioned and this is a particularly large number for someone who was not noted as a scholar.

In contrast to the bedchambers, Huntly’s lower hall and great chamber were almost empty. When built

in the 1550s, there were two suites of outer hall, inner chamber and bedchamber. In the first decades of the 17th century, the fashionable plaster frieze that can still be seen today was added. By this time, the smart accommodation was in the round tower and the two upper floors. The royalist marquess retreated into more private spaces and received fewer members of the Gordon clan, before his eventual downfall, imprisonment in Edinburgh Castle and execution.

The upper hall, the entry to the marquess’s inner sanctum for a select few, was now called the ‘Organ Hall’. It is unusual to find a music room unless there was a large instrument such as an organ or a ‘pair of virginals’ – a kind of harpsichord. Other instruments, such as lutes, were not normally recorded. This is another clue that these rooms were appointed for receiving select company.

There were portraits of James VI and his wife Anne of Denmark – a sign that much of the furnishing had been arranged by the 1st Marquess.

A portrait of Robert Maxwell, Earl of Nithsdale (d. 1646), hints at a political alliance. The next room was the dining chamber, with portraits of Charles I, Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox (d.1583), two pictures of ladies, and

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INVENTORIES

a map of the world. Esmé Stewart was the 1st Marquess’s father-in-law.

Understanding the inventory is only the start in producing a reconstruction illustration. There are a host of questions involved and often we have to rely on evidence from other buildings for details. Were there rugs by the beds? Yes, probably, although they are not in the inventory.

If our illustrations show small groups of people in convivial scenes, we might like to know what they drank from. While this inventory only mentions 14 plates, we know from others that the aristocrats drank from glass or pewter vessels while servants and labourers drank from wooden mugs called ‘treen stoups’. Inventories, then, cannot provide the whole story when making reconstruction drawings.

Esmé Stewart

Understanding the inventory is only the start in producing a reconstruction illustration

We need architectural understanding and an appreciation of the surviving historical space. The forms and styles of Scottish furniture are adopted from precious surviving examples. Upholstered furniture from this period rarely survives and we have to rely on French engravings and Dutch paintings to imagine its appearance.

Huntly Castle is a particularly good example of how an inventory can be used for interpretation. But while the way of life depicted has disappeared, inventories are still very much with us.

Today, furnished flats and holiday cottages usually list the furniture and kitchen equipment they contain. These will become historical documents in turn revealing the evolution of domestic life in the early 21st century.

LOST CHARMS OF JAMES III ● After he was killed at the Battle of Sauchieburn in 1488, a list was made of James III’s treasures at Edinburgh Castle and those of his wife, Queen Margaret, at Stirling.

James had four serpents’ tongues set in gold – fossil shark teeth from Malta – believed to be a safeguard against poison. He also had a shirt that had belonged to Robert the Bruce. and two rings with chips believed to be from Christ’s whipping post.

Queen Margaret had a piece of a ‘unicorn horn’ and a ring with a puddock, or toad, stone – both charms against poisoning.

18 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

JAMES IV: SILVER, GOLD AND SAPPHIRES ● When James IV was killed at Flodden in 1513, English commander Thomas Howard took as trophies two silver pots engraved with the Scottish royal arms. They were listed in an inventory of Framlingham Castle.

Other items sourced from Flodden include James’s silver powder flask, given to Henry VIII

by Thomas, Lord Darcy, while James Stanley, bishop of Ely, gave Henry a hexagonal gold salt cellar decorated with a figure of St Andrew and the Holy Cross worn by James IV at the battle, which had three rubies and two sapphires.

THE TAPESTRY OF THE RABBIT HUNT ● There are no surviving textiles from the Scottish royal collection, but hundreds were detailed in inventories and purchase records. Textiles were used until they wore out and were then discarded, usually unrecorded.

Two inventories log the destruction of a tapestry of a rabbit hunt, however.

Both documents say it was damaged at Linlithgow Palace, one suggesting it was at the baptism of James VI in 1566. The other says it was cut by ‘Andrew Cockburn the fool’ in 1565. Other pieces of the tapestry set were used to make bed curtains.

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS’ JEWELLERY ● Mary Queen of Scots left most of her personal jewellery in Edinburgh Castle when she was forced to abdicate in 1567, including her wedding ring and necklaces, along with matching pieces worn on the coif or headdress.

Four years later, with civil war in Scotland, the captain of the castle, Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange, used the jewellery as collateral for loans, keeping careful records of each transaction.

Many pieces ended up in Berwick under English commander Sir William Drury – but their fate is a mystery, with the return of only one set recorded.

THE LIBRARY OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS ● Mary had a substantial library that reflected her wider interests and learning, including a globe of the Earth and one showing the stars.

She also had at least two astronomy books, including Principles of Astronomy and Cosmography by Gemma Frisius (Paris, 1556) and Discourse on Astronomy

by James Bassendyne (Lyon, 1557).

While probably not absorbed in mathematical calculations, these possessions show Mary’s aspirations to participate in the emerging topics of navigation and astronomy.

ALAMY

MISSING TREASURES Inventories often tell of objects lost to history

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OUT AND ABOUT

A brush with

THE PAST

The artist Leo du Feu blends nature and history in striking artworks as he journeys around Scotland. Here, he remembers five of his most memorable destinations WORDS AND ILLUSTRATIONS: LEO DU FEU

20 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

TOUR NOTES

‘Calanais is a magical site’

Artist Leo du Feu travels from his base in Burntisland to paint historic sites

Blackness Castle This 15th-century fortress has the appearance of a ship

Caerlaverock Castle A medieval stronghold with a twin-towered gatehouse

CALANAIS STANDING STONES

Neolithic monument ome years ago, I was invited to run a painting workshop for the Lewis Art Club. Their generous hospitality included driving me all around the island, showing pristine beaches, cliffs sharply sculpted by pounding Atlantic waves, vast expanses of moorland and the Calanais Standing Stones.

Calanais is a magical site.

It feels – and is – ancient, a cross-shaped setting of stones laid out 5,000 years ago, before the building of the pyramids. The central stone, an imposing 4.8m monolith, is the tallest.

I was here on a changeable day. There had been bright sun earlier, but now the sky was heavy and grey.

Raindrops fell as I made a first quick sketch and snow was falling as I made a

SHUTTERSTOCK

S

second. The fluting song of the curlew rang across the landscape and the only other person among the stones was a photographer.

I had just three days on Lewis, so limited myself to pencil sketches and an awful lot of photos. Various paintings have come from these sketches, particularly of Calanais stones and of a sandy bay north of Tolsta village where I sheltered in a sea cave and watched a storm blow in.

