Scotland – ALL I NEED IS MY PASSPORT

Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Margaret Macdonald

Dec 162022

December 2022

Hill House

When I was here just two months ago, I concentrated on the architecture of Alexander Thomson as I had too little time to discover the works of Glasgow’s most famous architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh. At the time, I knew I was coming back for three days of a whirlwind through Mackintosh. What I did not count on was the fact that the daylight only lasts until 3:30 and that it would be 18 degrees outside. More importantly, many of Mackintosh’s works are outside of town, so visiting isn’t as easy as one might imagine. All that being said, I put a pretty good dent in the quest.

The Box over Hill House

Mackintosh used the most modern material for the exterior of Hill House, concrete. Sadly, the technology wasn’t yet sufficient to understand that Lime was imperative to the mix. For this reason, Hill House had become so damp as to be a mere two years away from complete ruin. To protect the Hill House, the National Trust of Scotland constructed the Hill House Box, a protective steel frame structure covered in a chainmail mesh designed to protect the house from the harsh Scotland weather, allowing the walls to dry and prevent further damage.

I had read all about this in a historic preservation magazine and then promptly forgot about it; it was a thrill actually to come upon it and see it in situ.

Living Room of the Hill House. The wingback was not a Mackintosh design; it was the chair Mrs. Blackie liked to sit in at the fireplace. Over the fireplace is Margaret’s The Sleeping Princess, commissioned by Mrs. Blackie in 1908, four years after the house was completed.

The Hill House is considered to be Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s domestic masterpiece; it was commissioned by Glasgow book publisher Walter Blackie.

Master Bedroom in Hill House with The ‘Skinny Ladies’, embroidered hangings by Margaret Macdonald

Although Mackintosh always gave his wife, Margaret Macdonald, credit, it doesn’t seem that the public does, even to this day.

Remember, you are half if not three-quarters in all my architectural work ….”

“Margaret has genius, I have only talent.”

– Charles Rennie Mackintosh on Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh

Queens Cross Church

The pulpit of Queen’s Cross Church

Queen’s Cross is the only church in the world designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and then constructed. Commissioned in 1896 by the Free Church, its draw is its absolute simplicity.

The Willow Tea Room

The second floor of the Willow Tea Room on Sauchiehall Street

Mackintosh and Macdonald were kept very busy designing and creating tea houses for Ms. Kate Cranston, a brilliant businesswoman, a lover of the Mackintoshs’ work, and patron extraordinaire.

Two of the tea houses were completely restored by the Willow Tea Room Trust in the early 2000s, and profits go to the continued restoration and maintenance of the Tea Rooms.

The entry door to the Room Deluxe

The Room Deluxe served the creme de la creme of society. It included aluminum-dust-finished chairs, a glass chandelier, and a gesso work by Margaret that now stands in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

The Room Deluxe with the chairs and mirrors that circled the room

Margaret Macdonald’s Gesso for the Willow Tea Rooms titled O ye, all ye that walk in Willowwood

The Baldacchino in the Front Saloon

Plaster sculpted walls of the Front Saloon (the twinkle lights are not normally there, it is Christmas time)

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse at 11 Mitchell Lane

The Lighthouse is Scotland’s Centre for Design and Architecture. The building formerly housed The Glasgow Herald, and was the first public commission completed by Mackintosh. Sadly it was still closed “due to covid” while I was there.

Ornamentation high up on the Lighthouse.

The ornamentation on the exterior of the lighthouse demonstrates the light touch of Mackintosh towards such displays.

The Mackintosh Home at The Hunterian

The Hunterian has reassembled the original interiors from the home the Mackintoshes rented, designed, and lived in from 1906 to 1914.

Once the re-assemblaged was accomplished, the home was furnished with the Mackintoshes’ own furniture.

The chairs in the dining room were Mackintosh’s first ‘high-back’ and were based on a design for Miss Cranston’s Tea Rooms.

