September 03, 2005
The archaeology of Cowgate
As expected archaeological investigations following the 2002 Edinburgh Cowgate fire have uncovered a wealth of cultural material. A thousand years of history have been found preserved in a layer four metres thick, comparable in many respects to the archaeology of London and York.
news.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1874932005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:05 AM | TrackBack
August 23, 2005
William Wallace 700th anniversary
Dawn at the Wallace Monument, 23 August 2005, Photo © SCH
Today is the 700th anniversary of the death of William Wallace, executed at Smithfield, London, on 23 August, 1305.
Who is the real Wallace? - Scotsman - Jim Gilchrist on history, film and monuments thescotsman.scotsman.com/s2.cfm?id=1806372005
I Can Not Be a Traitor - BBC - Radio Scotland broadcast about William Wallace www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/genres/history/aod.shtml?scotland/feature2_thu
Ancient Scots documents mark Wallace anniversary - Scotsman - Three historic documents brought together as part of the For Freedom Alone exhibition at Holyrood thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1789442005
The Wallace Monument from Stirling Bridge, sunset 19 August 2005, Photo © SCH
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:03 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
August 22, 2005
The 'lost village' of Daingean
A heritage trail was opened around the ‘lost village’ of Daingean, near Glengarry on the west side of Loch Ness, on 18 August.
Lost village uncovered in forest - The Herald www.theherald.co.uk/news/45269.html
‘Lost’ village resurrected for future generations - Scotsman news.scotsman.com/inverness.cfm?id=1789382005
Forgotten village open for visits - BBC - Daingean was cleared for sheep in the 1700s and obscured by trees until it was found by a forester five years ago. news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4163384.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:30 AM | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Dumfries Theatre Royal plans endangered
Dumfries and Galloway Council have rejected restoration plans for Scotland’s oldest working theatre, the Theatre Royal in Dumfries, putting in danger funds already raised to save the 18th century building.
In July 2004 the council promised GBP 2.5 million towards a 5.5 million scheme but that is now apparently being withdrawn.
Perhaps typically for Scottish local government, there is no information on the Dumfries and Galloway Council website.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4706751.stm
www.theatreroyaldumfries.co.uk
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:27 PM | TrackBack
July 14, 2005
Saint Vincent’s, Glasgow listed as 'most endangered' by World Monuments Watch
Saint Vincent’s Street Church, Glasgow, has been put on the World Monuments Fund (WMF) 2006 watch list of the 100 most endangered cultural heritage sites around the world. They report:
“Poorly maintained for half a century, the church was placed on the 1998 Watch list, which resulted in the launch of a first phase of restoration that included extensive repair of the stone tower—work funded in large part by WMF. For a brief moment, it seemed that the building was finally receiving the stewardship it needed.
Yet today the building remains at risk as its present owner, the city of Glasgow, has made no progress in finding a revenue-producing use for its extensive undercroft, nor produced a plan for the overall long-term care of the building. More important, the city has refused to install basic fire protection despite offers by others to pay for it. Unfortunately, little has been done to resolve the impasse since the site reappeared on WMF’s 2002 and 2004 lists of 100 Most Endangered Sites. The city council of Glasgow continues to postpone planning for the restoration of the church, despite extensive press coverage. WMF Britain has been actively promoting the site’s significance and the need for action before matters become worse.”
wmf.org/html/programs/resources/sitepages/unitedkingdomsaintvincentsstreet_church.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:00 PM | TrackBack
July 13, 2005
Stoney Brae 'Gaelic' cemetery
Jim Mcbeth refers in the Scotsman to a ‘Gaelic cemetery’ at Stoney Brae, Paisley, which may or may not still hold human remains.
Did Mcbeth simply mean the graves of Gaelic speakers? No dates were given for the remains and I have not found any other reports on the net.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=756782005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 03:17 PM | TrackBack
July 10, 2005
Drumin Castle reopens
Drumin Castle in Moray, one of the homes of the 14th-century “Wolf of Badenoch” Alexander Stewart, will reopen on 14 July following restoration by the Crown Estate.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=757492005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:16 PM | TrackBack
June 04, 2005
Importance of James Hutton
Ian Johnstone writes about a call to give a higher profile to James Hutton (1726-1797), author of the ‘Theory of the Earth’ and father of the study of geology. The Scotsman article seems to have been mauled by an editor, but I’m delighted by the idea of giving more recognition to Hutton.