Calanais Standing Stones A cross-shaped setting of stones erected around 5,000 years ago

Huntly Castle A noble ruin that features a heraldic frontispiece added around 1602

FACT

Erected between 2900 and 2600 BC, the Calanais stones pre-date the main circle at Stonehenge in England. It is thought ritual activity continued here for 2,000 years.

OPENING TIMES

Open all year round.

Mousa Broch Scotland’s bestpreserved broch, built in around 300 BC

OUT AND ABOUT

BLACKNESS CASTLE

I

22 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

Blackness Castle is for me one of the most impressive, jutting ship-like into the River Forth, waves lapping its prow when the tide is high. The castle battlements and pier are great places for watching wildlife, and there is plenty of it – my all-time bird list for the area totals nearly 50 species. The foreshore and mudflats east of the castle are part of the River Forth Site of

Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Waders and seabirds are here, along with lots of other species in the woodland running east to Hopetoun House, and the farmland and woodland that run west to Bo’ness. Good paths lead in both directions.

I’ve enjoyed painting colourful shelducks here, and watching young swallows testing their wings. Some

sketches need updated as the view east now incorporates a third Forth Bridge.

FACT

Once a royal stronghold, the 15th-century Blackness Castle later served as a garrison fortress and state prison.

OPENING TIMES

Until 31 March: daily except Thu and Fri, 10am–4pm.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Formidable 15th-century fortress t is important to acknowledge your home territory. I grew up and until three years ago lived in Linlithgow, on the main commuter railway line between Edinburgh and Glasgow. A short downhill cycle from Linlithgow is Blackness and Blackness Castle. The shore and castle became a frequent birding and sketching spot for me.

‘Giant lettering carved into the walls proclaims the 1st Marquis of Huntly’s ownership’

HUNTLY CASTLE

Noble palace with a French influence untly Castle is a Castle Bridge, footpaths run pleasant 20-minute up and downstream along walk from Huntly the Deveron. I walked railway station on the downstream and found a Aberdeen-Inverness line. place to stop and paint. A I first crossed a bridge over female goosander, with a the River Bogie – two dippers beautiful, chestnut head, was were down on the edges, one on the water. A heron grappling a little silver fish, croaked loudly and I saw the the other calling from the flash of a kingfisher. Four jays opposite bank. On the main came close and a flock of street, I discovered tourist siskins flew into trees nearby. information, a great charity Overhead snaked a straggling shop and a bakery with one ‘v’ of geese. of the best apple slices I’ve FACT ever tasted.

The 4th Earl, George, extensively Walking out the north end remodelled the castle during the of The Square, I passed 1550s in time for a visit by Mary through a grand gatehouse of Guise. The mother of Mary then down an avenue of tall Queen of Scots was later advised trees, lantern-lined, before to clip the wings of the earl, confronting the castle. Giant known as ‘Cock o’ the North’ for red lettering, proudly carved into the walls, proclaimed the his displays of power and wealth.

1st Marquis of Huntly’s OPENING TIMES ownership to all who came Until 31 March: daily except Thu near. The inscription frieze and Fri, 10am–4pm. was added around 1602, along with double-height bay windows, a round tower, a rectangular turret and an intricate heraldic frontispiece that rises above you once you get inside.

The first castle was built on this site around 1190 to guard an important crossing at the meeting point of the rivers The impressive south front Bogie and Deveron. Over

H

‘The battlements and pier are great places to watch wildlife’

Blackness Castle is described as looking like ‘a ship that never sailed’

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 23

OUT AND ABOUT

‘I painted the castle in watercolour as dusk came down’

CAERLAVEROCK CASTLE

M

24 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

began to hear tawny owls calling in the woods.

Caerlaverock is within a National Nature Reserve, home to many important species of plants and animals, including 10 per cent of the population of the natterjack toad, Britain’s rarest amphibian. Two miles away is Caerlaverock Wetland Centre.

FACT

The last siege of Caerlaverock was in 1640. It was sparked by Lord Robert Maxwell’s loyalty to Charles I during his struggles with the Covenanters.

OPENING TIMES

Until 31 March: Mon–Sun, 10am–4pm.

LEO DU FEU Edinburgh-born du Feu is an artist and art tutor. Visit www.leodufeu.co.uk

SHUTTERSTOCK

Unique triangular stronghold y walk to Caerlaverock Castle from Glencaple village was three miles along a country road, the rest by footpath through reedy marshland. I stopped to make an ink drawing of an avenue of tall beeches lending a natural frame to a cosy, whitewashed farmhouse.

On the edge of lichenfestooned woodland and surrounded by a full moat is red sandstone, triangular, extremely defensible Caerlaverock Castle.

Inside is the impressive frontage of the Nithsdale Lodging, built and ornately carved in the 1630s. Inside the castle visitor centre is a tearoom to warm up in – as long as you haven’t stayed outside sketching until after closing time.

I painted the castle in watercolour as dusk came down. Crows, rooks and jackdaws were arriving to spend the night in the treetops, their caws growing and growing in volume until almost drowning the distant clamour of the barnacle geese that congregate to roost in their thousands on Caerlaverock fields. As corvids and geese eventually settled, I

AUTHOR PROFILE

Caerlaverock Castle is a medieval fortress with a wide moat, twin-towered gatehouse and imposing battlements

MOUSA BROCH

Iron-age roundhouse rom Sandwick village on mainland Shetland, a little boat takes you across to Mousa island, home to Scotland’s most complete Iron Age broch. It is an incredible structure: a conical tower, thought to be around 2,300 years old, built as a defensive position, or a status symbol… or just to keep out fierce Shetland winds. A narrow stair curls upwards between the doublelayer of outer and inner walls, emerging 13m up to look over land and sea.

Seabirds are with you from start to finish, especially in spring and summer. Waiting in Sandwick, I watched a shag standing sentinel, Mousa beyond, fortress clouds billowing. Crossing the water

F

black guillemots swam near.

Arriving on the island, an eider mother and her mate bobbed the choppy waves with five brown fluffball chicks.

On the island, a pair of Arctic skuas stood alert, watching me as I watched them, brown-black masks, white necks, white-brown bodies, grey-brown wings.

Fulmars were everywhere, floating in the air, perching on cliffy edges, and three sitting in a tight circle on lush grass, their cackling calls like Macbeth’s witches. Our smallest seabird, the storm petrel – not much larger than a sparrow – breeds in the walls of Mousa Broch.

They emerge only at night, so most visitors never know they are there.

FACT

A broch is an Iron Age roundhouse unique to Scotland. Mousa is the best preserved of around 500 surviving examples, partly due to its thick walls.

‘Seabirds are with you from start to finish, especially in spring and summer’

OPENING TIMES

Open all year round.