The Studio Drawing Room was originally two rooms, altered by the Mackintoshes. The stenciled chairs and oval table were part of an ensemble called ‘The Rose Boudoir’ exhibited in Turin in 1902.

The Studio-Drawing Room

I found the black and blue in the guest room to be especially interesting.

The Hunterian is part of the University of Glasgow, which, thanks to a donation by the Mackintosh’s nephew, has a large collection of Mackintosh’s drawings, designs, and watercolors, along with over 40 works by Margaret.

Mackintosh was not highly appreciated in his own lifetime and has really only been brought to the for of architectural fame in the 21st century. Fortunately, his works have survived and now hold a place of pride in Glasgow.

Galloping through Glasgow

Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom

Nov 022022

October 28, 2023

Driving south to Glasgow

A section of the Glenfinnan Viaduct

The Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Inverness-shire. It was built between 1897 and 1901 and overlooks the Glenfinnan Monument and the waters of Loch Shiel.

The viaduct is built from mass concrete and has 21 semicircular spans of 50 feet. It is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland at 416 yards and was built on a curve of 792 feet.

The concrete used is mass concrete, unlike reinforced concrete does not contain any metal reinforcement. It is formed by pouring concrete into formwork, resulting in a material very strong in compression but weak in tension

I visited the viaduct on the advice of an Edinburgh cab driver, it wasn’t until I was there that I found out about its connection to Harry Potter. After its appearance in Harry Potter, British Transport Police had to warn people not to walk on the viaduct after a handful of near misses with trains.

The Glenfinnan Monument on the edge of Loch Shiel was erected in 1814 and is dedicated to the soldiers of Loudon’s Highlanders, who fought in the Jacobite rising of 1745.

Castle Stalker

Castle Stalker is a four-story tower house believed to have been built around 1440. The name “Stalker” comes from the Gaelic Stalcaire, meaning “hunter” or “falconer”. The island castle is one of the best preserved medieval tower houses to survive in western Scotland. I appreciated most that it was “The Castle Aaaaarrrrrrggghhh” in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Glasgow

This visit I have one day in Glasgow so rather than spend it visiting Charles Rennie Mackintosh (I will be back in December to do that) I decided to just wander, find interesting buildings and look into another well-known architect of Scotland, Alexander “Greek” Thomson.

Alexander Thomson began work in 1834, as a clerk in a lawyer’s office in Glasgow. One of their clients was an architect, Robert Foote, who was impressed by seeing Thomson’s drawings and took him on as an articled apprentice. After a career made up of eclectic designs he adopted the pure Ionic Greek style that he is best known for.

The Grosvenor Building

Shortly after this was finished it burned down and was rebuilt in 1864. A second fire ravaged the building in 1901 and it was rebuilt again. In 1967 a third fire destroyed the interior of the building. After a major overhaul in 1992, it was converted to offices and now only the facade remains.

Thomson’s adoration of Greek style is quite obvious

Grecian Chambers Building

The Grecian Chambers were completed in 1865 and is considered one of Thomson’s best examples of commercial architecture. A major fire in 1902 saw the roof rebuilt, but the rest of the structure survived relatively unscathed.

Details of the Grecian Chambers Building

Several more of Thomson’s buildings were covered in scaffolding, I do hope to see them next time.

Glasgow City Council Chambers

The Glasgow City Council Chambers was designed by the Scottish architect William Young and construction began in 1882. The building was inaugurated by Queen Victoria in August 1888 and the first council meeting held within the chambers took place in October 1889

The exterior of the building is in the Beaux-arts style, with a vast range of ornate decoration, used to express the wealth and prosperity of the city. The exterior sculpture is by James Alexander Ewing.

Marble staircase in the Glasgow City Council Chambers Building

When describing this building many say “more marble than the Vatican” it has even been used as a stand-in for the Vatican in films. The staircases are said to be Western Europe’s largest marble staircases and are of Carrera marble.

