With the holiday season now in full swing I thought that this image would be most appropriate.
Scotland is a beautiful country full of historic sites and castles, breath taking scenery and very friendly natives (most of the time!)
I am ashamed to admit that I have travelled more extensively, in Canada and Italy, than I have in the country of my birth
The photograph in this Blog entry was taken at one of my favourite places in Scotland, the Isle of Iona. The thatch on the cottages might have gone, however, the building is still there, just up from the pier.
Each time I’ve visited Iona the weather has been different. On my first visit it was a glorious sunny day with the sea calm and a beautiful turquoise colour. Second time, it was a really dreach day, damp and misty. On my most recent visit, the weather was dry but overcast, with some short spells when the sun came out.
Discussing the weather in Scotland is a national pastime and a subject on which everyone has an opinion. When its dreach and wet for days on end we moan, on the rare occasion that it is very hot we moan!
If there is one thing we Scots must acknowledge it’s that we have no power over the weather It’s not unusual for us to experience all four seasons in just one day!
My visits to the Isle of Iona, have all been very special, no matter the weather
I’m sure that I am not the only person, who has visited the Isle of Iona, to have experienced a sense of peace and calm on reaching this famous Isle.
Maybe it’s because it’s so remote, that the cares and tribulations of the modern world, can’t intrude Probably not, as with advances in modern technology the world and all its problems, is never far away. Iona has a quiet dignity and serenity which is just magical Its Abbey is one of the oldest religious centres, of the Christian Faith, in Western Europe. Whether you are religious, or not, no matter the weather Iona is one of the destinations in Scotland which everyone should attempt to visit at least once
If you haven’t already been, add it to your bucket list, you never know the sun might even shine!
30 years after the closure of Polmaise No 3 and 4 Pits, it is important to remember the significance of the achievement of the coal industry and the men who made it. Recent additions to the Stirling Smith collections include a Stirling District Council publication, Polmaise, The Facts, arguing the hard economic case for this particular mine to stay open.
Polmaise was a record – breaking, productive pit and this photograph from the late 1970s encapsulates some of its style and strength. This was a period of extension for the pit, and the men are characterised as being like the fictional Captain Kirk of the Star Ship Enterprise ‘going where no man has gone before’. In the back row, they are from left to right, developer Bill Beresford, John Smith, deputy Jim White, pool leader / mine driver Peter Moran, and pans back up men Arthur Mackie and George Steven. Kneeling at the front is developer Bill Haughton (left) and shot firer Bill Hamilton (right).
Bill ‘Boo’ Haughton of Fallin first qualified as a miner in 1970 at Comrie, and went on to train as a developer and driver, opening up new seams and working in the specialist Mines Rescue Service. This photograph is one of the treasures of his working life.
This month sees the 30th anniversary of the closure of Polmaise Colliery 3 & 4, the pit which was first out in the Miners’ Strike of 1984, and last to return when the strike broke in 1985. British Coal announced the closure of Polmaise Colliery on 15 July 1987. Two days later the pit was closed for good and 112 miners were made redundant.
This pit head drawing was made in January 1988 by Kelvin Martin, a freelance illustrator for Central Arts. He did the sketch just before the pit head buildings were demolished. Kelvin later was employed by Stirling Council, and in 2016, helped construct the Stirling Mining Heritage website.
Polmaise Colliery often broke records in terms of production and profitability, and miners were used to defending their jobs, their pit, and their village of Fallin, created when the pit was sunk in 1904. They were aware that the issue in 1984 was jobs, not pay. There was never a picket line at Polmaise during the 56 week strike. The Polmaise banner, now on permanent display in the Stirling Smith, led all of the demonstrations in Scotland in 1984 -5. The battle of the Polmaise miners was one of the most protracted and heroic in Scottish history and the moral victory was theirs.