Iciam dium ducon inatium quis Ex ex es cusdaecta qui culparum sequiae

Mousa Broch stands 13m tall and features a winding staircase HISTORIC!SCOTLAND.GOV.UK 25

HISTORY

DARK DEEDS !AND HORRIBLE HISTORIES" Behind three of the nation’s most significant sites are tales of bloody power struggles, as historian Nicki Scott reveals

St Magnus Church stands where the Earl of Orkney is thought to have died 26 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

HISTORY

A skull believed to belong to the murdered St Magnus

MURDER AND MARTYRDOM The slaying of Magnus, Earl of Orkney

O

n the small Orkney island of Egilsay stands St Magnus Church. It is said to mark the spot where Magnus, Earl of Orkney, was murdered by his rival and cousin, Earl Haakon. Magnus’s murder soon came to be regarded as martyrdom and sowed the seeds of his sainthood.

The two earls had ruled Orkney jointly for more than a decade, seemingly a period of peace in the islands. Why their relationship deteriorated is unknown, but power struggles were common in the region. A meeting between the cousins was arranged on Egilsay, supposedly to resolve their differences.

It took place at Easter, around 1116.

Our source for this story is the Orkneyinga Saga, a Norse chronicle of the islands, written several centuries later. According to the saga, the two earls agreed to bring only two ships to the meeting. Magnus arrived first, with the agreed number of followers.

When he saw Haakon approaching

with eight warships, he knew he had been betrayed. Magnus attempted to hide, but he was captured and brought before the local chiefs. To spare his cousin’s immortal soul from the sin of murder, Magnus offered to be exiled, or mutilated and imprisoned, rather than killed.

However, the local chiefs insisted one of the earls die, so Haakon ordered Magnus’s execution. The deed was done

by Lifolf, Haakon’s cook, who struck Magnus on the head with an axe. Before his death, Magnus forgave Lifolf. This, together with his concern for Haakon’s soul, were seen as evidence of his piety.

We must bear in mind that the saga St Magnus Cathedral

was written with an agenda: to reinforce Magnus’s sainthood and bestow authority on his descendants. A key figure here is Magnus’s nephew, Rognvald, Earl of Orkney, who promoted his uncle’s sainthood and commissioned St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall, at least partly with a view to bolstering his own standing.

Rognvald enlisted the support of a former crusading comrade, William, Bishop of Orkney. William was sceptical at first, it seems, but ultimately insisted he had been cured of blindness by the healing power of St Magnus. The splendid palace built for him next to the cathedral in Kirkwall might have helped to persuade him.

Magnus’s relics were later transferred from St Magnus Church to the cathedral.

In 1919, a skeleton with a damaged skull was found in a hollow of a column of St Magnus Cathedral. There is some debate over its identity, but many people believe it belongs to the saint.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 27

HISTORY

Argyll met his death at Edinburgh Castle The Last Sleep of Argyll shows Archibald Campbell slumbering hours before his execution on the maiden

TORTURE AND TORMENT

The dastardly methods used to force a confession

A

mong the most frequently asked questions at Historic Scotland properties is ‘Where’s the dungeon?’ The image of dark, dank prison chambers – ideally filled with instruments of torture – fires the public imagination, and many of our monuments do have gruesome tales of suffering attached to them.

In 1684, William Spence, secretary to Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, was held prisoner at Edinburgh Castle.

Argyll was said to be plotting against King Charles II, and Spence was believed to know secret codes.

Several methods of torture were used against him. Sleep deprivation was employed to make him delirious.

Reports differ on how he was kept awake: one account says a hair shirt and pricking were used. Another notes that soldiers were “to watch him by turns,

28 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

and not suffer him to sleep night nor day” for as long as nine days.

More painful methods included the use of ‘the boot’. This was a frame attached to the leg, into which wedges were driven, inflicting crushing injuries. It was described as “the most severe and cruel pain in the world”.

Meanwhile, the Earl of Argyll was living in exile in the Netherlands. He had been sentenced to death for his failure to fully support the Test Act –introduced to exclude both Catholics and some Presbyterians dissenters from public office – but had fled before the sentence could be carried out.

Argyll’s predicament prompted him to commission two inventories of his Stirling residence, Argyll’s Lodging.

These documents provide a wealth of detail about the contents of the house.

They enabled Argyll to give all his property to his wife, Lady Anna, a shrewd move, for in 1685 he was captured in open rebellion against the king and executed.

At that time torture was accepted as a valid method of investigation in certain treason cases. In Spence’s case, it worked: he gave up the information, allowing his tormentors to gain the crucial evidence they needed.

However, there was an appreciation that confessions offered under torture were unsafe. In 1597, an entry in the Records of the Parliament of Scotland states that “a confession extorted works and proves nothing against the confessor, much less against another person”. Yet this attitude was at odds with the cruelty associated with the justice system of the time.

HISTORY

METHODS OF PUNISHMENT

Corgarff Castle was the scene of a fire captured in traditional song

A trio of torture instruments

BALLAD OF AN ATROCITY

The torching of Corgarff Castle immortalised in song

P

olitical rivalries were often the root cause of cruelty and murder – not least during the Marian Civil War of the 1570s.

In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate, launching a power struggle between her supporters and those of her infant son, James VI. While major pitched battles were not a feature of the period, the breakdown in national government allowed local rivalries to thrive. And those with power in remote regions were left virtually unchecked.

For instance, Gilbert, 4th Earl of Cassilis ‘roasted’ the head of Crossraguel Abbey in order to extort lands from him.

Edom o’Gordon, or Adam Gordon of Auchindoun

One of the best-known atrocities of the period is recorded in the contemporary Diurnal of Remarkable Occurrents and is thought to be the inspiration for the traditional ballad Edom o’Gordon. It has become associated with Corgarff Castle in Aberdeenshire. In November 1571, a group of Gordons, supporters of Queen Mary, advanced on the castle, attempting to seize it from the Forbeses, supporters of James.

The ballad describes the lady of the castle standing on top of the tower, attempting to bargain for the safety of the castle and its inhabitants. It describes her firing two shots from her pistol to deter the attackers, but she was only able to graze the knee of Edom o’Gordon – usually identified as Adam Gordon of Auchindoun. In retaliation, Gordon bribed one of the castle servants to set a fire. Trapped inside, the lady attempted to save her youngest daughter by throwing her over the castle wall wrapped in sheets. But “on the point o’ Gordon’s spear/She gat a deadly fa”. The rest of the castle’s occupants were killed in the fire, their lord arriving too late to save them.

A grim fate indeed, if the tale is to be believed. Yet as our site staff will confirm, stories like this seem to prompt more questions from our visitors than perhaps any other matter.