One of two stunning marble staircases in the Glasgow City Council Building

The marble tile ceiling of the Glasgow City Council Chamber Building

Arch Gates leading to the Glasgow City Council Chambers

The City Halls are part of a market complex designed by John Carrick in 1882, but the grand hall itself was designed by George Murray and opened in 1841. It was the first hall suitable for large gatherings and concerts to be built in the City.

The Central Railway

Built by the Caledonian Railway the building opened in stages from 1894.

Central Railway Station interior

St Enoch Subway Station

The original St. Enoch Subway Station building housed both a booking office and the headquarters of the original Glasgow District Subway Railway Company. This was (and is) the subway’s most distinctive building. The design is Flemish Renaissance, and late Victorian out of red sandstone. It was designed by James Miller in 1896.

Red Sandstone Buildings of Glasgow

Tron church/theater clock

In Glasgow, the name ‘Trongate’ first appeared around 1560. It referred to the “tron”– the beam with which trading goods were officially weighed when they entered the city walls. For the next three hundred years, this area came to be at the heart of the city’s mercantile and financial activity– hence Merchant City.

A church was originally built on the site in 1529. It is now the Tron Theatre.

The Tron Cherub by Scottish-born artist Kenny Hunter

Atlas Figures at 152 Argyle Street in Glasgow

These figures sit on a building erected in 1906 as the Stewart and MacDonald building. I wish I could find out more about them as they are truly charming.

Random fun graffiti

Phyllis Archibald was the sculptor of these figures at 22-24 St Enoch Square. The building dates to 1906.

Duke of Wellington

The statue, located just outside of Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art was erected in 1844. Apparently, during the 1980’s, passersby began placing a traffic cone on the Duke’s head. No one is sure who started the tradition, but the bright orange hat has become so common that most have come to accept it as the standard look of the statue.

As Proud As… sits in Princes Square and is by Shona Kinloch – A play on – as proud as a peacock, and yes he is naked.

To end this post I will tie it in with my home town San Francisco.

Just off the Trongate, is this neon sign with “Empire” in reverse. Created by Glaswegian artist Douglas Gordon, it pays homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 Vertigo. Empire is the name of the hotel where the character played by Kim Novak resides and that is in San Francisco.

The Highlands and Northern Hebrides of Scotland

Scotland, United Kingdom

Oct 272022

October 25, 2022

Crossing the Forth of Firth

Bridges that cross the Forth of Firth

The red bridge is the UNESCO World Heritage Site Forth Bridge. It was the first major steel construction in the UK at 1.5 miles in length and was the longest single cantilever bridge span in the world when opened in 1890; today it has the second longest span. The Forth Bridge remains largely unchanged and still carries 190–200 trains every day.

The Forth Road Bridge opened in 1960. Upon its opening, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world outside of the United States and bears a close resemblance to the Golden Gate Bridge on which it was modeled.

In 2017 the Queensferry Crossing Bridge opened. The Queensferry Crossing is the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world.

The Highlands

The Highlands of Scotland are absolutely gorgeous, they are also the most sparsely populated area of Scotland. The terrain is interesting as the many mountain ranges that surround the valley areas and the lochs dominate the area.

Historically the area is best known for Loch Ness and its monster Nessie and the Battle of Culloden.

The hills around Loch Ness

The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745. On April 16th, 1746, the Jacobites, under Charles Edward, the Young Pretender (“Bonnie Prince Charlie”), were defeated by British forces under William Augustus, duke of Cumberland.

Grave markers on the Battlefield of Culloden

The battle, which lasted only 40 minutes, resulted in a terrible defeat for the heavily outnumbered Jacobites. Near 1,000 weak and starving members of the Young Pretender’s army of 5,000, were killed by the 9,000 Redcoats, who lost only 50 men.

The war roots begin with the Catholic Stuart monarch James who was King of England and Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII losing his throne to his Protestant daughter Mary and her Dutch husband William, who ruled as co-monarchs.

Mary’s sister Anne took the throne in 1703 on William’s death. Neither she nor Mary had any living children and when Anne died in 1714, seven years after overseeing the Act of Union, the natural heir to the throne was her half-brother, the Catholic James Francis Edward.

