NTS Spring 2022

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Make it a visit to remember

HEARTH AND HOME

Early 20th-century life in Glasgow ART

WAY OUT WEST

Conserving Hebridean culture

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WHERE

WILDLIFE THRIVES

VISIT OUR STUNNING NATIONAL NATURE RESERVES

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Front cover

N AT I O N A L T RU S T F O R SCOT L A N D

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G N I SPR THE MAGAZINE FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE SCOTLAND

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WHO’S ON BOARD...

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MALCOLM JACK The Glasgow-based journalist visited two local Trust places, the Tenement House and Pollok House, for a fascinating insight into life in the city at the start of the 20th century.

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LAURA BROWN Laura interviewed five of our expert staff, inviting them to share their tips on the amazing places where they work. Turn to page 26 to read their recommendations.

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n joining the Trust in 2020, I thought I had a fair idea of the riches our charity is responsible for. Since then, I’ve had the privilege every day of learning so much more about the special places in our care. Every day, too, I’m amazed by the extent and significance of that rich heritage and by the passion and expertise that goes into looking after it. As even more of our places prepare to welcome visitors this spring, this issue of the Trust’s magazine reminds us of just how much there is to explore and find out about across Scotland, from the wilderness of Torridon to the lives of the people who lived in historic homes as different as Glasgow’s Tenement House and Pollok House.

I’m proud that our spring issue begins with an introduction to our new strategy, at the heart of which is our vision of nature, beauty and Thank heritage for everyone. In this, we are firmly renewing the Trust’s commitment to its founding and timeless principles of caring for you Scotland’s special places and working to make these treasures We couldn’t do enjoyable and inspirational for all. More widely, we will speak up everything we do for the protection of the natural environment, without our members. increase our efforts to address climate change, Thank you for your support and speak out against what we believe may be harmful to Scotland’s priceless heritage. We’ll also be practising what we preach, getting on with work to create a wetland ecosystem at Threave Estate, focusing on the importance of the National Nature Reserves under our protection, continuing our work to care for our islands, and making progress on our long-term award-winning project to conserve Mackintosh’s masterpiece the Hill House.

Along with news on all of the above, this issue of our magazine will help you get the best out of Trust places and update you on all that’s happening with Scotland’s heritage.

Thank you for your support in making our care of the Trust’s places possible, and I hope you have a chance to visit soon.

Phil Long OBE

Chief Executive National Trust for Scotland CHRISTOPHER SWAN Photographer Christopher Swan provided atmospheric images from Canna and St Kilda for our feature on the Trust’s work in the Hebrides on pages 16-23.

THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND’S STATEMENT OF NEUTRALITY The National Trust for Scotland is a legally constituted charity independent of government. The Trust was established to further its charitable purposes, which are for the public benefit. The Trust is independent of all political parties and will not participate in any activity which furthers the interests of any political organisation or secures or opposes a change in the law for political purposes. No Trustee or employee of the National Trust for Scotland may in this capacity express political views or offer support for any political party, candidate or politician. The Trust reserves the right to organise and carry out campaigning activity, including bringing influence and pressure to bear on government, ministers, politicians and political parties, or to offer support for specific policies, if this serves its charitable purposes. In such circumstances the Trust will always comply with charity law, civil and criminal laws and codes of conduct as they apply in addition to its fiduciary duties.

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Welcome

FROM E TH UST TR

Contents

SPRING 2022

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16 TREASURED ISLANDS Conserving the past and protecting the future of life in the Hebrides

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52 INSIDE STORY The people and events behind some of the most remarkable rooms in the Trust’s properties

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PERFECT DAYS Get the most from your next visit 62 JACKIE BIRD The host of our Love Scotland podcast on her passion for heritage

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44 LEADING THE WAY Winning the battle for biodiversity at our eight National Nature Reserves

ROB MCDOUGALL, DOUGIE CUNNINGHAM, BOXDOG INC

37 CITY STORIES A glimpse of life in early 20th-century Glasgow

REGULARS 4 AROUND THE COUNTRY News, events and updates from across the Trust 12 SUPPORT IN ACTION How your support as a member funds vital conservation work

15 ENVIRONMENT Restoring land at Threave

Works with Brodick Castle’s summerhouse?

61 YOUR GUIDE Spend Easter with us

67 FUN WITH THE FAMILY Arran adventures

64 COLLECTIONS What links a frog at Robert Smail’s Printing

69 OUT IN THE GARDEN Add colour to your outdoor space

70 SHOP ONLINE Commemorate Culloden with our exclusive gifts, plus eco-living guides 72 I LOVE THIS PLACE How a wonderful wedding gift inspired a passion for Culross SPRING 2022 � 3

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Let’s go!

DAYS OUT WITH THE TRUST

Our member enewsletter has more ideas and inspiration.

Sign up at nts.org.uk/ stay-in-touch

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T RY SO M E T H I N G N E W This year, discover a fresh perspective on our wonderful places

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l Did you know that many Trust places have holiday accommodation, offering self-catering stays in grand houses, castle apartments, countryside bunkhouses and cosy cottages up and down the country? Book a break at Mar Lodge Estate, Culzean, Balmacara and dozens of other places to relax, explore, immerse yourself in the property and perhaps experience life as a laird, even for a short time. nts.org.uk/holidays

Find your flavour

Stay the night

l Indulge in a luxury ice cream at the recently reopened Gladstone’s Land on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. Inspired by more than 400 years of history, the ice cream parlour serves up familiar delights such as raspberry sorbet as well as equally delicious flavours from the past. How about elderflower and lemon curd ice cream?

The recipe is based on one from 1770 and is unique to Gladstone’s Land. nts.org.uk/gladstones-land 4 � SPRING 2022

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Mar Lodge, Cairngorms

nts.org.uk/house-of-dun

Enjoy the journey

Hear our stories

l Swap the car for your bike and enjoy scenic routes to our places, as well as helping the environment. Crathes Castle near Banchory, Culzean Country Park on the Ayrshire coast and Newhailes in Musselburgh are all close to the National Cycle Network. They also have trails to explore within their grounds, including family-friendly routes for all abilities. nts.org.uk/cycle-scotland

l Visit the new floristic meadow at Pitmedden Garden in Aberdeenshire as it bursts into life this spring. Created with consultant garden designer and Chelsea gold medallist Chris Beardshaw, its bulbs, herbaceous perennials and grasses provide a wonderfully biodiverse, modern display.

But the design has also been influenced by history, with colour palettes, shapes and textures inspired by fabrics and furniture contemporary to the founding of the garden, and winding paths referencing the past. nts.org.uk/pitmedden

Step back in time

See a reinvented garden

l Opening this spring at our Glencoe visitor centre is a full-size replica 17th-century turf house. Based on our historical research and archaeological excavations, the house has been meticulously built using traditional methods. Step inside to see, hear, smell and experience a long-gone way of life from the era of the tragic 1692 Massacre of Glencoe. nts.org.uk/glencoe

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Try something new

l Charismatic costumed guides in authentic dress will show you round House of Dun in Montrose. Portraying the lives of three former residents (aristocrat and poet Violet Jacob, cook Isabella Peddie, and William Young, overseer of the estate), our guides bring to life the stories of the great house and those who lived there through the years.

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NATURE, BEAUT Y AND HERITAGE FOR EVERYONE Our big ambitions for the future of the Trust

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s we look forward to welcoming you to our beautiful places this spring, we’re also working hard behind the scenes on vital conservation projects and exciting initiatives to enhance visitors’ experiences.

Work has already started on the Corrieshalloch Gorge Gateway to Nature, improving access to the National Nature Reserve near Ullapool and its spectacular gorge, and providing a more welcoming visitor experience.

Over at Mar Lodge Estate, we’ll be planning two projects, one in peat restoration and another that will see us restore woodland in Glen Geldie, stabilising riverbanks and using nature to shield the habitats of salmon and mussels from a warming climate.

As we highlight on page 16, we are refurbishing Canna House, home to the fascinating collection of Gaelic culture assembled on the Isle of Canna by John Lorne Campbell and Margaret Fay Shaw.

Staffa is one of many stunning islands in the care of the Trust

Also in the Hebrides, we’ll be improving the visitor infrastructure on Staffa and further conserving and protecting this unique and beautiful island.

We have big ambitions for the Trust. So, over the past year we have been talking to our members, partners and colleagues to consider our charity’s future direction as we draw closer to our centenary year in 2031.

Our vision is that through our work we will conserve and provide access to nature, beauty and heritage for everyone.

There are lots of exciting plans, from becoming carbon negative by 2031 to championing Scotland’s heritage at all levels, conserving historic buildings and landscapes and uncovering and telling more of our nation’s fascinating stories.

None of this would be possible without the support of our members and generous donors.

Thank you for being part of the Trust. We look forward to seeing you soon.

‘We’re championing Scotland’s heritage and telling its stories’

Read our vision for the Trust

Nature, beauty and heritage for everyone nts.org.uk/strategy

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Nature, beauty and heritage for everyone

CONSERVATION

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Inside its Box, the Hill House is starting to dry out

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We are delighted that the consortium set up to save the Honresfield Library for the nation has been successful, raising a magnificent £15m, including a major donation from Sir Leonard Blavatnik.

We are so grateful to all those who made a contribution.

The exceptional collection of books and manuscripts will be distributed to various institutions around the UK for conservation and public access.

The library, collected in the 19th century by mill owner William Law, includes works by Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott.

Scottish members of the consortium, including the Trust, the National Library of Scotland and Abbotsford, will take charge of key items such as the First Commonplace Book, an early volume of poems by Robert Burns in his own hand.

ince installing the Hill House’s chainmail Box three years ago, we’ve been monitoring moisture levels at the iconic Helensburgh house designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

The good news is that the Box is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

Technical surveys show that rain is mostly being kept out and the house is drying. But we still have difficult decisions to make as we formulate a plan to conserve the building.

Mackintosh’s decision to omit traditional water-management features in favour of ‘waterproof’ rough-cast render affects the way the

The Box protects Mackintosh’s masterpiece

building is drying, and our teams are having to find solutions to deal with internal moisture.