THE MAIDEN 1564–1710 Scots sentenced to beheading after 1564 could expect to be dispatched swiftly by ‘the maiden’. For crimes such as murder, theft and forgery, criminals might be brought to Edinburgh, where their heads were parted from their shoulders by this machine, which can be seen in the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

One of its victims was James Douglas, 4th Earl of Morton, who, ironically, is thought to be the person who brought the idea of a beheading machine to Scotland.

THUMBSCREWS c1684–1700s With this instrument of torture, the victim’s thumbs were placed in a vice that was slowly tightened, crushing the bone and causing considerable pain.

These appear to have been newly imported to Scotland in around 1684, although a similar device known as the ‘pilliwinks’ had been in use for at least 90 years.

The latter was certainly referred to during the torture of suspected witches in the 1590s.

THE BRANKS 1559–c1722 This metal contraption, sometimes called ‘the scold’s bridle’, was fastened around the head with a projection entering the mouth to suppress the tongue. It was used almost exclusively on women as a means of humiliating them for crimes typically involving some type of verbal abuse.

The wearer usually had to appear in public. In 1664, Janet McGrouther of Stirling had to walk from Mar’s Wark to the burgh gate while wearing the branks.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 29

BEHIND THE SCENES

MY DAY AS A

PAINTING CONSERVATOR The delicate work of Damiana Magris and Ailsa Murray fuses art and science. Ida Maspero joins the pair at the conservation centre

T

PHOTOGRAPHS: KIERAN DODDS

he low warehouse is unassuming from the outside, but step in through its small entrance hall and you’re in another world.

I’m welcomed to the Historic Environment Scotland (HES) conservation centre in Edinburgh by Damiana and Ailsa – the first a tall Italian and the second a bright-eyed native of the Fair Isle. Greeting me warmly, they lead me through a maze of stone sculptures, artefacts and tools to their large workshop at the back of the building.

It’s a cross between an art studio and a laboratory – mounted on the walls are bookshelves, a cabinet housing antique jars of colour pigment and a medieval

30 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

painted timber beam, but also high-tech equipment, lights and extractors. Paintings and frames are propped up on tables or easels while microscopes, chemical testing kits and solvent bottles line the counters.

At the centre of the room is a landscape, View of the Clyde and Dumbarton Rock, and on the table behind lies its gilt frame.

Made in the 1850s by a follower of renowned landscape painter Horatio McCulloch, it’s a snapshot of mid-19thcentury life on the Clyde in the Romantic style – beyond a bucolic foreground is the rock with its castle, the famous Dumbarton Glassworks and even a paddle steamer.

The painting usually hangs in the Governor’s House at Dumbarton Castle, which is currently being refurbished,

MENTOR DAMIANA MAGRIS carefully preserves ageing masterpieces

PROTÉGÉ IDA MASPERO learns delicate cotton bud techniques

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 31

BEHIND THE SCENES

PRETTY AS A PICTURE

Painting conservators Damiana and Ailsa share some favourite past projects

VIEW OF LEITH WITH GALLEON, CIRCA 1710, TRINITY HOUSE Damiana says: “It’s particularly interesting because the preliminary investigation – UV fluorescence illumination and IR reflectograms, in particular – have played a fundamental part in deciding whether to keep or remove the old overpaint.”

Ida works on Dumbarton Rock with dainty strokes, using a non-invasive method that can be reversed easily

STIRLING HEADS, ROYAL PALACE, STIRLING CASTLE Conservation on the enormous 16th-century carved oak medallions that once graced the palace ceilings included stabilising the delaminating timber and removing the ingrained dust. Replicas feature in the King’s Inner Hall, with the originals exhibited in a dedicated gallery.

JAMES VI BIRTHING ROOM, EDINBURGH CASTLE In 2013, the team spent four weeks on site investigating and conserving the decorated timber wall panels and ceiling.

This included extensive analysis to shed light on the artist’s technique, and work to stabilise the flaking paint.

32 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

explains Ailsa. “All its paintings are in storage, so we’re taking the opportunity to check their condition and do any necessary conservation work. This is often the case when a property with a painting collection is undergoing work – it’s a chance for us to examine and conserve the paintings.”

She explains the process. “We’ll usually start with a full technical examination which includes ultraviolet (UV) light, infrared and microscopy techniques. In this painting, it revealed that tears had been patched, filled and large areas overpainted during a previous restoration in the 1980s.

“After the investigation, I cleaned it and removed the discoloured varnish as well as some of the non-original overpainting.

It’s nearly done now; I’m just busy in-painting patches here and there. So this is relatively light-touch restoration.”

As with all restorations, Ailsa has been documenting and photographing every stage of the process. “We document all our work as we go – before, during and after treatment. There’s a file for every project with its full conservation history.”

Meanwhile, Damiana leans over a large canvas laid flat on a table – Captain

Rolling one’s own cotton bud is not as simple as it sounds Archibald Ritchie, Master Member of Trinity House by Thomas Ritchie. Dated 1865, it’s one of the many portraits of eminent sea captains commissioned for the stately Convening Room at Trinity House of Leith.

The captain’s stern, jaundice-yellow face stares back from the dark background; in contrast his hands are a healthy flesh-pink.

“This painting is halfway through conservation – most of it has been cleaned and the discoloured varnish removed,” explains Damiana. “You can really see the difference in the skin colour on the hands, which we’ve cleaned, and the face, which still needs cleaning. The yellowing is due to surface grime – especially smoke deposits from the fireplace, pipes and cigars – and the natural oxidation of the varnish.”

In the past, overzealous restoration often did paintings no favours, sometimes even damaging them. “Now we take a less

BEHIND THE SCENES

Clockwise from top: Ailsa and Ida prepare to touch up an artwork with dry pigment, dammar resin and solvent; inside the samples drawer

interventionist approach. We don’t always remove the varnish – only if it’s cracked or heavily oxidised, as in this case.”

Ailsa and Damiana are working their way through the Trinity House painting collection on a rolling basis. The enormous centrepiece of the Convening Room, Vasco da Gama Encountering the Spirit of the Storm by David Scott, is far too big to be transported to the workshop, so restoration will take place in situ.

The duo’s remit covers a mix of on-site and workshop-based activities and a broad range of skills. Apart from easel painting, they investigate, conserve and restore structural paintwork – such as timber beams and ceilings, and decorated wall plaster. Much of this takes place on site and is usually planned around a larger restoration project.

Turning our attention back to the captain, it’s time for me to roll up my sleeves and get stuck into some grimebusting work to his face. Damiana demonstrates the first stage of cleaning. To begin with, there’s the challenge of rolling one’s own cotton bud – not as simple as it sounds. I watch Damiana deftly craft the

Ida and Damiana clean Captain Ritchie’s discoloured face with cotton buds HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 33

BEHIND THE SCENES

Left: Ida and Damiana work on the captain. Below: Ida looks at samples of paint taken from artworks

perfect bud while I fiddle around. “I’ve made a few in my life,” she laughs.