Catholics were excluded from the throne so the crown passed to the Protestant Electress Sophia of Hanover who died in June 1714. Her son succeeded Anne two months later as George I.

But many felt the Stuary dynasty should be continued meaning James, the Old Pretender, was the true heir to the throne. They were known as Jacobites, a name derived from the Latin for ‘James’.

Thatched roofed Leanach Cottage at the Culloden Battlefield in Scotland. The cottage was built in 1760 on the site of the farm building shown on almost every contemporary battle map of Culloden. During the battle itself, it reportedly sat on the side of the government lines and may even have served as a field-building for the wounded.

Soon after Culloden, laws were passed that banned Highlanders from wearing clan colors or bearing arms. Clans lost land and power and the clan system suffered irreparable harm.

A Memorial Cairn, erected in 1881 by Duncan Forbes of Culloden

The battle also made the British government realize the need to find a way to integrate the highlands of Scotland and other areas, where potential uprisings could occur, more closely into the country. During this time the British government began to send prisoners and others associated with the uprisings to the distant colonies of both America and Nova Scotia (New Scotland) in Canada, as a way of riding potential threats. It has been estimated that there are some 20 million people of Scots descent living in other countries as a result of the huge diaspora in the aftermath of this one battle.

At the time of the Jacobite uprising in 1745-46, Bonnie Prince Charlie used Culloden House as his lodging and battle headquarters.

Culloden House, is now a lovely hotel.

The duck pond at Culloden House

Urquhart Castle

The present ruins, on Loch Ness, date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, they were built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. The castle went through many owners and had largely been abandoned by the mid-1600s. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces and then slowly decayed. It was turned over to the government in the 20th century and turned into a monument and opened to visitors.

Fort George

The fort is so big as to be unfathomable. The only way to see the entire fort is from the other side of the firth.

Following the 1746 defeat at Culloden of Bonnie Prince Charlie, George II created the ultimate defense against further Jacobite unrest. The fort was built to replace a Fort George in Inverness which was constructed after the 1715 Jacobite rising to control the area. The current fortress has never been attacked and has remained in continuous use as a garrison.

The fortification is based on a star design and remains virtually unaltered.

Clava Cairns

Clava Cairns is an early Bronze Age site consisting of three well-preserved cairns, two of which are passage graves, along with a number of free-standing stones placed for astronomical purposes.

The cairns date from circa 2500 BCE, and had been in use for over 1000 years. Some evidence suggests reuse by communities, intermittently, until 770 CE as a burial ground and center for rituals. The cairns themselves have been identified as graves but were clearly constructed with astronomical alignments in mind.

Terms used in this type of archeology can be confusing. A passage grave consists of one or more burial chambers covered in earth or stone that have a narrow accessway made of large stones. These structures usually date from the Neolithic Age. When covered in earth, a passage grave is a type of burial mound found in various forms all over the world. When a passage grave is covered in stone, it is a type of cairn.

Driving around the Scottish Highlands:

Isle of Skye

Skye is is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides. The island has been occupied since the Mesolithic period, and over its history has been occupied at various times by Celtic tribes including the Picts and the Gaels, Scandinavian Vikings, and most notably the powerful integrated Norse-Gaels clans of MacLeod and MacDonald.

Sadly this was a whirlwind visit but Skye has so much to offer and so many places to explore.

Looking at the Isle of Skye from the mainland of Scotland

Legend has it that the Old Man of Storr was a giant who resided on the Trotternish Ridge. When he was laid to rest upon his death, his thumb—the “Old Man”—remained partially above ground.

Eilean Larmain

Staying on the Isle of Skye.

A fireplace on a cold and rainy day was the perfect respite.

Warm coats hang at the entry to the bar

A cold and stormy evening.