A previous blog featured John Duncan (1861-1939) who was the professional at Kings Park Golf Club from July 1901 to his retirement in 1935
This image is of a medal presented by Stirling Golf Club in the early 20th Century
Being won by:-
J S McGregor 1904
J R Archibald 1905
P Drummond 1906
M B Frazer 1907
K G Murray 1908
My opinion on golf might be that it is an unusual pursuit/hobby, however, I will admit to it being a very popular game with great skill and practice required to become proficient in it
Sport throughout history has been a very popular participant and spectator activity The Olympics, Wimbledon and The Open being just a few events
Although, on a much smaller scale, Stirling Golf Club can be seen to have joined the bandwagon I can just imagine how proud the winners and their respective families must have been when they won the medal in this photograph
It is always nice to be acknowledged, when you reach the pinnacle of any particular activity, and why should golf be any different This medal might even have been won by players using clubs made by John Duncan.
Birdie, Eagle, Albatross, Bogey, Stymie and “Out” & “In” are all golfing terms which only those interested in the game will fully understand I just hope that some of them don’t mean that poor birds flying overhead meet their end via a wee white ball. Maybe it explains why you never see an albatross flying over Stirling Castle!
Just one final point Has anyone ever actually seen the ball when Television Cameras are filming the great Golfing Competitions All I have ever seen is the sky and clouds “Spot the Ball” used to be a popular competition perhaps where golf is concerned it is a skill only a few possess!
This is one of a collection of watercolours by the artist and antiquary Jane Ann Wright (1842 – 1922) in the Stirling Smith collections. She and her sister Isabella Murray Wright lived in Livilands and then Melville Terrace. They were part of an extended old Stirling family, who were historically Jacobite supporters and worshipped in the Episcopal church, and who were regularly invited to all of the big house parties held by their relatives in the county. Jane Ann Wright’s record of the country houses of Stirlingshire is important from the architectural point of view, and in some cases, is the only record of particular properties.
This work was painted around 1890 when the house was owned by the Wilsons, who made many alterations and enlargements to the house; such as the new porch entrance and extension to the library.
The Wilsons were the main employers in Bannockburn where their tartan mills served a worldwide market. In 1746, the Disarming Act had forbidden the weaving and wearing of tartan in the Highlands. Ironically, Bannockburn, from where Charles Edward Stuart had managed to gain his victory at the Battle of Falkirk, 1746, was technically in the Lowlands and the village reaped the benefits. Bannockburn should not suffer the fate of Polmaise Castle and Murrayshall, and the restoration programme is a worthy one.
Few now remember Polmaise Castle, but as the annual march of the Gillies which takes place this Sunday 25 June at 2pm passes near to the site, its history is worth revisiting. The Save Gillies Hill campaign was set up to protect the historic hill from quarrying. Last century, Murrayshall House, built in 1673, home of the Jacobite Ladies of Murrayshall, three sisters who kept the Jacobite traditions alive in Stirling, was lost to the quarry.
In July 1966, nearby Polmaise Castle was blown up by the army, less than a century after it was built for Colonel and Lady Murray. This watercolour is by artist and antiquary Jane Ann Wright (1842 – 1922), and her sister Isabella noted in her journal “On August 6th 1868, Polmaise Castle being completed, Colonel and Lady Agnes Murray left what is now known as Old Polmaise, and took up their new abode”.
A full history of Polmaise Castle and its significance for the people of Cambusbarron is available in Peter Paterson’s excellent book, ‘A Cambusbarron Tapestry’. Built in the Fir Park above Cambusbarron, with towers and turrets and on a scale to rival every other country house in the area, it is one of the many historical casualties suffered by Stirling. Next week, we will look at its near neighbour, Bannockburn House.
This week’s image is an old photograph of a John Duncan taken in 1932
On first inspection it shows an elderly man standing at a workshop bench possibly a joiner to trade
Looking more closely, it became clear that there was more to the actual picture, than I had first thought
Behind John Duncan are various Golf Clubs In the Smiths Permanent Collection is a Cleek Golf Club made by the very man himself The cleek has a wooden shaft, steel head, dimpled face and a Fine Leather Grip It’s condition unfortunately isn’t that great The cleeks records provided me with further details on its maker:-
“John Duncan (1861-1939) was the professional at Kings Park Golf Club from July 1901 to his retirement in 1935. Born in Fife, he served his apprenticeship as a club maker with Forrester at Earlsferry, Elie. His first job was as professional at Peebles, then at Kelvinside Golf Club. He was paid £1 per week with a free workshop, coal and gas. At Kings Park, he made clubs, gave lessons and looked after the greens. Duncan soon became associated with the St Ninians area and by 1903 was living in Main Street. He had connections with St Georges Church, St Ninians, for nearly 40 years and was an elder there. He had a big input into the redevelopment of the new 18 hole course which opened in 1912 and his pay rose to £1.5s a week in recognition. He retired in 1935 and died in 1939.”