After a couple of attempts, I have a passable bud ready to be dipped into the water-based cleaning solution. Taking Damiana’s lead, I gently roll it over the surface in small circular movements. The greasy grime comes off easily and soon the bud is black – I remove it and roll another.

We work in small squares, rinsing with buds dipped in distilled water to remove any residue of the cleaning process. The rhythmic motion is intensely therapeutic, and with Ailsa quietly working on the other side of the room, a tranquil stillness descends.

Standing back, the difference before and after is stark. “When you look at a painting before it’s been cleaned you might think it doesn’t need it, but once a bit is done you really see the difference,” Damiana says.

The next stage is the removal of the discoloured varnish with a solvent.

A test of solubility is usually carried out to determine which solvent would be effective without disturbing the paint layer beneath. Damiana explains, though, that this one has been more complicated.

“The analysis showed that the composition of the varnish is very similar to the binder used in the oil paint itself. So we needed to set up a system that could remove the varnish without damaging the paint. I asked for help from CSGI, a department of chemistry at the University of Florence.

They made up a nanoparticle hydrogel especially for this painting. The use of nanotechnology in art restoration is new and exciting. In future it will hopefully lead to approaches that are less invasive.”

Listening to Damiana, it’s clear the duo’s work is a fascinating combination of art 34 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

The ethics dictate that we do an honest repair ... and that it’s reversible and science, applying the latest innovations in chemistry to the conservation of sometimes centuries-old art.

After helping to wash the captain’s face, I join Ailsa in doing a little touch-up work to Dumbarton Rock. On a high stool by the easel is her palette, a cluster of fine brushes, small pots of dry pigment in vibrant, jewel-like colours – ultramarine, ochre, malachite, vermilion – and the dammar resin medium, also in a small pot.

She coaches me gently: “First, tap out a pinch of pigment on to the palette, then dip your brush into the dammar resin and add a bit of solvent.” I choose to mix a bit of dove blue for the sky, then follow her lead, applying tiny, delicate hatching strokes.

“Using large strokes of one tone would make it appear flat, so try to vary the tone by adding touches of pigment as you go.”

The idea behind this particular approach to in-painting, Ailsa explains, “is to make it distinguishable from three inches away, but not from three feet away. The ethics dictate that we do an honest repair, as it’s called, and that it’s reversible. If I was to shine a UV light on this painting, every touch-up I’ve done would be obvious and can be removed with turpentine.”

Much of the duo’s work is investigation and condition surveying of decorated plasterwork and other structural painting at HES properties. Damiana shows me a drawer containing boxes of beautiful, bead-like resin blocks.

“These are cross-section samples of paint layers, made by taking tiny nicks from walls with a scalpel and encasing them in resin. They’re used for crosssection analysis under the microscope.

We can also grind down tiny shavings in a form of destructive analysis to help to determine the age of the painting, and do simple chemical tests to get an idea of the paint composition.”

We look at samples taken from the plastered walls of the Guard House and Governor’s House at Dumbarton Castle, where their recent investigations revealed original decorations beneath several layers of plain emulsion.

“It’s always really exciting to find an original painting scheme,” Ailsa enthuses. “It’s what makes the on-site work fun – watching something hidden come to life again.” The hope is that these findings will be incorporated into next year’s restoration, so that visitors can get a glimpse of the original wall decoration.

Far too soon, the afternoon is over and it’s time to say goodbye to my patient tutors, the romantic Dumbarton Rock and the surly-looking captain. Just two weeks later, I visit Trinity House of Leith during Doors Open Weekend and seek out the enormous Vasco da Gama painting.

Although it dominates the Convening Room, I find it so dark that the details of the scene are hard to distinguish. But dotted around the canvas are test patches of cleaning that reveal marvellous glowing colours beneath the grime. Watching my fellow visitors point at the patches I smile, knowing the two conservators will soon come along and work their magic with spectacular results.

Traditional Values Contemporary Prices

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YEARS TRACKS OF MY

Discover a trio of stunning Scottish railway landmarks – and the lives they have shaped WORDS: JONATHAN MCINTOSH AND ELIZABETH MCCRONE PORTRAITS: ANGELA CATLIN

IN D U S T R I A L H E R I TA G E

FORTH BRIDGE

Ken MacLeod, science fiction writer

SHUTTERSTOCK

I

first visited the Forth Bridge as a child back in the 1960s.

During 1990, I was working in Edinburgh and was looking for a house for my family and me in our move from London.

After catching a glimpse of the Forth Bridge from the top of a bus as it descended the Loan into South Queensferry, I knew this was where we would end up.

Shortly after we moved to the area, it was the centenary anniversary celebrations of the bridge. My wife, our young

The Forth Bridge linked Ken MacLeod to Iain Banks

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IN D U S T R I A L H E R I TA G E

children and I went up to watch from a field just above where we lived.

I used to say to them the bridge was like a diagram of an artificial mountain range.

During the years I’ve lived in South Queensferry, I’ve been impressed by the bridge and featured it in my novels The Star Fraction and The Stone Canal. The backdrop to my life over the past few decades, it holds memories of my family growing up and my friendship with Iain Banks, who I had known since high-school days in Greenock.

Having spent his childhood in North Queensferry, the Forth Bridge had a huge impact on Iain’s imagination and featured prominently in his 1986 novel The Bridge. When Iain eventually moved back to North Queensferry, it was rather coincidental that we ended

CROWN COPYRIGHT, NATIONAL RECORDS OF SCOTLAND; SHUTTERSTOCK

Iain Banks and I would often go over the Forth Bridge to meet each other for a drink

up in South Queensferry. He and I would often go over the Forth Bridge to meet each other for a drink, either in the Ferry Tap in the south or the Albert in the north.

It’s an enormous presence. When I go for a walk on the long piers at the slipways nearby, you get amazing views of this massive piece of Victorian iron engineering filling the landscape and witness firsthand the logic of the cantilever structure.

I’ve watched the bridge evolve and be restored over the years. I remember when it used to be illuminated every night until midnight. On one funny occasion when my wife and I were walking back from a restaurant in South Queensferry, we glanced over at the bridge and were momentarily startled to see it vanish as the lights were turned off.

The bridge remains an iconic creation. It’s a robust token of Scotland’s industrial heritage.

Ken MacLeod is among 58 Scottish writers who were photographed by Angela Catlin for Natural Light II, published by Freight Books

Forth Bridge rivetters at work, 1888

THE HISTORY UNESCO World Heritage Site As recognisable as the Eiffel Tower, the Forth Bridge was one of Scotland’s most ambitious achievements of the 19th century. Stretching across the River Forth, it opened in 1890 and was the longest cantilever bridge span – and the first major steel structure in the world.