The book Johnstone refers to, The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of Earth’s Antiquity, is by Jack Repcheck. The book’s blurb explains:
There are three men whose contributions helped free science from the straitjacket of theology. Two of the three - Nicolaus Copernicus and Charles Darwin - are widely known and heralded for their breakthroughs. The third, James Hutton, never received the same recognition, yet he profoundly changed our understanding of the earth and its dynamic forces. Hutton proved that the earth was likely millions of years old rather than the biblically determined six thousand, and that it was continuously being shaped and re-shaped by myriad everyday forces rather than one cataclysmic event.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=611562005
www.perseusbooksgroup.com/perseus/book_detail.jsp?isbn=073820692X
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:09 PM | TrackBack
May 23, 2005
Vikings and Picts
Did the Vikings ‘ethnically cleanse’ the Picts out of the Orkneys? Archaeological excavations at Langskaill Farm in Westray show an abrupt transition in material culture from that of the original population to the Norsemen. However that does not necessarily mean that the Picts were all wiped out.
Some research has been done on ‘Viking’ DNA in the Orkneys and we obviously have information about the Norsemen from history and historical linguistics. What do we know about the Picts? Have any DNA haplotypes been identified as relating to a non-immigrant population? It seems we still know only one side of the story.
It’s worth noting that the Orkneyjar website has a wealth of information about the heritage of the islands.
www.theherald.co.uk/news/39364.html
www.orkneyjar.com/archaeology/langskaill.htm
www.orkneyjar.com/history/vikingorkney/warpeace/index.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 01:35 AM | TrackBack
May 11, 2005
Beavers to be re-introduced
Scottish Natural Heritage have decided in favour of the re-introduction of the European beaver to Scotland after an absence of 400 years. It is now up to the Scottish Executive to agree to the release of some 20 animals to Forestry Commission land in Knapdale, Argyll.
Beavers are regarded as a ‘keystone species’ because of their special influence on wetland ecosystems to the benefit of other flora and fauna. They have been re-introduced to many parts of Europe.
(Thanks to Stuart Dickson for information about this project.)
www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/strategy/beaversappendix.pdf
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4534623.stm
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:24 PM | TrackBack
May 10, 2005
Ancient woodland petition deadline 13 May
The closing date to sign the Holyrood petition to protect ancient woodland in Scotland is May 13. Ths petition is supported by Woodland Trust Scotland. 2,361 people have signed so far. The page is here:
epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/viewtopic.asp?TopicID=51
www.woodland-trust.org.uk/news/subindex.asp?aid=916
Posted by Simon Holledge at 09:49 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 01, 2005
Lowland clearances
Tom Devine, director of the Centre for Irish and Scottish Studies at Aberdeen University, is quoted at length on the Lowland Clearances, of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, by Leon McDermott in the Sunday Herald.
The Lowland Clearances caused more actual evictions than the Highland Clearances, but were more successful and left less bitterness, according to Devine’s analysis.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 06:29 PM | TrackBack
April 20, 2005
The St Andrew connection
Simon Young in AD500: A Journey Through the Dark Isles of Britain and Ireland is suggesting that the bones of St Andrew (Christ’s first disciple) never reached these shores. Adoption of the saint seems to have been due to some kind of ethnic confusion on the part of the Picts who failed to distinguish between Scandanavia and Scythia. This presumably vindicates John Knox and his followers who threw the supposed relics out of St Andrews Cathedral.
Perhaps this makes the idea of having St Andrew’s Day (30 November) as a national holiday less attractive?
www.theherald.co.uk/news/37556-print.shtml
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:48 AM | TrackBack
April 18, 2005
Carbisdale, Second Battle of
Carbisdale in Sutherland was the site of the last battle, fought in 1650, between the Covenanters and the Duke of Montrose’s Royalists, which the latter lost. Unfortunately it is now threatened by a minor development, vigorously opposed by local people and historians.
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
April 16, 2005
NTS plan for Culloden
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) is asking for planning permission to build a new visitors centre at Culloden. It is being designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates Inc. of New York (and London) who claim to be “the largest interpretive museum design firm in the world”.
The NTS are also hoping to buy additional land to protect the existing 180-acre site from development.
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=403522005
www.culloden.org/the_battlefield.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:46 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
April 07, 2005
Beethoven Burns
A new Beethoven setting of a Burns song has been discovered and Tim Cornwell in the Scotsman reminds us that the Edinburgh publisher George Thomson commissioned many pieces of music by Haydn, Weber, Hummel and Beethoven, as well as text from the great Scottish writers, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Perhaps we should be taking a closer look at some of the music of Burns’s great contemporaries before anybody decides on a new Scottish national anthem? Maybe we can do a lot better than the mawkish ‘Flower of Scotland’ or the other songs suggested in a series on the Scotsman last year.