It’s amazing what a simple photograph can provide in terms of local interest and history
I am now about to jump into the water! Personally, Golf is a game and leisure pursuit, the popularity of which I’ve never truly understood Hitting a wee white ball around a field using a stick, with the aim of getting the ball into a very small flagged hole, has always seemed rather strange to me
When a teenager I used to walk my dog around the edges of the King’s Park, and on the odd occasion a golf ball would land near him, being a dog it was his natural instinct to run and pick it up Once retrieved from him I would throw it back onto the green making sure it was nearer to the hole/flag than it had previously landed You could say I was offering the Golfer some friendly assistance
The Holy Grail of playing Golf is apparently achieving a “Hole in One” While I appreciate that great skill must be involved in doing this, being a “True Scotsman” if I was playing I’d keep it quiet, as the penalty of reaching this goal is buying everyone in the bar a drink This sounds to me more a penalty than a congratulation Tap water is a drink so maybe that way the achievement could be rightly celebrated while ensuring the lucky golfer didn’t break the Bank!
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This display box of carved oak contains a wax copy of the seal of Stirling. It was found at auction by Friend of the Smith Dr Robin Campbell and is a recent purchase for the Stirling Smith courtesy of the Stirling Common Good Fund.
The seal was appended to all official documents issued by the Royal Burgh of Stirling for centuries, and carries the Latin inscription:
In this is contained the Castle and Bridge of Stirling
Here stand the British saved by their arms; here the
Scots, saved by the Cross
In other words, God is on the side of the Scots, and the invaders are there by force only. In the 19th century, the Stirling Seal was remembered by a little poem:
The Britons stand by force of arms
The Scots are by this cross preserved from harms
The castle and the bridge of Stirling town
Are in the compass of this seal set down
Famously, it was William Wallace who repelled invaders at the Battle of Stirling Bridge, 11 September 1297.
The matrix from which this seal was made was recently examined by an expert from the National Museums of Scotland, and it was found to be original, probably dating to 1296.
This week’s image was included in a series of views taken around the village of Fintry
On the front of the building a clock is clearly visible
The building had been the local school Financed by a Mr John Stewart, a retired Fintry merchant, it was named after him – “Stewart’s School”
In use from 1839-1961 it then became a Community Centre and is now I understand a private dwelling
I remember a saying that adults used to quote when I was young…..
“School days are the happiest days of your life so make the most of them”
……..I always thought this was just a lot nonsense
In hindsight they were of course correct
There were only two real downsides to school:-
To my credit I never received “The Belt” not because I was a perfect angel only because I never got caught!
The plus points were way more fun with furtive kisses to steal, the innocent holding of hands, “important” secrets to be shared, wondering who you would dance with at the School Disco, the excitement of receiving a Valentine’s Card with S.W.A.L.K written on the back and if you were really lucky (or loved) a lipstick kiss! The boys played “British Bulldogs” or tried to set things on fire with magnifying glasses (luckily the Scottish Weather wasn’t conducive with fire lighting) The girls meanwhile played weird hand games, singing rhymes to go along with them, or made Cats Cradles out of string!
The School Holiday’s seemed to just go on forever and it was a real cultural shock when you went to the High School Suddenly you had to work your way back to the top again – life just wasn’t fair
Today childhood ends way too early A sign of the times many will say, a real shame say I, innocence lost can never be recovered
Childhood is precious Far too quickly children grow up and have to make their own way in the world The times we live in are full of worry, danger, threats and pain Childhood should last as long as possible for all too soon reality strikes and life loses much of its mystery and magic
Anything and Everything seemed possible when you were a child
Adulthood itself brings with it many pluses, but there will always be a bit of the “Little Boy” in me, stealing kisses behind the Bike Sheds