Its distinctive design and paint colour, Forth Bridge Red, make it a cultural landmark. It is listed at category A and in 2015 was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. A major rail crossing, the bridge still carries more than 200 trains a day.

The Forth Bridge is a cultural landmark with its distinctive colour and design

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IN D U S T R I A L H E R I TA G E

Jennifer Mearns feels privileged to work at Waverley station The flagship Waverley station in Edinburgh

WAVERLEY STATION

Jennifer Mearns, station manager

M

SHUTTERSTOCK; CANMORE

y first train journey was 25 years ago, when I was 17.

I was a travel agent and had the opportunity to travel first class from Edinburgh to York.

I now commute by train to Waverley, where I am station manager for Virgin Trains East Coast. I am privileged because a lot of people coming through

The ticket hall with elaborate ceiling and mosaic flooring

the station are only here for a short time, but I have the opportunity to take in some of the stunning parts of the building. My favourite area is the ticket hall – its roof is beautiful.

One of the great things about train travel is the beautiful stations from which our customers arrive and depart.

Getting off the train at Waverley, in the heart of a beautiful city, is one of the best ways to arrive in Scotland.

Waverley sees millions of visitors from all over the world. In one week during August 2016, more than three quarters of a million people passed through the station.

Before becoming station manager, I was airside manager at Edinburgh Airport. The roles are quite similar: providing strategic direction to a team, developing our business plan and making sure we deliver our vision.

My favourite part of Waverley is the ticket hall. Its roof is beautiful

THE HISTORY Category A-listed station Named after a series of novels, the Edinburgh station was first affectionately known as Waverley from around 1854, although not officially until 1866.

When it was rebuilt in the 1890s, it was the largest station in Britain until the new Waterloo station in London opened in 1921.

Waverley was the flagship of the North British Railway, which had a network of 1,389 miles of track at its peak, and was the northernmost link in a chain of railways connecting London to Edinburgh via York and Newcastle. Waverley is now owned and managed by Network Rail.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 41

IN D U S T R I A L H E R I TA G E

WEMYSS BAY STATION Nancy Cameron, honorary president, Friends of Wemyss Bay Station

P

Wemyss Bay station in 1935 and, inset, 1920s holidaymakers in search of adventure

Nancy Cameron in the sweeping corridor to the pier

REMEMBER THIS?

High times in the Highlands

The waiting room and signal box at Corrour station are listed at category C in recognition of their local interest. Famous for its role in Danny Boyle’s 1996 film of the Irvine Welsh novel Trainspotting, it is the remotest operational train station in the UK – and the highest, at more than 1,300ft above sea level.

42 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

THE HISTORY Category A-listed station The A-listed Wemyss Bay station conjures up images of a golden age of Edwardian travel. You could alight from Glasgow and walk beneath the glass and steel canopy to the purpose-built steamboat pier, where the steamer would take you across the water to the popular holiday destination of the Isle of Bute.

The design of the station, built in 1903, is distinctive, with its Italianate clock tower and beautiful curving glass canopies, as well as the circular booking office. It was designed by the innovative, Perthshire-born architect James Miller.

Corrour, and Trainspotting stars Kevin McKidd (left) and Ewan McGregor

CANMORE; MCLEAN MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY; REX FEATURES

eople regard Wemyss Bay station with affection because it was the gateway to their holiday adventures along the Clyde to Rothesay, Millport and beyond.

When the station opened in 1903, it was considered the finest architectural railway pier in Britain. However, in 2008, it was a sad-looking place that suffered extensive leaks. I helped establish the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station support group in 2009. Soon after, we repurposed the former firstclass waiting rooms into a secondhand bookshop and gallery.

Following a £10m restoration of Wemyss Bay station and pier, the rail hub has returned to its former glory.

From its elegant glass panelling to the traditional flower displays that have been a feature throughout its history, it is a station with a wow factor.

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Besides food from Scottish suppliers, there are classic and contemporary decorations, as well as a range of gifts and textiles for the whole family.

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with deep reds, opulent gold and tartan; and Frosty Loch, with pale blues, snowflakes and ice white.

You can even create some Christmas fun with our selfie area in Santa’s workshop.

Visit stirlingcastle.gov.uk/ festive HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 47

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48 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

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e listed stations Trainspotting at thre HISTORIC SCOTLAND

33

EXCITING EVENTS INSIDE

WINTER 2016

ME M B E

THE MAGAZINE FOR HISTORIC

SCOTLAND MEMBERS

WINTER 2016

IN GAZ R MA

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THE Y

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Through the

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How the nobility lived in style at Huntly Castle

Great

DAYS OUT INCLUDING

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Caerlaverock Castle Tantallon Castle Mousa Broch EXECUTED!

EVENTS

KEEP UP TO DATE Pick up your events guide at any of our properties or visit historicenvironment.scot/events DAYTIME EVENTS ARE FREE TO MEMBERS, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

A RANGE OF EXCITING ACTIVITIES ACROSS SCOTLAND

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Get into the spirit of Christmas with festive lunches at Edinburgh and Stirling castles, plus fun-filled activities across the country

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH ALL OUR ACTIVITIES AT HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT/EVENTS

50 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

NOVEMBER!MARCH

Toilets Restaurant/café Picnic area Reasonable wheelchair access Dogs not permitted

Gift shop Parking

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Wed 7–Sun 11, Thu 15–Sat 17, Tue 20–Sat 24 Dec; 12.30–2pm £34 members, £40 nonmembers, £12 child members, £15 child non-members Tuck into a delicious festive meal in the Redcoat Cafe at the capital’s iconic castle. Choose your Christmas favourites and be dazzled by the winter view along Princes Street.

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Thu 15-Sat 24 Dec; 12.30pm arrival for 1pm sitting £28 members, £34 non-members, £14 child members, £17 child nonmembers Celebrate Christmas in the magnificent Green Room at Stirling Castle. Enjoy our classic Christmas menu with all the trimmings while soaking up the atmosphere.

Celebrate Christmas in the atmosphere of a historic property

Go to historicenvironment.scot/ member, log in and click on events to book. For more information, call Edinburgh Castle on 0131 226 9443 and Stirling Castle on 01786 431321, or email functions@hes.scot and stirlingcastle-events@ benugo.com HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 51

Discover the explosive past of Edinburgh’s extinct volcano

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Artefacts on display include the famous Deskford carnyx, an ancient musical instrument, and the Gaulcross hoard, a collection of Pictish jewellery discovered locally.