In the meantime, the Box continues to provide a

fascinating way for visitors to explore the house from new angles – while still doing its job of sheltering this incredible building from the elements.

Read more on the Box nts.org.uk/stories

WE’RE STILL LEARNING Early findings from Facing Our Past As highlighted in previous issues, the Trust has been working on a project called Facing Our Past, to research the legacies of enslavement in Scotland.

We consulted with our members on making this research part of our work, and respondents were overwhelmingly in favour. These stories are as much a part of our heritage as the physical heritage we are entrusted with. We have a duty to explain them, just as we have a duty of care to the collections we look after.

Leith Hall is one of the properties we’ve researched

While our work is only at an interim stage, we now know that many National Trust for Scotland properties have a link to slavery. We will now be looking to integrate our findings with the historical interpretation and further research and address this complex history.

Read about our findings to date nts.org.uk/facing-our-past

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News - Hill House etc

NEWS AND INSPIRATION

News - Victoria Bridge, etc

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The bridge had to be covered during restoration

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Diana Gabaldon

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The NTS Foundation USA will hold its fundraising gala at the Met Club in New York City on 14 April.

To mark Scotland’s Year of Stories, the Foundation’s annual Great Scot Award will be presented to Outlander author Diana Gabaldon. Funds raised will support the Trust’s work to conserve Canna House and its collections. ntsusa.org

MAJESTIC AGAIN We’ve refurbished the historic Victoria Bridge

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y the time you read this, we hope to have completed our painstaking repairs to the Victoria Bridge at Mar Lodge Estate.

The historic category B listed lattice girder bridge, built in 1905 over the River Dee, had to be dismantled piece by piece, cleaned and refurbished before being put back in position.

The biggest challenge was the site of the bridge, over protected landscape, which meant the entire structure had to be covered while work went on to make sure nothing entered the water. When Storm Arwen hit, the covering was badly damaged, setting back progress.

‘There hadn’t been any substantive work done on the bridge since the Trust took ownership of it in 1995, so this is a major refurbishment,’ says David Frew, operations manager at Mar Lodge Estate. ‘All the old paint has been removed from the steel structure and it has been completely repainted. The bridge is well over 100 years old, so a lot of structural repair work had to be done.’

The £900,000 project wouldn’t have been possible without income from an endowment generously donated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. nts.org.uk/mar-lodge

HAVE YOUR SAY Use your voice as a Trustee

Look out for your spring issue of the Lidl Book of Big Adventures on your next visit to our participating places. Perfect for keeping little ones occupied, the booklet includes puzzles inspired by seasonal wildlife as well as colouring, crafts and family-friendly recipes. nts.org.uk/lidl

We need people like you to help us deliver the Trust’s new vision: nature, beauty and heritage for everyone.

With lots of big ambitions, we are looking for Trustees to lead the delivery of that vision as we build and recover from the recent challenges, undertake new projects, and approach our centenary birthday.

This year we are inviting applications from people with experience in the following fields: 1. Broad commercial legal experience 2. Collections management and conservation 3. Commercial management of land, buildings and estates.

We encourage applications from the

whole breadth of our ethnically and culturally diverse membership and from people at all stages of their careers.

The closing date for applications is noon on 20 April. nts.org.uk/elections

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Your support in action

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FIGHTING FOR CULLODEN

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The battle may have ended 275 years ago, but our defence of Culloden goes on. Over recent months, generous donations to the Culloden Fighting Fund have enabled us to challenge inappropriate planning applications and conduct important archaeological research to gain a better understanding of troop positions in the battle. We’ve also bought essential kit for our herd of conservation grazing animals.

FRESHENING UP FALKLAND

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Three 500-year-old statues at Falkland Palace, the country home of the Stuart kings and queens in Fife, have been painstakingly conserved by specialist stone conservators.

They were taken down from the palace façade, cleaned and checked for structural damage, then safely returned to their home.

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IN ACTION

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Our skilled teams work hard all year round to conserve Scotland’s heritage for the benefit of all, funded by our generous supporters. To donate towards this important work, scan the QR code above or visit nts.org.uk/donate KEEPING DRUM WATERTIGHT

The medieval tower at Drum Castle near Banchory requires continual monitoring from our expert surveyors to assess damage to the walls. Despite our close attention, some vulnerable fragments of the lime mortar have come away. We are exploring options to take a bolder approach to managing water while still following our conservation principles. We’re also looking at the impact of climate change and how we respond to that immense challenge.

A MOUNTAINOUS CHALLENGE

Thousands of pairs of hiking boots and ever-changing weather take their toll on our mountain paths but, thanks to donations to our Footpath Fund, specialist Trust staff are able to keep them in good repair. Increased numbers of people on the hills since the start of the pandemic have spurred us on to formulate plans to trial new repair techniques while tackling damage at Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond, Glencoe, Arran, Torridon and Kintail.

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NATURE TAKES ITS COURSE

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The Threave Landscape Restoration Project is already showing exciting results, says Dumfries & Galloway estates manager David Thompson

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he idea behind the Threave Landscape Restoration Project is to let the land at Kelton Mains in Dumfries and Galloway restore itself from an ecologically tired landscape to one of rich biodiversity. We’ve already removed almost 6,000 metres of fencing and that has had an immediate impact. It feels as if the land can breathe more freely.

Belted Galloway cows are grazing here to improve the condition of the soil structure. They are helping to increase the biodiversity, creating a rich grassland – just like the large herbivores that once roamed the landscape. They’re owned by a young couple, so we’re helping to support a local business. Several calves have been born already.

Our work is all about trying to encourage natural processes. We’ve removed two sections of the manmade embankment along the edge of the river to restore the wetland and natural floodplain. Putting in ‘wader scrapes’ will also bring nature closer to our visitors. These are shallow areas that fill with water over winter and dry out naturally in the summer. They’re a brilliant habitat for wading birds and waterfowl.

We’ve put in a network of grass paths that can take you down to the riverside or onto Port Hill and Little Wood Hill. These paths will soon be surrounded by young trees. We’ve planted 200 native aspen with the help of local volunteers and

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‘The Belted Galloway cows will improve the soil structure and help to increase biodiversity ‘

MIKE BOLAM

ABOVE Thistle the calf, owned by our grazing partners the Davidson family LEFT Planting native aspen trees

our partners at HSBC UK. We’ll start planting the wider woodland before long.

I’ve learned loads working on this project with our partners, who also include the Galloway Glens Landscape Partnership and National Lottery Heritage Fund. Together, we’re taking direct action to help the environment and we’re creating a legacy for our children to carry on.

We all inherited our land from our ancestors but some of us have lost any connection to it.

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Our vital work in the Hebrides aims to preserve the islands’ cultural heritage, while respecting residents past, present and future WORDS: IDA MASPERO

IN TIME TARBERT BAY, CANNA Canna is the westernmost of the Small Isles in the Inner Hebrides.

A major project starting this year will see a reimagining of Canna House as well as an initiative with the local community to grow the island’s population with an eye on sustainability.

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rom the machair-clad shores of Iona, famed resting place of Scottish kings and holy men, to the drystone ruins of St Kilda, the Hebridean islands in the care of the National Trust for Scotland echo with thousands of years of human habitation. With a deep understanding of the islands’ past, we are working to preserve their cultural heritage and help ensure that present communities can thrive into the future.

To many city dwellers, the Hebrides may seem far-flung – islands scattered on the wild Atlantic edge. But while our present perception of ‘remoteness’ is shaped by a dependence on road travel, for many thousands of years these islands were much more closely connected by sea. They were hubs of trade and cultural exchange, linked by great sea roads that carried Christianity to Scotland’s shores, allowed the Lords of the Isles to rule, and saw the rise of powerful kingdoms such as Dál Riata which, at its height in the sixth and seventh centuries, covered what is now Argyll and part of County Antrim.

Thank you

We couldn’t care for these precious places without the support of our members and donors

‘For thousands of years these islands were closely connected by sea’

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The seafaring lives of these communities are captured in the songs, stories and folklore collected by the Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell and his wife, musician Margaret Fay Shaw. They bought Canna, one of the Small Isles south of Skye, in 1938. They presented the island to the National Trust for Scotland in 1981, and continued to live there until they died.

Together, over decades, the couple assembled a priceless archive of Scottish Gaelic song, poetry and oral history, including manuscripts, sound recordings, photographs and film, capturing a singular way of life. It is all kept at Canna House, their former home.

A project is now underway to breathe new life into Canna House. ‘The plan is to renovate the house to better preserve these precious archives and collections, and also to open it to the public, so that people can experience the island’s history through the house,’ explains Clea Warner, general manager for the Highlands and Islands.

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BELOW Margaret Fay Shaw and John Lorne Campbell in 1983

Trust and the island community, which aims to bring together the skills and experience of both to ensure Canna’s landscape and people thrive into the future.

‘What makes islands like Canna both unique and special is the people,’ says Clea. ‘We manage the landscape, but it’s their home, and everything we do has to be mindful of that fact.

‘John Lorne Campbell’s legacy was clear: he wanted the Trust to ensure the preservation of the distinctive Hebridean way of life, landscape and culture on Canna. The island’s people are central to that legacy and we could not fulfil our obligations to Campbell without them. The

STUART GUTHRIE, CHRISTOPHER SWAN

SHARING CANNA’S STORIES

WHERE BIRDS FLY St Kilda lost its human population more than 90 years ago, but is still home to thousands of seabirds and today is one of the Trust’s eight important National Nature Reserves.

LEFT Our exciting new project will preserve Canna House and its collections

Partnership agreement provides structure and certainty to the relationship between the community and the Trust. We now have a framework for working together even more closely over the long term, so that the island community can adapt, be sustainable and thrive in a changing world, while still allowing the Trust to deliver its conservation objectives.’

Also as part of the Partnership agreement, the Isle of Canna Community Development Trust plans to build three more houses on the island to help grow the population from 15 to 30 people.

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‘Much of St Kilda would just be a heap of stones if we weren’t doing maintenance and repairs’

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long human history and current community are all interrelated considerations. The unsung heroes in this are our staff on the ground: not just for their hard work and knowledge but for the way they work closely with local people to ensure these places are protected and sustainable.’