6 Times By Antony Gormley

Scotland, United Kingdom

Oct 272022

October 2022

6 TIMES is a series of six sculptures created by Turner Prize-winning artist Antony Gormley (b. 1950). They were initially installed in 2010 and reinstalled in 2019. The sculptures are life-size cast iron sculptures of the artist’s own body.

The first sculpture in the 6 Times series at the Scottish National Gallery

The works are placed across the city. They begin with the first at the entry to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art One and then follow the Water of Leith walkway all the way to the sea.

The second piece can be found behind the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

The placement of the works helps draw attention to the natural and man-made environment of the Water of Leith that runs through the heart of Edinburgh.

The Water of Leith is a gorgeous trail to stroll even if you aren’t looking for sculpture

The sculptures are rather contemplative in their placement and at the same time whimsical when adorned by admirers.

Sculpture Number 5

Fortunately, I had been warned that construction all around the Lieth Docks where the last sculpture is placed would make finding it and then photographing it very difficult.

The pigeon posed atop his head was just classic.

Gormley attended Trinity College, Cambridge (1968–71), earning a degree in art history, archaeology, and anthropology. After traveling for three years he returned and studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, Goldsmiths College, and the Slade School of Fine Art.

In the early 1980s, Gormley began to examine questions of humanity in relation to the environment. This lead him to make his first whole-body cast.

Scotland and The Royals

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Oct 272022

October 2022

Edinburgh

Holyrood Castle

The first thing you see when entering the courtyard at Holyrood Palace

Holyrood Palace (sometimes called Holyrood House) is the official residence of the British monarchy in Scotland. The palace has served as the principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining.

Taking a tour of Holyrood is a walk through royal history with all its marriages, murders, mayhem, and intrigue.

Holyrood Abbey

The history of the palace is much older than the 16th century, however. The first building on the site was built in the year 1128. This structure is the now-ruined Augustinian Holyrood Abbey and was commissioned by King David I of Scotland.

Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) held a parliament here in 1326 after which it was probably used as a royal residence. Both Kings David II and James II were buried at the abbey.

The marriage of James III and Margaret of Denmark took place here in 1469 and the guesthouse of the abbey served as the royal residence before the first version of the palace was constructed.

The original version of the palace was commissioned by King James IV and was completed between 1501 and 1505. It was built right next to the abbey in the Gothic architectural style. The Gothic palace featured a chapel, gallery, royal apartments, and a great hall and was most probably built because of his marriage with Margaret Tudor, an event that took place in the abbey in 1503. The palace was expanded by James V between 1528 and 1536. This project added additional royal apartments and included those in the northwest tower which are still in the palace today, Sadly no photography is allowed in the house, the rooms are stunning and the history is amazing.

One of several magnificent gates surrounding the property

Mary Queen of Scotts figures prominently in the Palace tour. She married the Dauphin of France in 1558 and was Queen consort of France from 1559 until the King’s death in December 1560. Upon his death, she returned to Scotland and lived in the royal apartments of the northwest tower between 1561 and 1567, the year of her forced abdication.

During her 6-year stay, the poor woman was also married in Holyrood Palace, twice. She married Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley, in 1565 in the chapel of the palace, and James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell, in 1567 in the Great Hall.

The front entry to Holyrood Palace

A big highlight of the tour is about murder. Shortly after marrying Lord Darnley in 1565, Darnley became extremely jealous of Mary’s close relationship with her personal secretary, an Italian man named David Rizzio.

So, on the night of March 9, 1566, while Mary was having dinner with Rizzio and several female courtiers, Darnley joined them and accused Mary of adultery. Then men hiding nearby dashed up the stairs and stabbed Rizzio a total of 57 times. All of this took place in the northwest tower.

The house is still used today by the Royal Family.

The garden surrounding the palace covers an area of about 10 acres and is part of a much larger park referred to as “Holyrood Park” or “Queen’s or King’s Park.”

This park covers an area of 650 acres and originally served as a royal hunting estate. One of the most famous features of this park is Arthur’s Seat, an extinct volcano and the highest point in Edinburgh at 823 feet above sea level.