Join the Ranger Service for a guided tour of our oldest stone circle and explore the links with the nearby Neolithic village of Barnhouse.

Sat 12 Nov; 1-3.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Enjoy a guided walk with a ranger to learn more about the turbulent past of Arthur’s Seat, created by fire and ice.

ANCIENT EDINBURGH HOLYROOD PARK EDUCATION CENTRE

Sat 19 Nov; 1–2.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Discover the facts behind the rich remains of Holyrood Park’s Iron Age settlement and defences.

DECEMBER

WINTER WARMER WALK LINLITHGOW PALACE

Sat 10 Dec; 1–3pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot

RING OF BRODGAR WALK RING OF BRODGAR

Every Thu, Nov-Mar (except 29 Dec); 1pm 01856 841732 orkneyrangers@hes.scot

Join us on a guided walk and learn more about Linlithgow Loch and Peel and local wildlife.

SCHILTRON

Explore the area around the Ring of Brodgar during our guided walk and find out the significance of the Heart of Neolithic Orkney.

TREASURES OF HISTORIC BANFFSHIRE DUFF HOUSE

Coming soon 52 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 31 Dec, Sun 1, Mon 2 Jan; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events Let our rangers be your guide at the Ring of Brodgar

Learn how Scots fought with pikes in schiltrons (hedgehog-like formations) and have a go yourself.

Toilets Restaurant/café Picnic area Reasonable wheelchair access Dogs not permitted

Gift shop Parking

FESTIVE EVENTS

A VERY VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS DUFF HOUSE

Sat 3 Dec; 12–4pm 0131 668 8885 historicenvironment.scot/events Step into the 1800s with the Duke of Fife as he celebrates Christmas in his magnificent home, and discover the origins of some of our festive traditions.

Make merry with the Swinging Santas at Stirling Castle

the stalls of local crafts, fine food and drink.

0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events

MAKING MERRY

CAROLS AT THE CASTLE

STIRLING CASTLE

STIRLING CASTLE

Sun 4 Dec; 12.30–3.30pm 0131 668 8885 stirlingcastle.gov.uk/events

Sun 11 Dec; 7pm £16 adults, £11 concession, 10% members’ discount 01786 450000 Tickets available from historicenvironment.scot/ member

Discover the origins of the Christmas card and learn about some of our fun festive traditions.

Join our crafty elves to have a go at creating everything from decorations and cards to crackers and baubles. And enjoy festive entertainment courtesy of the Swinging Santas.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING FAYRE STIRLING CASTLE

Tue 6 Dec; 6–9pm £6 includes parking 01786 450000 Tickets available from historicenvironment.scot/ member

PIC CREDITS

Join in the spirit of Christmas at our annual fayre in the Great Hall. Stop by and browse

Join us for some festive cheer.

Enjoy a glass of mulled wine as the Stirling contingent of the National Youth Choir of Scotland performs some classic carols and Christmas songs.

TRADITIONS AND TALES OF A VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS EDINBURGH CASTLE

Mon 19–Fri 23 December; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm

A CHRISTMAS CAROL STIRLING CASTLE

Thu 22 & Fri 23 Dec (British Sign Language-interpreted performance); doors open 6.15pm for 7pm start £16 adults, £12 children, £14 concession, £49 family, 10% members’ discount 0131 668 8885 Tickets are available from historicenvironment. scot/member

he finally embraces the festive spirit. A truly magical treat for all the family.

A VERY MARY CHRISTMAS EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 24, Tue 27–Fri 30 Dec; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events Mary Queen of Scots is celebrating the Twelve Days of Christmas with her courtiers.

Join in the fun and see how the Queen celebrates.

Have a regal Christmas at Edinburgh Castle

A fun and exciting adaptation of the classic Dickens tale that captures the magic of Christmas. Join the cast of memorable characters as miserly Ebenezer Scrooge’s frozen heart begins to melt and

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 53

CJ_Historic Scotland_HalfPage_ad_9.9.16_Layout 1 9/12/16 11:35 AM Page 1

SCOTLAND

2017 Tours 14th Annual Outlander Tour®

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

4 Departures: May 14, Sept. 17, Oct. 8 • 7 Nights • $3,595 June 25-July 5 • 10 Nights • $4,595

New Tour! Western & Northern Islands The popular Lords of the Isles and Viking Treasure tours combined! Skye, Lewis, Harris, Orkney, the Northwest and Northeast coasts, and the Highlands.

August 13-27, 2017 • 14 Nights • $5,995

2017 Tours Haunted Scotland

Scotland’s most haunted places! Rosslyn Chapel, Fyvie Castle, Elgin Cathedral, Wardlaw Mausoleum, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns, Eilean Donan Castle, Kilmartin Glen, and private luncheon at Scotland’s most haunted castle, Glamis, in the 16th-century castle keep!

October 29-November 6 • 8 Nights • $3,595

Hogmanay Celebration

Ring in the New Year with a traditional Highland celebration at the award-winning 18th-century Culloden House. A five-star experience!

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

Deluxe escorted tours• 18-guest maximum• E-mail Judy@celticjourneys.us for more information

Call us at 703.941.6455 • www.CelticJourneys.us

The Wee 1 Wee House House Co_HS_Win_16.indd Company_SIT_AUT_16.indd 1

11/10/2016 10:51 16:41 17/08/2016

Toilets Restaurant/café Picnic area Reasonable wheelchair access Dogs not permitted

Gift shop Parking

JANUARY

WINTER WARMER WALK BLACKNESS CASTLE

Sat 14 Jan; 1–2.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Enjoy a guided walk to learn more about Blackness Bay on the shores of the Firth of Forth.

HOT ROCKS HOLYROOD PARK

Sun 29 Jan; 10am–1pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot This is the first in a series of two walks. Join an expert geologist and a ranger on a longer guided walk to discover the fascinating geological history of Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park.

FEBRUARY

BRING ON THE BARD

REVEL WITH RABBIE STIRLING CASTLE

EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sun 22 Jan; 12–4pm 0131 668 8885 stirlingcastle.gov.uk/events

Wed 1–Fri 3 Feb; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events

Celebrate the life and works of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Learn about the Stirling Lines

HONOURS

Hear from one of the men who rediscovered the Honours of Scotland. Learn of the many characters, from Walter Scott to Ebenezer Scroggie, who worked tirelessly to save these important regalia.

Meet Gilbert Savage, an executioner, dressed in black and equipped with the tools of his gruesome trade. Hear him recount the nature of crime and punishment in medieval Scotland.

SCIENCE OF THE SIEGE HOLYROOD PARK EDUCATION CENTRE

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 11–Fri 17 Feb; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburgh.gov.uk/events

Sat 18 Feb; 1–2.30pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot

and how to address a haggis.