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ST KILDA’S DIALECT IN STONE Elsewhere in the Hebrides, ruins speak of distinctive ways of life lost, either during the notorious Clearances of the 18th and 19th centuries, or in the 20th century – often because previously self-sufficient island communities shrank to the point of becoming unviable.

The most evocative example is St Kilda, the archipelago 40 miles west of the Outer Hebrides that is the UK’s only dual UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for both its natural and cultural heritage. Vast seabird colonies populate towering cliffs jutting from the Atlantic; inland hunker the remains of the village and hundreds of small structures called cleits.

Before the last 36 islanders left in 1930, seabirds and their eggs were staple foods for those living here. Along with the likes of fish, mutton, potatoes and grain, they were preserved by air-drying and storage in these cleits – turf-roofed drystone bothies that speak of the islanders’ self-sufficiency over centuries.

ABOVE Houses and cleits on Hirta, the largest of St Kilda’s islands BELOW Families bidding a final farewell to St Kilda in 1930

‘With open stonework designed to allow air through, the cleits are exclusive to these islands,’ explains Susan Bain, Western Isles manager.

‘The amount of drystone work on St Kilda is phenomenal. As well as around 1,400 cleits, most structures were built this way. Drystone work has regional styles, reflecting the local geology and building types. It’s like a language, a dialect in stone, and St Kilda’s is like no other.’

Susan and her colleagues have devoted years to ensuring this stonework is authentically preserved.

‘Over the years, we have photographed every single metre of drystone and have catalogued thousands of photos, along with using high-tech tools like GIS and Lidar surveys (3D scans). All this gives us a snapshot in time, so when we undertake repairs, we know what we’re aiming for. If we get it even subtly wrong when repairing, over time we may lose that dialect – something uniquely St Kildan.’

We recently learned that one of St Kilda’s cleits had collapsed in winter storms. Though sad news, this will give us the chance to learn even more about local construction techniques. ‘It’s never good when a structure sustains damage but the Trust and our talented contractors are very experienced in dealing with these issues,’ adds Susan. ‘Without our work to protect and restore the buildings here, very few would still be standing.’

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more sympathetic building has restored an even greater sense of authenticity to Hirta, the main island. Views from the manse to the village, once lost, have opened up. ‘And you have a much better idea of how the manse and the church sat within the landscape and related to the village – they were quite detached,’ says Susan.

The new building has a smaller footprint and a roof covered with local turf. It might have been built using modern techniques (despite extensive research we do not fully understand the unique way St Kildans built their roofs) but it blends far better into its surroundings.

A BOTHY WITH A STORY

ABOVE Much of the work to restore the bothy has been done by NTS Ben Lawers ranger Andrew Warwick BELOW Cliffs towards the Burg fossil tree

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Remote Burg at the western end of Mull’s Ardmeanach peninsula is accessible only on foot – a visit to its famous 50-million-year-old fossil tree requires a five-mile walk in. While now home to abundant wildlife but just one remaining human resident, it was once a thriving coastal community with a small school, a mill and productive farming.

Emily Wilkins is the Trust’s ranger for Mull, Iona and Staffa (turn to page 44 to read about our work there). She says: ‘There’s a lot that’s special about Burg. It’s a stunning coastal landscape of rugged volcanic cliffs, with some really rare insects and plantlife. But it also has a long cultural history. Two burial cairns indicate it was a place of some importance during the Bronze Age.

‘There are long memories of absentee landowners here – it’s easy for a “them and us” divide to build up’

‘For most of human history, extensive sea traffic connected the isles and places like Burg. Even in the 20th century, Burg’s residents regularly travelled by boat to other parts of the island to take part in gatherings and agricultural shows, and there was a pier where puffer ships docked to deliver supplies.’

Emily’s role as ranger across three islands involves fostering good relationships on the ground with local communities, which she herself is part of. ‘Here on the west coast and islands, there are long memories of absentee landowners – it’s so easy for an “us and them” divide to build up against a landowner,’ she says.

‘Even though the Trust, as a conservation charity, is a very different kind of landowner that’s accountable to its members and acts for the benefit of all of Scotland, it’s still so important to have staff on the ground. I see part of my role as being someone who can translate between different points of view.’

Burg’s most famous resident was Chrissie MacGillivray, who lived there for most of her life until her death in the 1980s – over 50 years after Burg became one of the Trust’s first properties, in 1932. ‘In her later years, she lived alone and was known as an amazing oral historian. She’d serve tea and home-baking to passing walkers, regaling them with stories of the good old days. She was a tremendous ambassador for the Trust.’ (A quirky book, Tea with Chrissie, is available at our shops.)

‘Now, we’re busy restoring the bothy she grew up in – it had two rooms and a box room for a family of nine!’ says Emily. ‘The condition of the building had deteriorated over the years and we wanted to rescue it before it was lost forever.

Once restored, the bothy will provide basic overnight accommodation for visitors, and archive photos will help tell the story of Burg’s former residents, including Chrissie and her family.

‘We still have a strong following of people who remember Chrissie. I wanted to get the bothy – her birthplace – restored before that link with people who remember her is lost.’

Volunteers, both local and from further afield, are helping us restore the bothy. ‘We’re never short of lovely volunteers,’ says Emily. Involving locals at Burg is ‘a way of making those links to the past again and re-engaging them with the rich human history of what is now a largely unpopulated part of Mull.’

Help protect Scotland’s historic buildings by donating to our special appeal. nts.org.uk/protect-our-places

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OUTER HEBRIDES

‘BACK TO MY ROOTS ON MINGULAY’ Jonathan Grant is the Trust’s ranger for Mingulay, Berneray and Pabbay – three spectacular wild islands at the very southern tip of the Outer Hebrides, just below Barra

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life: fish, plentiful seabirds and decent arable was born and brought up in Glasgow, land. But in the early 1900s Barra’s booming but both my parents’ families were fishing industry drew the menfolk away to from Barra. I’d fond memories of a monetary income. The community holidays here and so, at the age of 18, I shrank and became unsustainable. left Glasgow and moved to Barra – The remains of the village around the quite the reverse of what most young bay are now largely engulfed by sand, islanders do! which actually helps to preserve them.

I worked in the building and joinery Much of my remit as ranger is monitoring – trade for most of my life but I was always seabirds and plantlife, but also these buildings keen on the outdoors and local heritage, so I ABOVE and other archaeological sites on the islands. was delighted to take up the ranger role with Trust ranger One of the best things about the job is the Trust in 2010.

Jonathan Grant talking to visitors who’ve come to trace their Little did I know then that I have an ancestral own ancestral links. We have a map of the link to Mingulay, as many Barra people do. A TOP houses and which families lived where, so I local historian discovered that my great-greatThe old school can often take them to the exact home where great-grandmother came from the island – she house is now their ancestor lived. It’s an emotional journey. left in 1824. We were able to work out which used as a base for staff The place is not hugely different to when blackhouse she lived in. With a large family their ancestors left – there are no roofs but the there, it would have been cramped and very dwellings are mostly intact. So, one can smoky. Standing in what remains of her envisage what the island would have looked home gave me a new perspective on what life like when people lived here. here would have been like.

We try to involve local volunteers from Before the last islanders left Barra in the monitoring and Mingulay in 1912, it had been inhabited management of the islands, and for thousands of years, as we know we facilitate visits from local from Iron Age sites, including a Mingulay, Berneray and Pabbay are schools and youth groups.

2,000-year-old fort and a usually reached by boat from Barra.

These little islands mean so midden. For much of history, Regular ferries connect Canna and Mull to much to all of us living here islanders had all they the mainland, with connections to Iona and in the Hebrides. needed for a subsistence Staffa. Find more information about visiting

Visiting

all our Hebridean islands at nts.org.uk

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As well as tracking down Lego at every turn, kids can let off steam at Culzean Castle’s brilliant playparks, Adventure Cove and Wild Woodland.

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We invited staff at some of your favourite Trust places to provide their top tips on the ultimate day out, including historic highlights, the best treats in the cafes and how to keep the kids entertained all day long WORDS: LAURA BROWN

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BATTLE-SCARRED The 716 flintlock pistols in the armoury have all been used in real battles, such as during the Napoleonic Wars and in the American Revolutionary War.

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CULZEAN CASTLE

& COUNTRY PARK nts.org.uk/culzean

s Culzean’s head guide, collections care officer and a former ranger of the vast country park, Gordon Nelson knows this breathtaking place inside out. And if you’ve ever wondered if the castle and its grounds have enough to keep children occupied, fear not, because Gordon also has a very important unofficial job title: head of Lego!

Dotted around the South Ayrshire castle’s grand rooms are a collection of specially made Lego figures that represent key characters from its history, such as architect Robert Adam. ‘I move them around every so often just to keep everybody on their toes!’ admits Gordon.

He warns visitors not to get so distracted by the charms of the estate that they miss out on the castle and its Lego inhabitants altogether: ‘We’ve

The walled garden blazes with colour in summer

‘We’ve got 600 acres of land, so visit the castle first before you tackle the park’

got nearly 600 acres of land, so we recommend you go and see the castle first before you tackle the park.’

With walks galore and plenty to discover along the way – a walled garden, a deer park (with its very own llamas), a huge second-hand bookshop and much more – you might find yourself a fair distance from the main cafe, Home Farm Kitchen, by the time lunchtime comes around. Luckily, the Aviary beside the Swan Pond also serves snacks and refreshments, and there’s an ice cream parlour there, too.

If you’ve got time later, Gordon recommends hanging around for the sky to put on a show. ‘If it’s a particularly lovely evening, the sunsets are amazing,’ he says. You’d expect nothing less in such magnificent surroundings.

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Once the kids have exhausted the playpark, stroll to the estuary to see young ospreys practising their fishing in summer.

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The ornate plasterwork inside includes real shells found on the beaches at nearby Montrose Basin, then dipped in plaster and stuck to the wall.

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HOUSE OF DUN

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visit to this Georgian mansion and its Victorian gardens is an immersive experience from start to finish. Begin in the Dr Sheila Bain Courtyard, exploring the sights, sounds and scents of local life here in Montrose, thanks to the rehomed Angus Folk Museum collection.