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=366132005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:32 PM | TrackBack
March 21, 2005
Lewis chessmen
Alex Salmond is to table an early day motion (EDM) at Westminster asking for the repatriation of the Lewis chessmen from the British Museum.
London has 82 pieces, while the National Museum of Scotland has another 11, representing together the surviving pieces of four incomplete sets. They were made in the 12th century, probably in Norway, of walrus ivory and whales’ teeth. They were discovered near a beach in Uig in, or before, 1831, although this has never been fully documented.
As an archaeologist, I don’t like museums which display artifacts out of context. I support the campaign to return the Elgin Marbles to Greece, and indeed any other works of art that have been removed and separated, which could be reunited and redisplayed. I have to say that I don’t think the Lewis chessmen fall into this category.
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-1533544,00.html
www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/compass/ixbin/goto?id=OBJ566
Posted by Simon Holledge at 04:20 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack
February 18, 2005
Burns birthplace
Following the petition (19 January, see also 27 December, 19 December), A rescue package has been agreed for the Burns cottage involving the National Trust for Scotland, as well as the Scottish Executive and the National Lottery.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4276761.stm
heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=187972005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 03:28 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
February 15, 2005
Bannockburn site
According to the Stirling Observer on 2 February, the Balquidderock Community Action Group are protesting plans to build a new high school on part of the supposed site of the Battle of Bannockburn (1314). The 57 acres of the Bannockburn Heritage Centre are evidently only a section of the battlefield.
I wonder how much archaeology has been done there? According to a report on the ‘24 hour museum’ only one iron arrowhead has been found so far. If the building of the school does go ahead, it would be reasonable to ask for the best part of the site to be examined by archaeologists. Digging test pits would be inadequate.
www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwhgfxen/ART22796.html
Posted by Simon Holledge at 11:42 AM | TrackBack
January 28, 2005
Trossachs steamship saved
The Loch Katrine steamship, ‘Sir Walter Scott’, is to get 85,000 pounds for emergency repairs, plus 200,000 pounds for running costs during the next two years. Further funds should be available so that the steamer continues as the central attraction of the Trossachs. Scottish Water have handed over the boat to a charitable trust.
It is a pity that Glengyle House, Rob Roy’s birthplace at the other end of Loch Katrine was not saved as well (see 19 November).
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4215269.stm
www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/html/news/2005/8walterscott_f.htm
www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/01/28104826
Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:20 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack
January 23, 2005
'Scotland Funds'
The SNP MSP Jim Mather is taking a leading role in establishing a US-based fund to help charities, education projects and arts groups in Scotland. Arthur Macmillan has an excellent article in the Scotsman about this.
If the project is a success, I hope they will consider giving grants to Historic Scotland and The National Trust of Scotland to take over and look after endangered buildings of historic and literary importance such as birthplaces of Burns and Rob Roy and Orwell’s cottage on Jura.
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=86052005
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:48 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
January 19, 2005
Robert Burns petition
On December 19 and 27, I wrote about the neglect of Scotland’s built heritage, including the Burns Cottage.
There is now an e-petition on the Holyrood website entitled ‘Culture and tourism policies regarding Robert Burns’.
This reads: “The petitioner requests that the Scottish Parliament… (a) review the policy and commitment of the Scottish Executive to place Robert Burns and his legacy at the heart of its culture and tourism policies (b) urge the Scottish Executive to assume responsibility for bringing together all interested parties to ensure the flagship assets of our Burns heritage are properly restored and developed in good time for the major events planned for the 2009 Homecoming Year, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of the national bard.”
Please sign.
The petition is at epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/viewtopic.asp?TopicID=46. It closes on 28 February.
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/4174923.stm
www.snp.org/html/textonly/news/newsdetail.php?newsID=2759
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:41 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack
December 27, 2004
Neglecting our built heritage II
More from Richard Gray in the Scotsman about the neglect of Burns monuments and now a possible threat to the future of Abbotsford House, the home of Sir Walter Scott as well. The more information we have the worse it looks.
Adam Ingram MSP of the SNP is leading a rescue effort to persuade the Scottish Executive the pay for the repair of the Burns cottage, however I suggest there should be should be some kind of built heritage fund available with a system for evaluating individual cases and working out priorities.