The Royal Yacht Britannia

The Britannia is the former royal yacht of the British monarchy. She was in service from 1954 until 1997. She was the 83rd such vessel since King Charles II acceded to the throne in 1660, and is the second royal yacht to bear the name, the first being the racing cutter built for the Prince of Wales in 1893. She will also be the last Royal Yacht.

Semaphor Flags of the Royal Britannia

Pictures are allowed everywhere on the Royal Britannia, but due to her size, and the fact she is moored behind a giant shopping mall, an overall picture of her is rather impossible to take.

The official bell of Britannia

Cars were brought aboard for royal visits. It was not an easy task.

The sitting room

The Dining Room

You can visit the Queen’s study, her bedroom, and many other interesting rooms, but they are all behind glass and impossible to photograph appropriately.

I was most impressed with the laundry

A visit to the yacht is with a free audio guide that does a wonderful job of explaining all the nooks and crannies of the ship, as well as, what life was like aboard for the staff, the sailors, the Royals, and guests.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh, Scotland

Oct 222022

October 21, 2022

My first day in Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle

You can not miss the castle when in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle stands on Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. The castle has served a royal purpose since the reign of David I in the 12th century and remained so until 1633. From the 15th century, the castle’s residential role declined, and by the 17th century, it was principally used as military barracks with a large garrison. This is why the tour, with the exception of the royal jewels (no photos allowed), is primarily of military items and military history.

The drains with royal insignias, the rose, and the thistle.

The heraldic lion from the royal arms with its Union Jack shield standing in front of the Scottish National War Memorial

The back side of the Scottish National War Memorial (no photos allowed inside)

Soldiers Dog Cemetery dates from 1837

Views from Edinburgh Castle

The dome of Usher Hall. Constructed in 1914 it can hold approximately 2,200 patrons and has hosted hundreds of very famous entertainers.

Usher Hall from the street

Parish Church of St. Cuthbert

The copper-clad Ribbon Hotel in the far distance

Looking towards Calton Hill where you can see the National Monument, inspired by the Parthenon. Intended to commemorate the Scottish servicemen who died in the Napoleonic Wars, it was never completed leaving just the twelve columns you see. to the right of the National Monument is Nelson’s Monument.

The next day was cold and rainy and I walked to Calton Hill to see the National Monument and the Nelson Monument up close.

The Nelson Monument was built between 1807 and 1816 to commemorate Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar

Wandering the Town around Edinburgh Castle

The Witches Well at the lower end of the castle esplanade. The Witches’ Well is a monument to accused witches burned at the stake in Edinburgh.

On a door near the Witches’ Well

The item that appears to be a door knocker is an ironmongery, a pre-Georgian latch similar to a door knocker. This is an excellent example of a rare and yet surviving tirling pin.

A guest would move the ring up and down, making a rattling sound to announce their arrival. This type of mechanism is one that the Scottish poet, William Miller, most likely thought of when he wrote the Nursery Rhyme, Wee Willie Winkie:

Wee Willie Winkie rins through the toon,’

Up stairs an’ doon stairs in his nicht-gown,

Tirlin’ at the window, crying at the lock,

are the weans in their bed, for it’s now ten o’clock?

An ornament outside of a store I found fun and beautiful

The Heart of Midlothian

The Heart of Midlothian marks, what once was, the entrance to the UK’s most heinous prison, the Old Tolbooth. Its conditions were so bad that Mary, Queen of Scots ordered it torn down and rebuilt. The prison and its heart are memorialized in Sir Walter Scott’s The Heart of Midlothian, about a fictionalized riot at the Old Tolbooth.

Statue of David Hume

David Hume (1711-1776) was a Scottish Enlightenment philosopher, historian, economist, librarian, and essayist who hailed from Edinburgh.

You can find homages to David Hume all over town.

St Giles Church

Gravestone of John Knox

While this stone sits in the middle of a parking lot, it was not always the case. John Knox was a 16th-century preacher who demanded that his people be able to read the Bible in their own language. He was a key figure in the Protestant Movement. It is said that Knox wanted to be buried within 20 feet of Saint Giles, so he was laid to rest right outside the church in what was once a proper graveyard.