Iain Hawkins, general manager for

Costumed guides bring the house’s history to life

the north-east, is familiar with many of the objects on display, and is particularly fond of an intriguing pair of horse slippers, used to protect the manicured grounds from ye olde equine lawnmower’s hooves.

The sound effects follow you to the house, where crackling fires and ticking clocks enhance a guided tour expertly led by costumed characters.

‘It gives you all the amazing stories of the house, but it does it in a lighter way,’ adds Iain, who’s pleased that children find it fun, too.

Absorbing all that history is hungry

nts.org.uk/house-of-dun

work. Try the ploughman’s lunch (Iain recommends it), but be sure to leave room for something sweet. Fans of a Trust scone – all of us, surely – are in for a treat, because catering manager John Richards-Clark is on a quest to serve up the finest examples in Scotland.

While away the rest of the day strolling around the estate, taking Iain’s advice by ending up in front of the house for a memorable final view.

‘It captures the overall Angus landscape beautifully. I don’t think there are many better viewpoints.’

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pring is a marvellous time to visit Moray’s Brodie Castle, as that’s when it’s carpeted with golden daffodils. Back in 1899, Major Ian Brodie gave up growing roses in favour of a new obsession, and his regimented rows of daffs continue to delight to this day. ‘They look almost like little soldiers standing to attention,’ says Alexandra BoagWyllie, visitor services supervisor.

As you tour the castle, stop to admire Alex’s favourite painting, The Philosopher and his Pupils by Willem van der Vliet, and seek out a pair of

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The Playful Garden’s massive bunny sculpture is the biggest in Scotland, and was inspired by Ninian Brodie’s star turn in a local production of Harvey.

nts.org.uk/brodie

Brodie’s daffs are a sight to behold

returning exhibits. This year, the coronation robe worn by Queen Adelaide comes home after conservation work, and a precious 1311 letter written by Robert the Bruce to the Brodies also rejoins the display.

There’s more to the estate than just daffodils, of course. ‘Walk around the pond – you can see beautiful birds,’ Alex suggests. ‘I would also recommend taking a wander through the shrubbery.’ Visitors often miss this gem, resplendent with unusual trees, she points out.

And you mustn’t miss the amazing Playful Garden. With its mirrors, musical instruments, giant table and chairs and more, it’s like nowhere else. It has a great cafe too.

Alex suggests taking a guidebook home to learn even more about the castle’s wonderful history. Be warned, though, it’ll make you want to plan another trip before too long…

‘The castle has a precious letter written by Robert the Bruce to the Brodies in 1311’

Name that tune! Try your hand on the Playful Garden’s musical instruments

HIDDEN HISTORY Take your time strolling around the castle walls – its architecture spans centuries, and eagleeyed visitors will spot the carved initials of former clan chiefs.

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CULLODEN nts.org.uk/culloden

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t’s tempting to make a beeline for the excellent museum as soon as you arrive at Culloden, but visitor services manager Katey Boal suggests planning your day over a fortifying cup of tea first. That way, you can take stock of the events timetable, such as guided battlefield tours and costumed presentations, and make sure you’re in the right place at the right time to make the most of your visit.

Tea break over, discover the poignant history of the site in the 360-degree battle immersion theatre,

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The museum has objects you can actually handle and pick up – an engaging way for children to learn about the last major battle to be fought on British soil.

and admire the museum’s many fascinating artefacts. Don’t rush, especially on the way out. ‘It’s worth really taking your time walking down the last corridor of the exhibition,’ urges Katey – you’ll find meaningful objects from the battle’s aftermath that illustrate the social impact of civil war.

Fill up in the cafe (‘They do great pies!’) and then go exploring. ‘You could spend hours on the battlefield,’ Katey says, and the wheelchairaccessible paths allow visitors to lose themselves in the solemn surroundings. Look out for wildlife, too, she adds: ‘We have skylarks, and wonderful creatures out on the moor.’

See how the two sides lined up

The award-winning shop is worth a browse, but Katey then encourages some quiet reflection – soak up a little more of that incredible atmosphere, so it will stay with you long after you leave.

‘Soak up the incredible atmosphere, so it will stay with you long after you leave’

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STITCHES IN TIME The restored Leanach Cottage

In the museum, look out for the government soldier attacking a Jacobite among the rows of neatly stitched letters and flowers in a traditional sampler from the time.

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Peek in open drawers around the house for an insight into family life in the past – they’re jampacked with old possessions.

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Weehailes Adventure Playpark in the grounds is inspired by the house.

Indoors, meanwhile, a new-for-2022 children’s storytelling tour engages young minds.

HOUSE & GARDENS

ick off your day at this glorious Palladian mansion in Musselburgh with a guided tour, suggests Anna Brereton, visitor services manager. It’s hard to miss the treasures that lurk around every corner, but Anna urges visitors to keep their eyes peeled for some rather incongruous modifications

The mansion is full of treasures

courtesy of Lady Antonia Dalrymple a few decades ago: ‘They cut cat flaps in the 18th-century doors,’ she explains with a chuckle.

Follow this with a jaunt around the vast and gorgeous grounds. Anna recommends a wander through the trees before a picnic (pack your own or pick up a takeaway sandwich in the cafe) by the Shell Grotto or the Tea House: ‘There’s a lovely woodland walk through the 18th-century designed landscape.’

Newhailes’ resident potter opens up her studio every weekend, selling her work, and there’s also a monthly farmers’ market. However you spend

nts.org.uk/newhailes

Stables Cafe

your day, there’s only one way to round it off, reckons Anna: ‘With an ice cream!’ Luckily, the parlour in the old dairy serves up sensational scoops, and the Stables Cafe has an extensive menu of home-baked cakes and other treats.

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offer very different insights Two historic properties in Glasgow d’s biggest city into early 20th-century life in Scotlan WORDS: MALCOLM JACK S: DOUGIE CUNNINGHAM URE PICT

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THE TENEMENT HOUSE

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he quintessentially Glaswegian red-sandstone tenements of Buccleuch Street cling to the steep slope of Garnethill, gazing over the droning M8 where it tangles around Charing Cross. Back in the 1890s when these homes were built, more rows of tenements stood adjacent. Beyond were the tumbledown slums of Woodside and Cowcaddens – swathes of Glasgow demolished in the 1960s for the motorway and the onrush of modernity.

As in neighbourhoods from Hillhead to Dennistoun, Buccleuch Street’s flats were built on high ground so that the Victorian middle-classes might breathe fresher air above the overcrowded, smoke-clogged industrial city at the peak of Clyde shipbuilding. Today, multicultural Garnethill is home to people from all walks of life, including many students at the nearby Glasgow School of Art. But not the first-floor flat at number 145 Buccleuch Street. Climb the stairs of the ‘wally’ (tiled) close and cross the threshold of the Tenement

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House. It’s like stepping back in time, to early 20th-century Glasgow, and into the life of Agnes Toward.

The first thing that hits you is the smell from the gas lamps, the likes of which illuminated homes across the city pre-electrification. Reconnected by the Trust after we took over care of the property in 1982, this is one of very few places in Britain still lit by gas. ‘The ABOVE The kitchen has a well-stocked coal bunker

BELOW A cupboard full of vintage jars and bottles

lamps give a lovely glow, and also a wee bit of heat,’ says visitor services manager Ana Sanchez-De la Vega.

‘If you’ve had gas lights before, it immediately takes you back.’ Older visitors, especially those with grandparents who’d lived in similar flats, she adds, get a powerful hit of sensory nostalgia when they enter.

An independent woman, Agnes Toward was many things: professional shorthand typist, devoted churchgoer, eager letter-writer, keen cook, fashion trend-setter (she owned six pairs of sunglasses before they were cool) and, perhaps most importantly, habitual hoarder. She lived here for 54 years, initially with her dressmaker mother until the latter’s death in 1939 and afterwards alone, leaving behind one of Scotland’s most fascinating living history museums when she departed suddenly in 1965, at the age of 79, never to return.

Agnes spent her last ten years in hospital, while practically everything

she owned – furniture, clothes, cooking utensils, magazines, letters, beauty products – gathered dust. Following her death in 1975, her time capsule of a home was discovered by a young Scottish actor called Anna Davidson, who bought it and everything in it. She lived here for seven years, cataloguing the treasure trove. When the Trust later took ownership, we restored it to how it would have looked (and smelled) in Agnes’s time. Visitors have been fascinated by this authentic slice of early 20th-century life for 40 years now.

As a lower-middle-class professional, Agnes enjoyed privileges others didn’t, especially the working-class majority in the indescribably grim ‘single-end’ one-room slums of Glasgow’s poorest neighbourhoods. Chief among the perks of this home: a plumbed toilet and bathtub. ‘Definitely not all tenements had a toilet,’ says Ana, ‘so she really was very lucky.’

Otherwise, Agnes’s was a typically plain and thrifty life of hard work and modest pleasures, lived across four small rooms. A hulking black range cooker dominates her kitchen. The

ABOVE Ana Sanchez-De la Vega at the Tenement House

BELOW The furnishings reflect a middleclass lifestyle

coal-powered heart of the home would have burned day and night. Hand-typed recipes give a lovely insight into inventive cooking in the age of wartime rationing, and Agnes’s diligently neat nature. The parlour is the showiest room with its patterned wallpaper, fancy china and piano. Here she would

have gossiped with pals over tea, listened to the radio and written letters, which today reveal clues to the internal life of a woman both of her time and slightly ahead of it.

‘She remained single, but she had many friends,’ explains Ana. ‘She corresponded ferociously with pen pals in Canada and all over the world. She’s a genuine voice. Her stories are authentic; they are about her real daily life, and that makes it easier for us to connect with her.’

‘An independent woman, Agnes Toward left behind a fascinating living history museum’

TENEMENT LIVING Behind the parlour’s rosewood piano, a door leads to a box bed. There’s another off the kitchen.

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LIFE OF PRIVILEGE Pollok House was Glasgow’s grandest home.

In the early 20th century, the family of three who lived here had 48 servants.