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1465202004
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:11 AM | TrackBack
December 19, 2004
Neglecting our built heritage
The most important Scottish book of the 20th century? Perhaps George Orwell’s 1984? It was written at a house called Barnhill on the north end of the Isle of Jura.
We visited it in July. Was it signposted? No. Was there a museum there? No. Was it open to the public? No. Do tourists ever go there? No. It is at the end of a closed (and almost impassable) five-mile road only accessible to walkers. The house itself is privately owned and let for self-catering.
The good news is that the house seems to be in a reasonable state of repair - more than can be said for the birthplace of our national poet, Robert Burns. Jeremy Watson in today’s Scotsman writes about the deteriorating condition of the cottage, due to various complicated schemes that have gone wrong.
The SNP MSP Adam Ingram has urged the Scottish Executive to come up with a solution to looking after it, but maybe what we need to is a proper policy? It is less than a month since Rob Roy’s birthplace was sold by a public body to a private buyer for less than half a million pounds (see ‘Rob Roy’s birthplace sold’, November 25).
It seems extraordinary that we should have a well-organized and funded system for acquiring paintings and works of art for the nation to prevent them going abroad, and yet we don’t have relatively small amounts of money available to protect important built heritage sites.
www.orwelltoday.com/jurabarnhillvisit.shtml
news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1448152004
Posted by Simon Holledge at 07:59 PM | TrackBack
November 25, 2004
Rob Roy's birthplace sold
Further to the story on November 19, Rob Roy’s birthplace has been sold for 475,000 pounds to a private bidder.
Richard Lochhead said: “This sale was carried out without enough time for the issue to be debated or for the public to have any say in the future of a site they own”.
What are our priorities here? How can we spend 430 million on Holyrood and not be able to forego half a million to maintain public ownership of an important heritage site?
Shame on the Scottish Executive!
www.snp.org/index_hires.php?pageName=news/newsdetail.php?newsID=2636
www.clangregor.org/glengyle-house/
Posted by Simon Holledge at 12:58 AM | TrackBack
November 19, 2004
Saving Rob Roy's birthplace
Scottish Water intend to sell Glengyle House, the birthplace of Rob Roy MacGregor. Richard Lochhead has laid a motion before Parliament to oppose this. He said:
“Scottish Water’s decision to sell off a piece of Scottish history to the highest bidder is disgraceful. The birthplace of one of Scotland’s most famous men should not be sold off without an agreement as to what the site will be used for. It would be a tragedy if Rob Roy’s birthplace was auctioned as there has been no debate about the new use for this publicly owned asset… . . Scottish Water has already allowed the site to become rundown and we need to step in to ensure that this piece of Scottish heritage is preserved.”
Perhaps Glengyle House should be restored and opened to the public as a visitors centre for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park? I see that the house is at the western end of Loch Katrine. Could the road access be improved?
This case highlights the need for a effective procedure for intervention when land and buildings of national importance come on the open market. This could be similar to the system whereby the state is given the opportunity of buying important paintings and other moveable works of art before they are auctioned.
Public bodies should also be required to maintain and not neglect heritage sites in their ownership. There is not much point in having a listing system for buildings if it is disregarded.
www.snp.org/index_hires.php?pageName=news/newsdetail.php?newsID=2617
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4025559.stm
www.clangregor.org/glengyle-house/
Posted by Simon Holledge at 02:50 AM | TrackBack
September 29, 2004
Why the Antonine Wall? Why not Iona?
Lucy Bannerman and Jenny Nobbs have a report in the Herald about the campaign to give World Heritage Site (WHS) status to the Roman Antonine Wall. Supporters hope to “raise the profile of the forgotten frontier”. However protection, not publicity, is the purpose of a WHS. Apparently some 25 out of a total length of 37 miles of the wall “have escaped modern development” though not modern agriculture.
As an archaeologist, I have to wonder how much of the wall really needs extra protection, above and beyond what it receives now. I realize that there is an interesting international tie-up with similar sites in Germany, Austria and Slovenia, but Scotland must have many other candidates for WHS: Iona, Staffa, Rhum, Wester Ross, Callanish, the Cuillins, Inverpolly and maybe others. Unlike the Antonine Wall, some of these are important for tourism and others could benefit from a greater degree of protection.
www.theherald.co.uk/news/24448.html
www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/02/SETC144a.aspx
Posted by Simon Holledge at 10:10 AM