Greyfriar Kirkyard

Greyfriars Bobby

This Skye-terrier is Greyfriars Bobby. It is said that he stood vigil at his owner’s grave, for 14 years after his owner’s death. When he finally died in January 1872, he was laid to rest in Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from his owner’s grave.

Greyfriars Kirkyard wall ornamentation

Burials have been taking place in Greyfriars Kirkyard since the 1600s.

Mortsafes in Greyfriar Kirkyard

This is a mortsafe, a very popular way to ensure that after you died you stayed put, and not on the table of an anatomy class.

George McKenzie’s Mausoleum in Greyfriar Kirkyard

Sir George “Bloody” McKenzie was a lawyer and the Lord Advocate during the rule of Charles II and one of Edinburgh’s most famous figures.

He earned the “bloody” nickname for sending hundreds of Protestant Covenanters to their deaths and imprisoning over 1,000 in a field next to the graveyard he is now interned in. He delighted in the torture of the condemned; guards were allowed to beat the Covenanters at will, and eventually, their heads would adorn the spiked gate.

In 2003 two teenage boys entered the tomb via a ventilation slot in the back. They reached the lower vault (containing the coffins), broke the coffins open, and stole a skull. Police arrived as they were playing football with the skull on the grass. The pair narrowly escaped imprisonment on the little-used but still extant charge of violating sepulchers.

Buildings in the Grassmarket area

The ubiquitous bag pipe player entertaining the tourists.

Edinburgh Continued

Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom

Oct 222022

October 22, 2022

Today was rainy and foggy making picture-taking problematic. But there is so much to see in Edinburgh I couldn’t let a little weather deter me. Day 2:

Edinburgh is notorious for its unsavory past and has been called the most haunted city in all of Europe. Add to that the dark stone buildings and my love of the macabre was just bouncing with glee.

The Macabre

I have already introduced Greyfriars Kirkyard, here are two more cemeteries I came across.

The graveyard at The Parish of St Cuthbert in the heart of the city just off Princess Park.

Companions on St. Cuthbert’s Parish grounds.

Tucked away on the grounds of St. Cuthbert’s Parish is this lovely dog sculpture.

Edinburgh and San Diego, California each are home to a famous dog. Edinburgh’s is Greyfriars Bobby that I talked about yesterday and San Diego’s is a vagabond dog named Bum. A statue of Bobby was given to San Diego and this statue of Bum was gifted in return.

David Hume’s grave at the Old Calton Hill Cemetery

The Old Calton Burial Ground opened in 1718, and is the resting place of several notable Scots, including philosopher David Hume. The cemetery is small and yet it is very difficult to determine the locations of various graves. There were two, in particular, I was hoping to find.

Marion Laurie Sutherland who lost her leg and buried it in her grave 23 years before her death. When working on the grounds of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, many graves were found holding body parts of people waiting the rest of the body to be laid to rest.

The other was Peter Williamson (1730-1799) Peter was stolen and sold into slavery in the US. Freed as an adult he was captured first by the Cherokee and then by the French Army. He returned to Britain and wrote his memories, which caused his hometown of Aberdeen to ban him, due to his insinuation that the authorities were involved in his original kidnapping. He successfully sued them and used his compensation to establish Edinburgh’s first penny post and street directory.

Bakehouse Close

James “Balloon” Tyler”s Rangers Impartial List was a guidebook that helped gentlemen tourists select a particular lady based on a range of criteria, including her age, physical characteristics, and temperament. It also noted if the woman possessed certain skills and attributes, such as; “She regards neither decency or decorum, and would be willing to lie with a chimney-sweep as with a Lord.” This particular publication contained nearly 70 women and listed where to find them.