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ive miles south, on the other side of the Clyde, lies a completely different home, telling its own intriguing story of life in early 20th-century Glasgow. Stepping out of his front door at stately Pollok

House, Sir John Stirling Maxwell – philanthropist, baronet, landowner and MP – would not have felt his senses assaulted by thick coal smog, bustling crowds and the screech of trams.

Rather, they would have been soothed

by the fresh air, lush greenery and quiet of a sprawling country estate.

Built in 1752 on lands owned by the family for 700 years, Pollok House was Glasgow’s biggest and finest home of its day, a world away from Agnes Toward’s cramped tenement, and unimaginably different from the dismal ‘single-ends’ that most Glaswegians called home.

Here, across three floors and countless rooms, Sir John, his wife Lady Christian and his daughter Lady Anne lived a lavish life, dining from priceless porcelain and silverware and surrounded by paintings by Goya, Rubens and Blake. Their every need was attended to by their housekeeper, butler, valet, maids, cooks and groundskeepers – a whopping 48 staff in total.

ABOVE The elegant and grand Pollok House

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A walk around the first floor of the house reveals the Stirling Maxwells’ high standard of living. There’s a ‘morning room’, domain of the ladies for writing correspondence, liaising on domestic matters or simply lying on a chaise longue. The cedar-panelled men-only smoking room, meanwhile, is where Stirling Maxwell and esteemed friends would sit puffing pipes and talking business and politics (and where Sir John first mooted the idea of a National Trust for Scotland). ‘There were quite a lot of gender lines drawn in the house,’ notes visitor services supervisor Lindsey Graham.

An Eton and Cambridge-educated scholar who owned over 7,000 books, Sir John had an east wing added to necessarily typical of service life. There Pollok House partly for his library. It ABOVE TOP LEFT are windows and skylights; a bright, airy became his favourite domain, where he Paintings line the The butler would servants’ hall with a high vaulted ceiling would read perched atop a customcurved staircase iron the paper to walls above the dry the ink and allowed staff to eat and socialise designed wooden stepladder and drink impressive clock prevent stains together. ‘Sir John wanted to provide in views across his lands to three sides. the servants with their own space, and And yet, to imagine Stirling Maxwell visitors tend to identify with most, with with the benefits of natural light,’ as indifferent to the common people its long tiled corridor not unlike a explains Lindsey. would be wrong. As a politician, tenement close – and we can observe The gap was vast between Glasgow’s landowner and man of wealth and considerations Stirling Maxwell made rich and poor in the early years of the influence, he did much – including towards his staff. Work down here was 20th century, but Stirling Maxwell giving up portions of his estate – to undoubtedly tough, yet also steady, made efforts to bridge it. ‘Was he just a further the causes of social housing, secure and with humane touches not man who moved with the times, or was opening new green spaces and it something in his nature?’ ponders improving rents for workers. An Lindsey. ‘Either way, he seems to have oral-history project launched in 2017 been a forward-thinking philanthropic collected anecdotes from former staff gentleman who took real pride in his and tenants who recalled gifts of local area.’ In 1966, his daughter, haunches of venison at Christmas Dame Anne Maxwell McDonald, in and of free coal and electricity.

Both the Tenement House and Pollok House turn gave Pollok House and its Descend ‘below stairs’ into can be reached via public transport. Plan your grounds, now Pollok Country the warren-like basement visit at nts.org.uk/tenement-house and Park, to the City of Glasgow. servants’ quarters – the part nts.org.uk/pollok-house

‘Former staff and tenants recall being gifted haunches of venison at Christmas’

Visit the two houses

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From geological marvels and seabird mega-cities to magnificent uplands rich in rare plantlife, the Trust cares for eight wonderfully biodiverse National Nature Reserves that are among Scotland’s most precious natural assets

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GRAND CANYON Very steep-sided and narrow, Corrieshalloch Gorge is a dramatic sight to behold, with jaw-dropping views to be had from its Victorian suspension bridge.

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orrieshalloch Gorge is a place of wonder.

This mile-long slot canyon, near Ullapool in the north-west Highlands, was formed when vast amounts of glacial meltwater cut deep into the vertical rock joints – a process that continues today as the River Droma plunges through the narrow confines of the ravine on its way to Loch Broom.

When the river is in spate, the gorge boils with mist and spray, adding to the shade and humidity that helps support more than 270 species of lichen and around 130 species of mosses and liverworts.

‘It really does teem with life,’ says Trust natural heritage advisor Rob Dewar. ‘It’s incredible how many plants hold onto the niches in the vertical rock – and the closer you look, the more fascinating it becomes.’

This great slash in the earth has drawn visitors since Victorian times, when it was part of engineer Sir John Fowler’s Braemore Estate. He transformed the estate over three decades, planting millions of trees and, in 1874, building a suspension bridge over the Droma.

Now designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the gorge matters not just for its geomorphology but also for the mix of native woodland that spills from its upper reaches, and

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BELOW Look out for curlews at Mar Lodge Estate

ABOVE Guillemots gather at St Abb’s Head

for a nationally rare species of crane fly that lives on fallen deadwood.

JEWELS IN THE CROWN Corrieshalloch Gorge is one of eight National Nature Reserves (NNRs) cared for by the Trust, each different in scale, habitat and assemblage of life. The NNR accolade means that the land in these reserves is managed to conserve the important habitats and species there, and to enable the public to connect with nature. Between them, the Trust’s NNRs welcome more than 750,000 visitors a year. ‘National Nature Reserves are like the finest art galleries in the world of nature conservation, or the very best visitor attractions for nature,’ says Jeff Waddell, the Trust’s senior nature conservation advisor.

Nature conservation and improved visitor experiences at our NNRs will be a key focus for the Trust over the next

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‘NNRs are like the finest art galleries in the world of nature conservation’ BELOW Grey seals breed at St Abb’s Head

RIGHT Ferns thrive in the moist air at Corrieshalloch

similar situation with insects, plants and fungi.’

Our three coastal NNRs also put on a spectacular show. Easiest to reach is St Abb’s Head, a cliff-top site on the Berwickshire coast known for its raucous colonies of seabirds, as a pupping site for grey seals (badly hit

by Storm Arwen in autumn 2021, sadly) and for its wildflower-rich areas of grassland that attract a host of butterfly species.

Around 280 miles to the north-west, the

breathtakingly wild archipelago of St Kilda is home to the largest seabird colony in the north-east Atlantic, including vast numbers of puffins and gannets. But it’s not always the familiar that capture the imagination. For Jeff Waddell, a lesser-known species demonstrates the importance of such places as reservoirs of biodiversity.

‘St Kilda has 90 per cent of the UK’s population of Leach’s petrel – a seabird so rare and elusive that many will not even have heard of it.’

COUNTING HEADS Tiny Staffa, just off the coast of Mull, is a place where elemental forces are on full display: the crash of waves, the extraordinary volcanic rock columns and, of course, the gaping mouth of the famed Fingal’s Cave.

Come springtime, however, it is seabirds rather than geology that

LAURIE CAMPBELL, BOXDOG INC

three years, thanks to support from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. We’ve also secured funding for specific projects at individual NNRs, including Corrieshalloch, Staffa and Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms.

While each of our National Nature Reserves is incredibly biodiverse, Mar Lodge Estate is exceptional in the number of plants and animals that call it home: more than 5,200 species have been recorded here. It’s also the biggest National Nature Reserve in the UK. ‘Just looking at bird life, it is the only reserve in Scotland where there is everything from floodplain wading birds such as lapwing through to pinewood and moorland species such as black grouse right up to ptarmigan and ring ouzel on the high plateau,’ explains Jeff Waddell. ‘It’s a

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CORRIESHALLOCH GORGE Near Ullapool

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TOP Black guillemot LEFT Staffa’s basalt cliffs guard the entrance to Fingal’s Cave

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Staffa has inspired botanists, royalty, writers and composers for 300 years, and is more popular now than ever, with around 100,000 visitors a year, all condensed into a seven-month season.

Fortunately, the coming together of people and wildlife brings unexpected benefits. The presence of so many human visitors to the puffin colony deters predatory attacks by gulls and skuas who would otherwise swoop in to steal food from the puffins. Emily recently oversaw the production of a

‘The presence of so many human visitors to the puffin colony deters attacks by gulls’

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occupy the mind of ranger Emily Wilkins. For the past 35 years, the Trust has monitored the health of Staffa’s seabird populations, building up invaluable information that feeds into a national monitoring programme.

The action starts in late March.

Shags begin to build nests in and around the island’s caves, fulmars settle on ledges higher up, while puffins gradually return to prepare their nest burrows following a winter spent in the mid-Atlantic. But Emily’s first job is to count numbers of black guillemots as they also return to breed. Unlike their larger cousins that nest in high numbers on exposed cliff ledges at St Abb’s Head, black guillemots prefer to hide away in cracks and crevices along rocky coastlines. They’re easily recognisable in summer by their white wing patches and oversized red feet, but the only chance to count them with any certainty is before they start laying eggs, when all the adults are out feeding.

‘This often involves an overnight camp, rising before dawn with helpers and walking the entire coastline,’ explains Emily. ‘The birds fly down to the shelving rocks and then out onto the sea when the sun comes up, where they all float together in lines.’

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children’s story book, Fisherman Pete and the Pirate Problem. Available via our online shop, the book explains how puffins, skuas and humans interact.

‘We do get asked why we allow people to get so close, but it’s actually of benefit to the puffins as long as people sit quietly and don’t block the burrows,’ she says. ‘Part of our aim as an NNR is to facilitate those amazing, positive human-wildlife interactions.’

Of course, there are also downsides to such high numbers; footpaths on Staffa have widened as visitors detour around boggy areas, endangering the maritime cliff vegetation. We have plans to upgrade the island’s path network as part of a major project this year to improve overall access infrastructure, along with a new visitor platform beside the jetty, and wider stairways to the top of the island.

GRAZING AND CLIMATE CLIENT

On the Trust’s upland NNRs, the management of grazing herbivores is a major focus. An unchecked wild deer population can have a devastating impact on the landscape, particularly in areas where habitat restoration is a key conservation goal.