Have a dram and a bite of the national dish to honour the bard.

BURNS FOR BEGINNERS EDINBURGH CASTLE

Sat 21–Wed 25 Jan; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm

THE COOLEST WALK ON EARTH HOLYROOD PARK

Sun 26 Feb; 10am–1pm Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Second in a series of two. Join an expert geologist and a ranger to discover how the landscape of Holyrood Park has been shaped and sculpted by ice.

MARCH

JOHN COMYN, PATRIOT EDINBURGH CASTLE

Discover how technology has altered warfare throughout the ages and witness how these changes affected our monuments.

Mon 13–Fri 17 Mar; 11.15am, 12.15pm, 2pm, 3pm 0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events

0131 668 8885 edinburghcastle.gov.uk/events Come along to this lighthearted introduction to one of Scotland’s literary greats and some of his works.

Audience participation is highly encouraged.

Learn how, if history had been different, we might be singing songs of John Comyn, King of Scots. Hear his tales of battle and victory over the English.

WATCH OUT, TOADS ABOUT HOLYROOD PARK

Sat 18, Sat 25 Mar, Sat 1 Apr; 8.30–10am Booking essential 0131 652 8150 rangers@hes.scot Join the park rangers for a walk up the High Road to Dunsapie Loch in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park, collecting any stranded toads the group finds along the way.

HISTORICENVIRONMENT.SCOT 55

GUESS THE YEAR WORK OUT THE MYSTERY YEAR AND WIN

WIN

HOW TO ENTER If you can identify the correct year from the options on the right, visit historic-scotland.gov.uk/ guesstheyear or post your answer with your name, membership number and address to Guess the Year, Historic Scotland magazine, Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh EH9 1SH

by Friday 13 January.

For terms and conditions visit historicenvironment.scot/ member

WINNING PRIZE The winning entrant will receive a hamper from Scottish Hampers (scottishhampers.co.uk) containing a bottle of Bordeaux, Scottish cheese, crackers and flameroasted coffee, among other treats. The competition is open only to members aged 18 or over.

JAMES WATT AND HIS STEAM ENGINE This painting, by Victorian artist James Eckford Lauder, shows James Watt, the Scottish inventor

and mechanical engineer, working in his laboratory to improve the Newcomen steam engine. He found a solution to the engine’s limitations in a condenser, which resulted in a quicker, more fuel-efficient model.

ANSWER THIS QUESTION In which year did James Watt receive his patent for the condenser that helped power the Industrial Revolution? a) 1769 b) 1772 c) 1776

LAST ISSUE’S GUESS THE YEAR Mary Stuart was crowned Queen of Scots in 1543. The winner will be announced in the spring 2017 issue 56 HISTORIC SCOTLAND

ALAMY

WATT WORKED ON HIS INVENTIONS IN AN OUTHOUSE IN THE GROUNDS OF KINNEIL HOUSE ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF BO’NESS FROM 1769 TO 1773

INDEPENDENTLY INDEPENDENTLY INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OWNED AND OWNED AND INDEPENDENTLY INDEPENDENTLY INDEPENDENTLY MINDED. MINDED. MINDED.

AWARD WINNING AWARD WINNING SINGLE MALT SINGLE AWARD WINNING SCOTCHMALT WHISKY SCOTCH WHISKY SINGLE MALT FROM THE ISLE FROM THE ISLE SCOTCH WHISKY OF ARRAN. OF ARRAN. FROM THE ISLE www.arranwhisky.com OF ARRAN. www.arranwhisky.com

UNDER NORWAY’S NORTHERN LIGHTS

Mehamn Kjøllefjord Berlevåg Honningsvåg Båtsfjord Havøysund Vardø Hammerfest Øksfjord Vadsø Kirkenes Skjervøy Tromsø

len rå ste Ve Risøyhamn Finnsnes Sortland Harstad Stokmarknes Svolvær Stamsund

en Lofot Bodø Ørnes

Nesna Sandnessjøen Brønnøysund Rørvik

Trondheim

Kristiansund Molde Ålesund

AY

Torvik

RW

Måløy Florø

66°33'N ARCTIC CIRCLE

Bergen

NO

See the aurora borealis the way it is meant to be seen; far from artificial ambient light and with a front-seat view on the deck of a Hurtigruten ship as she sails into the Arctic Circle along the Norwegian coast.

Oslo

Classic Round Voyage

Norwegian Discovery

12 days | Bergen – Kirkenes – Bergen

12 days | Bergen – Kirkenes – Trondheim – Oslo

Enjoy the Classic Round Voyage and visit up to 34 ports whilst keeping your eyes peeled for the magical Northern Lights.

Enjoy majestic scenery, welcoming towns and friendly, like-minded travellers. There’s also a great range of exciting excursions including snowmobiling and Husky dog sledging.*

FULL BOARD VOYAGE INCLUDING FLIGHTS 12 DAYS FROM

Departures: 30th January 2018 15th & 19th February 2018 2nd & 8th March 2018

£1285pp

Prices include:

© Shutterstcok

and Northern Lights

© Shutterstcok

and Northern Lights © Trym Ivar Bergsmo

© Shutterstock

2018 Early Bird Prices for Historic Scotland readers

The 11-night Norwegian Discovery Voyage combines many highlights of the Classic Round Voyage and includes a 10-night voyage on the ship, the beautiful Dovre Railway journey from Trondheim to Oslo, and one night B&B in the capital city at a 4-star hotel. A fabulous picturesque voyage.

FULL BOARD VOYAGE INCLUDING FLIGHTS & RAIL 12 DAYS FROM

Departures: 29th January 2018 21st February 2018

£1532pp

Return flights and transfers ✓ Onboard Expedition Team enhancing your ✓ experience through a series of lectures and activities ✓ Choice of cabin grade ✓ and cabin number ✓ Full Board ✓ Fully refurbished ships ✓ Free Wi-fi ✓ Complimentary tea & coffee ✓ Offers combinable with 5% Ambassador Discounts ✓

PLUS!

Call for the last remaining availability for 2017 sailings!

Call Northumbria Travel 01670 829922

Visit www.northumbriatravel.com or email us at info@northumbriatravel.com 82 Front Street East, Bedlington, Northumberland NE22 5AB

Classic Round Voyage & Northern Lights: Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin departing 30th January 2018 including full board voyage, return flights from London and transfers. Norwegian Discovery & Northern Lights: Price shown is per person based on two people sharing an inside cabin departing 29th January 2018 including full board voyage, return flights from London and transfers, railway journey and 1 night B&B at a 4-star hotel in Oslo. Regional flights available at a small supplement. *Available to book at extra cost. Hurtigruten’s full terms and conditions apply. All prices and availability correct at time of going to press.