One place to do so was The Cock and Trumpet Pub located just off Bakehouse Close. This establishment was often frequented by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Tolbooth Tavern

This remarkable building was originally constructed in 1591, and contains The Tolbooth Tavern. The tavern was used to collect tolls from travelers who wished to enter the city. It also functioned as a council chamber, police court, and prison.

In the middle of the 1600s, Oliver Cromwell’s army detained several Scottish enemies of the state within the structure. Ten years later the cells would be filled with Covenanters who objected to the king being the Head of the Church – if they weren’t sent to Greyfriars.

The building didn’t become a drinking establishment until 1820. The clock structure was added in 1884.

Beyond the Macabre

The Caledonian

The Caledonian Hotel opened in December 1903 as part of Princes Street Railway Station. Its creation was a direct response to the North British (The Balmoral) Hotel which had opened on the opposite side of Princes Park, the previous year.

The Caledonian Hotel was built directly above the existing V-shaped railway station building and towered over the main shed. In 1965 nationalization of Britain’s railways forced the closure of Princes Street Station. The giant terminal was demolished allowing for the hotel to be extended over the former concourse.

The Balmoral Hotel

The Balmoral Hotel clock has been maintained by the Scottish clockmakers James Ritchie & Son since 1902, the hotel’s clock is set three minutes fast to ensure that people catch their trains. The only day it runs on time is December 31st (Hogmanay), for the city’s New Year celebrations.

Gates to the Old Meat Market

Edinburgh Meat Market’s distinctive arches were designed by city architect Peter Henderson. they feature two sculpted bull heads which are hard to miss. The slaughterhouse was moved in 1909 as the idea of slaughtering cattle close to residential areas grew rather unpopular.

McEwan Hall on the University of Edinburgh campus

McEwan Hall is the graduation hall of the University of Edinburgh. It was presented to the University in 1897 by William McEwan, brewer and politician, at a cost of £115,000 and designed by George Mackie Watson.

St Andrews House

Saint Andrews House is the center of the Scottish Government. The building was designed by Thomas S. Tait of Burnet, Tait, and Lorne Architects. Construction began in November 1935 and was completed in 1939. The heraldic sculpture on the front is by John Marshall.

The entry facade of St. Andrews House

Flodden Wall

Like so many ancient cities there have been several town walls around Edinburgh dating from the 12th century. It is thought that some form of wall probably existed from the foundation of the royal burgh in around 1125. In the 16th century, the more extensive Flodden Wall was erected, following the Scots’ defeat at the Battle of Flodden in 1513.

Sanctuary Stone

This is a Sanctuary Stone, which marked the five-mile boundary known as Abbey Sanctuary that gave protection to debtors seeking refuge from their creditors, and like many holy places of its time, it also offered sanctuary to criminals.

However, when the land came under the control of the crown in the late 16th century the right to claim sanctuary was restricted to financial debtors only. In 1880 a law was passed that debtors could no longer be thrown in prison and which rendered sanctuary unnecessary.

The top of the Scott Monument

The Scott Monument is a Victorian Gothic monument to Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. It is the second largest monument to a writer in the world after the José Martí monument in Havana. There are 68 statues on the monument, not counting Scott and his dog.

Field of Remembrance in anticipation of Remembrance Day on November 11th at the foot of the Scott Monument

Random Art

I can find nothing about this unique sculpture

Sculpture by William Darrell

The sign near the Rhinocerous reads: This sculpture by William Darrell is in celebration of the cultural richness of Jim Hayne’s Paperback Bookshop (1959-66_ and of the merger between the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art (2011) which extends that richness many-fold.

The Scotsman’s Steps

The Scotsman Steps were built between 1899 and 1902 by architects Dunn & Findlay as part of the construction of the building housing The Scotsman newspaper. As part of a planned renovation, the Fruitmarket Gallery commissioned a new public installation by artist Martin Creed to help improve the public perception of the steps. The installation, titled Work No. 1059, clad each of the 104 steps in a different type of marble, with all major marble quarries of the world represented.

This is just a small look at downtown Edinburgh, there is so much to see and do, that I know I must return.