Determining the right deer density for the land and the deer themselves is complicated. It’s tempting to look at what has been achieved at Mar Lodge Estate – where a significant reduction in deer numbers has seen an ecological reawakening of the landscape – and ask why the same approach can’t be replicated elsewhere. But it’s rarely that straightforward. At Glencoe and at the Trust’s Torridon estate, part of which lies within Beinn Eighe NNR, there are differences in climate, soil fertility and topography. Such factors affect not only the carrying capacity of the land (how many deer can be sustained) but also the potential scale and speed of specific habitat initiatives.

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Thank you

We couldn’t care for these precious places without the support of our members and donors

‘We’ve done a colossal amount of work taking out invasive species and opening up old paths’ RIGHT Surveying at Corrieshalloch Gorge INSET The beautiful purple saxifrage

numbers where many would starve in winter,’ explains natural heritage advisor Dan Watson. ‘Without a cull, deer would get into worse and worse condition, eating all they could, and even then many would starve.’

There is more public awareness than ever around the role of healthy peatland and native woodland in capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere.

The ability to do so is linked closely to deer numbers. Trampling can erode peatland and blanket bog, while heavy grazing can change the vegetation from peat-building species to a grassier sward.

The impact is even more tangible with woodland. When heavily browsed, trees cannot grow or regenerate. By promoting healthy woodland habitats, we provide the opportunity for red

squirrels, bats, pine martens and woodland birds to expand their territories and their numbers.

At Ben Lawers NNR, both deer and sheep present a challenge. This is a hotspot for rare arctic-alpine plants that provide a splash of colour high up in the hills (largely above 600 metres).

Most grow on rocky outcrops and inaccessible gullies away from nibbling mouths. We have monitored the health of these plants since the 1980s, accumulating a vast bank of knowledge. In recent years, this has highlighted not only the possible terminal decline of particular species, but also strong evidence of the impact of climate change. Analysis by Sarah Watts, a botanist and former ecologist at Ben Lawers, has identified how one vulnerable plant, snow pearlwort, has declined partly due to increased competition from sedges, rushes and other vegetative growth. This, in turn, is caused by a longer growing season, due to a reduction in snow cover.

PEOPLE AND NATURE Back at Corrieshalloch Gorge NNR, the benefits of expanding native woodland,

and what it brings in terms of biodiversity and mitigating climate change, are plain to see. Here, the newly established mix of birch, aspen, rowan, hazel and elm continues to expand following the clear-felling of post-war plantations, while the removal of invasive species has opened up views into the gorge and allowed the woodland to breathe.

‘We have done a colossal amount of work taking out invasive species, restructuring the surrounding woodland to create more of a native broadleaved mix and opening up the old network of paths,’ explains Rob Dewar. ‘People stay longer and enjoy the gorge more fully.’

Soon, there will be even more opportunities to explore, with the development of a new visitor centre and additional routes into the upper reaches of the gorge. It’s a great example of how boosting biodiversity is not just about habitat and species, but also visitors’ experience of such places.

‘The Trust is firmly focused on engaging people with heritage and nature,’ says Jeff Waddell. ‘In the NNR concept, these are protected areas for nature and people. Such places are at their most exciting and engaging when you can experience them in person, and we welcome all to visit.

‘But even to know that these special places exist and are cared for, both practically and in the nation’s hearts and minds, is important too.’

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LEFT The UK’s smallest bird of prey, the merlin, breeds at Mar Lodge Estate

HEAR MORE NATURE STORIES ON OUR PODCAST

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Our expert teams of surveyors and curators discuss some of the most stunning and fascinating rooms in our castles and historic buildings WORDS: ANGELA McMANUS

AMAZING SPACES

2 GREAT HALL, CRAIGIEVAR CASTLE

Alford, Aberdeenshire

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DINING ROOM, BRODICK CASTLE

There’s a definite Renaissance feel to the great hall at Craigievar Castle, after its owner, merchant William Forbes, breathed fresh life into the space in the early 17th century. Inspired by his overseas travels, he extended the castle skywards, with turrets, gables, dormers and balconies, and inside commissioned elaborate plaster ceilings.

‘The ceiling is 400 years old, created by English craftsmen trained by Italians,’ says John Lemon, visitor services supervisor. ‘Italian visitors have told us there’s a Florentine influence in the plasterwork.’

‘Look closely at the roundels,’ adds National Trust for Scotland chartered surveyor Annie Robertson.

‘On one of them, the Ds of “David” are back to front. The cast they used was defective but they put it up anyway! The masterpiece is over the mantel: the royal coat-of-arms with the unicorn and the lion in sculptural form.’

The ceiling is white but may have been coloured in the past. The upper gallery separated by a window is thought to have once been a chapel.

Isle of Arran

To see how tastes and fashions have changed over the centuries, look no further than the dining room at Brodick Castle. Layers of history are tied together in this intriguing space, which was the main hall of the 16th-century building.

The elaborate plaster ceiling was added in the 1840s during the James Gillespie Graham addition to the castle (led by William, the future 11th Duke of Hamilton, and his wife, Princess Marie of Baden), and the collection of sporting trophies dates to the later 19th century and the life of the 12th Duke.

What’s really interesting, according to Trust curator Sarah Beattie, is the wood panelling: ‘Although it looks as if it could have been there for hundreds of years, it was actually brought to Brodick in 1921 from an older building on the Hamiltons’ Easton Park estate in Suffolk. Cabinetmakers Titchmarsh & Goodwin were commissioned to repurpose the panels, recreate additional pieces to finish the mouldings and fit the panels. It was hundreds of hours of work and combined craftsmanship from across centuries.’

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GREAT HALL, CRATHES CASTLE Banchory, Aberdeenshire

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Going from a simple tower house to the magnificent turreted building we see today, Crathes Castle has seen many changes over the centuries. Its great hall, though, always provided a communal social space.

‘In the alcoves of the great hall are fragments of painted decoration, and it’s very likely the rest of the hall had this elaborate decoration too,’ says Trust chartered surveyor Annie Robertson.

This style of decoration fell out of fashion, though, and was later whitewashed, before the Victorians gave the space a Gothic-style finish.

It’s thought there was a coat-of-arms above where the high table would have been. Over the years the fireplace was also moved and windows were enlarged, a result of the Renaissance influence and the desire for more light.

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Culross’s barrelvaulted ceiling is painted with allegorical scenes

Fragments of paint suggest this was not the original colour scheme

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PAINTED CHAMBER, CULROSS PALACE Culross, Fife

You could be forgiven for thinking you were at sea when you’re in the painted chamber at Culross Palace: the barrel-vaulted interior looks just like the hull of a ship. That’s no surprise considering the connections its owner, Sir George Bruce, had with shipping and trade.

It’s the intricate painted detailing on the walls that draw the eye – 16 rare allegorical scenes painted in tempera with text in Latin and Scots, influenced by Dutch designs – creating a room possibly used as a place for quiet contemplation.

‘Design books were popular among scholars and gentlemen in the early 17th century when the palace was being decorated,’ says curator Antonia Laurence-Allen. ‘And we know Bruce must have seen one by English poet Geoffrey Whitney because each scene is adapted from the emblems published in his 1586 book.’

The chamber’s artwork is likely to have been done by a Scottish painter, as these colourful interiors had been popular for decades.

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LIBRARY, HADDO HOUSE

Mackintosh oversaw every detail of the furniture and decoration

Ellon, Aberdeenshire

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A lowly hayloft at Haddo House took on a new lease of life when the seventh Earl of Aberdeen brought his new bride, Ishbel Marjoribanks, to the country house in 1877. The couple refurbished and modernised the house, which had been built

by William Adam in the 1730s, creating the interiors that we see today. They spared no expense, employing top Edinburgh architects Wardrop & Reid and acclaimed interior designers Wright & Mansfield. The site of the hayloft and rooms nearby were cleared to create a space for the library.

‘Everything was custom-built: the ceilings, the bookcases in cedar with inlaid ebony detail, and the marble fireplaces are copies of those at the London home of Ishbel’s father,’ says chartered surveyor Annie Robertson.

The ceiling gilding is particularly impressive, as it was designed to be seen under dim light.

What’s thought to have been the biggest chenille carpet in Europe, meanwhile, covered the floor.

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DRAWING ROOM, THE HILL HOUSE Helensburgh, Argyll

The ceilings, bookcases and fireplaces were custom-built

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The Hill House drawing room is one of the most completely designed rooms by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret Macdonald, and, while the overall concept is extraordinary, it’s the details that take the breath away.

‘All of the pieces of furniture have beautiful architectural qualities, but it’s the small elements that catch the eye,’ says Trust curator Emma Inglis.

‘You get a bold first impression, then it draws you in for a closer look at the fine materials used.’

Saving these superb interiors is why we’ve built a giant mesh box around the house, to protect it while it dries out after decades of damaging dampness.

Mackintosh designed the house for publisher Walter Blackie, who moved in in 1904. This room initially had only a couple of pieces of furniture designed by Mackintosh and Macdonald. ‘Over a period of four or five years, more pieces were commissioned, to the point where we have the furnishings we see today, including Margaret’s beautiful gesso panel over the fireplace.’

7 DRAWING ROOM, HOLMWOOD

Holmwood’s interior decor has recently been restored thanks to generous donors

Cathcart, Glasgow

Holmwood’s drawing room is unlike any other interior from the 1850s. Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson’s distinctive design for the room continues his architectural ideas, with a similar group of motifs used both inside and outside the house. From carvings in the woodwork and the marble fireplace to plaster on the ceiling, it gives the impression of a truly unified scheme. The bold, rich colours are full of detail and the delicate stencil work shows the fine craftsmanship the architect could call upon.

‘What stands out is the amount of gilding that’s used – it’s an incredibly rich interior,’ says Trust curator Emma Inglis. ‘Given that this would have been the main public room, it’s a real in-your-face statement of what the Couper family, who commissioned the house, were able to afford, and the status they had achieved.’

Joseph Ensor’s sculptural plaster figures look poised to join the party

8 SALOON, HOUSE OF DUN Montrose, Angus

Of the master craftsmen hired in the building of House of Dun, the work of Joseph Ensor stands out. His stunning plasterwork from the mid-18th century in the saloon features stucco figures, hunting trophies and allegorical scenes that are wonderfully lavish.

Here, in the main social space of the house, used for entertaining and parties, you’ll find the masks of Bacchus and Apollo, along with Neptune and Mars. ‘The plasterworks are sculptural and the room feels quite interactive – it’s like the plaster figures and forms are part of the gathering,’ says Trust chartered surveyor Annie Robertson. ‘Ensor was creative in how this was achieved. For Neptune, for example, it’s said that seashells were gathered from the Montrose Basin and used like an armature. Apparently, he took the shells, dipped them in plaster, and put them straight on the wall!’

The early colour scheme was off-white, quickly replaced with what we know today as Dun blue.

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VINE ROOM, KELLIE CASTLE Pittenweem, Fife

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Look up at the ceiling in the vine room at Kellie Castle and you’ll see why it got its name.

The leaves and tendrils sculpted in plaster are a nod to nature, but they may not be what they seem.

The room’s name could be a misnomer, according to Trust regional curator Antonia Laurence-Allen. ‘Yes, there are leaves, but we think they might also depict hops or acorns,’ she says.

There’s no escaping the stunning work in this top-floor room. Created in the 1670s, it’s a copy of Charles II’s bedchamber at Holyrood Palace. The centrepiece of the ceiling has a smaller version of a Jacob de Wet painting designed for Holyrood showing Hercules being welcomed by Mercury to Mount Olympus. ‘The 11th Earl’s daughter took the painting to Ireland in 1830 and nobody knew where it went after that,’ adds Antonia. ‘It wasn’t until 1916 that the 14th Earl traced it, purchased it for £100 and brought it back to Kellie.’

A Jacob de Wet painting (above) is surrounded by sculptural plasterwork

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CHINA CLOSET, NEWHAILES HOUSE Musselburgh, East Lothian

What was once a little room off the library, probably used for a scribe, has become one of the jewels of Newhailes House. It contains Lady Christian Dalrymple’s ceramics collection: teacups, teapots, plates and jugs. It is a treasure trove of Chinese and Japanese work, as well as Sienese majolica, pieces from a Dalrymple family dining set imported direct from Canton and rare pieces from a local potter.

It was Lady Christian’s granddaughter Miss Christian who gathered the china from shelves around the house and converted this room into a china closet.

‘The display is like a cabinet of curiosities,’ says curator Antonia Laurence-Allen. ‘Museums didn’t exist at the time, but wealthy collectors adapted small rooms with clever shelving and doors to display a vast number of items.’

The decorative mouldings are a who’s who of Greek-Roman classical order, according to Trust surveyor Tara Crooke. Styles that would never be put together sit comfortably side by side, all likely designed by a local cabinet maker.

Visit our amazing spaces

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It’s always time for tea at Newhailes

Full details are on the individual property pages of our website at nts.org.uk

Each cup has its own mini shelf

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EASTER S L I A R T G EG

This Easter weekend, there’s excitement, adventure and tasty chocolate to be had at Trust properties all over Scotland.

From Brodie Castle in Moray to Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Ayrshire, our teams will be laying out clues for intrepid explorers to collect and solve in order to claim a delicious chocolate treat.

At Newhailes in Musselburgh, there will also be a mini big top with circus performances and skills workshops on Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Sunday.

Castle Fraser

In Aberdeenshire, Castle Fraser’s Easter trail will lead children through the woodland play area and garden, with poems and colourful illustrations telling stories of the animals that live on the estate.

There is no need to book in advance – just turn up to join the fun. Head to our website to confirm details for participating properties near you.

Full details of participating properties are available on our website: nts.org.uk/easter

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‘ I T G I V E S YO U A TA S T E O F A P L AC E . T H E N E X T S T E P I S TO V I SI T ’

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As the host of our Love Scotland podcast, broadcaster Jackie Bird interviews a different Trust expert every fortnight

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What appealed to you about hosting our podcast?

I love history and I’m trying to expand my knowledge. The first thing I said when the Trust got in touch was, if you’re after someone who knows all about Scottish history, I’m not that person. But they wanted someone to ask questions of the experts, which is great. Hopefully, in expanding my knowledge, I’m able to impart a little bit of knowledge to the listeners.

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Why does history matter to you?

It’s through history that we learn who we are today and how we arrived here.

When you go to the Tenement House, for example, you find out about a mother and daughter making their way in the world in the 1900s. They were trailblazers for working women. It’s an incredible real-life slice of history.

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Exploring recently restored Holmwood

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Interviewing Trust curator Emma Inglis

What are your own memories of visiting Trust places?

I was a member of the Trust when my children were small, so I’d been to places like Culzean Castle with them.

What I didn’t know was that the Trust is also the custodian of islands and thousands of hectares of Scottish landscape. That came as a big surprise.

Have you travelled widely around Scotland?

This is quite interesting, and it’s why I’m very keen to spread the word about the National Trust for Scotland. I grew up in a Lanarkshire council house.

Back in the day, there was more chance of me flying in the air than visiting a stately home or going out into the wilderness and

learning about wildlife or ecosystems.

I was a bit of a late starter, but I’m trying to make up for that.

What’s so unique about this amazing country?

To steal Arran’s catchphrase ‘Scotland in miniature’, I think Scotland can also be the world in miniature. You turn a corner and there’s a different landscape: a craggy mountain range, a loch or gently rolling hills. We are very well looked after in terms of our landscape and, of course, the history. No wonder visitors from around the world come time and time again.

One of your first episodes featured head of archaeology Derek Alexander, whom you

Jackie Bird interview, 1

LOVE SCOTLAND Listen to our Love Scotland podcast via Apple, Spotify and other podcast platforms or on the podcasts page of our website at nts.org.uk/podcasts

interviewed again recently at the Culzean Caves. How did the two experiences compare?

It’s so much better to be with someone face-to-face! It’s when you eyeball the person that you get to see the passion and find that they could talk to you not just for the half-hour of the podcast but all day long. That enthusiasm for their subject matter is fantastic, and you really get carried away in what they’re talking about.

What other memorable experiences have you enjoyed through the podcasts?

It really fired up my imagination listening to a battle coordinator at the Battle of Bannockburn visitor centre, taking me through a minuteby-minute retelling of the battle.

I know that Trust experts also go out in the field with visitors, pointing out what happened where on the battlefield.

Which locations and subjects would you like to explore next?

I spoke to some of the wildlife experts about St Kilda and Staffa. I’d love to experience those islands. I’d also like to learn more about social history – the landed gentry built the grand buildings, but the people’s stories are just as important, the downstairs as well as the upstairs. I want to delve more into Scotland’s industrial heritage too.

What do you enjoy about the podcast format?

So often in broadcasting you’re constrained by time and technicalities.

In podcasting, all you need is another person who has knowledge, plus a microphone and a willingness to ask them questions. I’m here as the non-expert, hopefully asking the next question the listener has in their mind. The informality and length of a podcast gives you the opportunity to do that. It also gives you a taste of a location and, if you

like the sound of it, the next step is to see it in person. So hopefully we’re opening some doors.

Why is it so important that people join and support the Trust?

If you don’t use it, you will lose it – and we wouldn’t just lose buildings, castles or memorabilia, but part of ourselves. The National Trust for Scotland cares for, researches and maintains a future for our heritage, and we risk it at our peril.

SERIES 2 OF OUR PODCAST IS NOW LIVE

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Frog paper holder

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ROBERT SMAIL’S PRINTING WORKS Innerleithen, Borders

Taxidermied frog flautist

HILL OF TARVIT Cupar, Fife

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A collection of stuffed frogs was found in a cupboard at the Fife mansion in the 1990s, including a pair of frogs duelling with swords, as well as this one playing a flute and another playing guitar.

Robert Smail’s shop was serving customers from 1866 right up until the 1980s. This relatively recent relic always catches the eye of children who visit the printing works today.

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Bavarian Summerhouse BRODICK CASTLE Isle of Arran

Princess Marie of Baden’s mother was Stéphanie de Beauharnais, the adopted daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1843, Marie married William Hamilton, and under their ownership Brodick Castle was expanded into the building that stands today. The Bavarian-style summerhouse is the sole survivor from four similar structures built at Brodick for Princess Marie.

The weird and wonderful sit alongside the priceless and historic in Trust collections – with some unexpected connections between them.

So what links a paper holder at Robert Smail’s with Brodick Castle’s summerhouse?

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3 Flutes

CANNA HOUSE COLLECTION Isle of Canna

Classically trained musician Margaret Fay Shaw and her flautist husband, John Lorne Campbell of Canna House, were keen collectors of musical instruments. Their collection include three flutes, a French horn, a bugle, chanters, a chamber organ and three pianos, including a Steinway Grand. John boasted that he could play any wind instrument!

Cockade from Battle of Waterloo CANNA HOUSE COLLECTION Isle of Canna

Also in the archives of the Canna House collection is a cockade from the hat of one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s personal bodyguards at the Battle of Waterloo, with a letter confirming its provenance.

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Visit our website for details of the wonderful adventure playgrounds at Trust properties across Scotland

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Going wild on the isle

Janice Hopper and her young family take to their bikes for a trip to Brodick CLIENT

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s your family in need of adventure? If so, it’s hard to beat a visit to an island. We chose the magical Isle of Arran as our destination: as well as the chance for my mini pirates to take to the high seas (on a rather comfortable ferry), it’s just an hour-long crossing from Ardrossan, which itself is only 50 minutes from Glasgow by road or rail.

Once ashore, we hired bikes to get to Brodick

Castle and Country Park.

Seven-year-old Samuel and his brother Joseph, aged six, were proud as punch that they’d cycled ‘miles’ (between two and three) along scenic paths and country roads to get there.

If you supposed the handsome castle was the headline attraction, you’d be wrong. ‘Mummy, you said there was a cool playground here,’ the boys insistently reminded me, so we made a beeline for the vast Isle Be It’s a fun cycle ride to the country park

Wild adventure play park. I loved the way the apparatus felt part of the environment; for Joseph, though, the flying fox was the highlight. He grabbed the zipwire and whizzed off into the distance.

The children could have played here all day, but we also wanted to see the castle gardens. Arran’s temperate climate has created a lush paradise. ‘This rhubarb’s out of control!’ came Joseph’s voice from the bushes.

‘It’s like Jurassic Park!’ exclaimed Samuel.

The 18th-century walled garden, in contrast, is an elegant space, and I could imagine the castle’s former residents promenading here.

The boys’ explorations were at a more energetic pace. We loved discovering the Silver

Garden’s sparkling sculptures tucked in among the foliage, which felt to all of us like a treasure hunt.

My sons made a clattering racket on the wind chime (so musical!), and then we stumbled across a twinkling pyramid with depictions of local plants and wildlife.

The self-guided Brodick tour works well for families as you can take things at your own pace, and we loved the way it felt as if there was something new around every corner.

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SPRING COLOUR Leith Hall’s vibrant tulips, dogtooth violets and rhododendrons

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HOPE AND REGROWTH IN TESTING TIMES HEAD GARDENER SARAH RAMSAY CAN’T WAIT FOR LIFE AND COLOUR TO RETURN TO LEITH HALL’S GARDENS

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s the equinox heralds spring, new growth is stirring at Leith Hall. Swathes of Scilla siberica, Erythronium dens-canis (dogtooth violets) and Fritillaria meleagris, sometimes still poking through snow, bring much-needed colour after the long winter months.

It is a time to reflect on the challenges and misfortunes that can often make life difficult in the garden.

Storm Arwen reminded us of the power of nature, bringing 100mph winds to Aberdeenshire, devastating areas of

makes our gardens look tidy and stops woodland on many of our estates. weeds out-competing our garden plants, Gardening teams have spent months clearing up and making safe the gardens but it is important to remember that even the best-kept gardens are not and areas around buildings. The bigger entirely weed-free. Across the Trust, job of getting trails reopened will go on we’re cutting back on the use of well into spring. chemical herbicides and relying on We’re still dealing with the impact natural methods of weed control lockdown has had on us too, such as mulching borders particularly the profusion of and raking paths. At Leith weeds that resulted from Hall we’ve been trialling a smaller gardening teams Leith Hall near Huntly composted straw mulch in 2020; we spent most in Aberdeenshire on many of our borders, of last spring and reopens on 1 April. successfully suppressing summer weeding. This Visitors are welcome Friday to Monday, annual weeds.

10.30am to 4pm And there’s good news: SARAH’S WEEDING TIPS the Hall reopens in April • Try leaving improve the soil • Spread an organic after two long years. Visit the some weeds in a structure. mulch 10cm deep on garden and, as you enjoy the striking wilder area of your • Use a hand fork to your borders to colours of the tulip borders and the garden and embrace remove the whole suppress annual showy Rhododendron ‘Cynthia’ against a the wildlife they perennial weed plant weeds – well-rotted clear blue sky, remember that spring attract.

– any root fragments manure or garden brings us hope and regrowth even when left behind will compost will also the resilience of us gardeners is tested. quickly regrow. feed your plants and nts.org.uk/leithhall

VISIT

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SHOP ONLINE VERSION

Burgess and Scott Hay in their Forres workshop

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EVERY PENNY OF PROFIT from purchases made in our shops and at nts.org.uk/shop goes towards our conservation work

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HISTORY

Our exclusive new range of Culloden gifts is crafted by a bagpipe-making family whose local roots run deep On 16 April 1746, in the hunting forest close to Culloden Moor, a beech sapling was growing. Almost 300 years later, that tree had to be felled to make way for a new bridge over the River Nairn – but it lives on, thanks to an exclusive range of Culloden-themed gifts made from its timber.

These wonderful products have been hand-crafted by bagpipe-makers Burgess Hay and his son Scott, whose family links to the area date back to

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the time of the Jacobite risings.

The Culloden toasting tray (£30) celebrates the tradition of toasting with whisky, which dates from the Jacobite era. The tray can be combined with gin or whisky glasses (£14 each).

Our Culloden ‘Sgian Brew’ (£48) is a modern twist on the Sgian Dubh knife worn with Highland dress. Its beechwood handle is topped with a contrasting piece of African blackwood (also used to make bagpipes), while at the other end is a stainless-steel stag’s head bottle

XXXCREDIT HERE XXX

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CARVING OUT A PIECE OF SCOTLAND’S

We’ve added some great new reads to our book selection, including practical sustainability guides

l Waste Not Everyday (£10) is a step-by-step guide to simple, progressive lifestyle changes that will have a big impact on what you throw out, and on the health of our planet. And all 365 ideas are achievable for everyone, regardless of budget or schedule.

275 years on

Limited-edition presentation packs Exclusive to the award-winning gift shop at Culloden Battlefield, our limited-edition whisky and gin presentation packs were crafted in 2021 to mark the 275th anniversary of the battle.

These unique collectables raise money for Culloden’s Fighting Fund, which aims to protect the land surrounding the battlefield from development.

Each presentation pack (£100) comprises a numbered engraved whisky or gin glass, an exclusive Culloden 275 malt whisky or gin miniature and a numbered coaster crafted from a beech tree which stood nearby on the day of the battle (see left).

Just 275 boxes of whisky and gin packs respectively are available. Visit the Culloden gift shop to buy yours, or call the team on 01463 796090 to place an order.

l The Little Book of Going Green (£6.99) sheds light on the ways humans harm the environment – via pollution, deforestation, destructive farming methods and more – and is filled with tips to make every aspect of your life more earth-friendly. l Live Green: 52 Steps for a More Sustainable Life (£8.99) is a practical guide, listing one change for each week of the year that we can all make to our homes and lifestyles to reduce our impact on the environment.

XXXCREDIT HERE XXX

nts.org.uk/cullodens-fighting-fund

Rest your glass on a durable beechwood coaster

opener, designed by the Hay family.

This very special collection also includes wooden pebbles (£10) emblazoned with an image of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Culloden coasters (£26 for four), a spurtle (£12), a chopping board (£16) and a soap dish (£16), all featuring a Jacobite rose based on a 1749 medallion. nts.org.uk/shop

CAREFREE CUDDLES This adorable fluffy Highland cow (£10) is made from 100% reclaimed material. Suitable for children aged one upwards, it is stuffed with recycled polyester from plastic waste, and weighted with recycled glass beads.

A wider range of eco-soft toys will be arriving from March, so look out for more cute creatures, such as a red squirrel, a rabbit, a puffin and even a Nessie! nts.org.uk/shop SPRING 2022 � 71

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GREEN LIVING

I love this place, 1

I LOVE THIS PLACE VERSION THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR SCOTLAND Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road Edinburgh EH11 4DF Website www.nts.org.uk REPRO OP

SUPPORTER CARE TEAM Telephone 0131 385 7490

The picturesque village of Culross with the palace front and centre

SUBS

The National Trust for Scotland is a charity, independent of government, supported by legacies, donations and member subscriptions.

A WONDERFUL WEDDING GIFT

Scottish Charity Number SC 007410

ART

NTS Magazine Editor Emily Rodway nts.editor@thinkpublishing.co.uk Sub Editor Judy Diamond Art Director John Pender Assistant Editor Angela McManus

For Alison Cox from Glasgow, supporting the Trust is a long-held family tradition now spanning an incredible five generations. She tells us why Culross Palace holds a very special place in her heart

PRODUCTION CLIENT

WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE TRUST? It was 1981. My husband, Rod, and I were given a life membership as a wedding gift from my parents. I remember a guest at our wedding saying, ‘That’s an unusual present.’ It’s a bit different from the usual canteen of silver cutlery! But my parents had also been given a life membership by my grandparents, who had themselves taken out life membership when it first became available.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN VISITING? From early childhood, I remember going out to visit properties almost every weekend. My family has always appreciated the chance to explore the beauty, history and culture of Scotland.

WHY IS CULROSS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? Culross Palace was the first Trust property my parents took me to as a toddler. I have two sisters – my middle sister took her first steps in the gardens there.

Rod and I were living on the south coast of England when we got married but we soon

Patron HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay KG KT GCB OM Chairman Sir Mark Jones Chief Executive Phil Long OBE

Advertising Manager Sonal Mistry sonal.mistry@ thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7247

moved back to Scotland with our careers.

We returned to live in Edinburgh, and I have fond memories of visiting Culross Palace when Gemma, our first child, was just a few months old.

One of the guides took a photograph of us in the palace garden.

Years later, we moved to live nearby. Our house had the same crow-stepped gables and was of a similar vintage to those in the burgh. I can remember taking the family for walks along to Culross and having many a happy afternoon in the cafe.

AND THE FAMILY TRADITION OF MEMBERSHIP CONTINUES? My father gave our son Alex life membership for his 25th birthday. When he got married to Aimée, I arranged with the membership team to change this to a joint life Alison with Rod membership, thus continuing and Gemma at the family tradition.

Culross Palace Last year they had a little boy, so our grandson, Henderson, is now the fifth generation of the family to enjoy everything about the Trust for the rest of this century.

Senior Sales Executive Elizabeth Courtney elizabeth.courtney@ thinkpublishing.co.uk 020 3771 7208 Executive Director John Innes john.innes@ thinkpublishing.co.uk The National Trust for Scotland’s member magazine is published three times a year by Think, on behalf of the National Trust for Scotland. www.thinkpublishing.co.uk Printed in the UK by Pindar Scarborough, Floor 2, Pindar House, Thornburgh Rd, Eastfield, Scarborough YO11 3UY. © The National Trust for Scotland 2022 ISSN 2631-3170 Cover image: Orange Tip Butterfly and Cuckoo Flower

by Laurie Campbell All other photography © The National Trust for Scotland unless otherwise stated.

Illustrations: Boxdog Inc The National Trust for Scotland takes no responsibility for advertisements within the magazine. No unsolicited manuscripts please.

If you no longer wish to receive this magazine please contact our Supporter Care Team by telephone on 0131 385 7490 or by post to National Trust for Scotland, Customer Services, Hermiston Quay, 5 Cultins Road, Edinburgh EH11 4DF.

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