On Sunday 31st May 2026, Mossgrove garden was one of a number of gardens in Bridge of Allan made open for charity. This short film shares some of that afternoon and some of the thoughts and ideas that the garden seeks to explore:
boys and girls come out to play:
To play this short film please click here or on the image above.
Music credit: The Music Weaver as performed by Sandy Denny, BBC Radio , 25 October 1972
The same day that our garden was open, Scotland on Sunday had a feature article on Ian Hamilton Finlay’s ‘Little Sparta’. This coincidence felt wonderfully fitting, as Ian Hamilton Finlay has had a significant influence on my approach as an artist.
Mossgrove garden, Bridge of Allan.
Peter and Sian came to Bridge of Allan more than two decades ago leaving behind Aberdeenshire where they had met as junior doctors. Their first garden was Tillybin, not far from Castle Fraser.
Peter’s mother’s family were fruit growers and their orchards were in and around the village: Cornton and Drumdruills. Peter’s mother Margaret Scott was born in Bridge of Allan and his grandfather, Rab Scott, was the last orchardman. He was always spotted dotting about in his Series II Land Rover.
Sian has recently retired from her job as a GP in Falkirk. Peter retired several years ago, after 25 years NHS service. Peter is a gardener first, artist second. For the 2022 census [delayed due to the Covid pandemic] Peter wanted to complete his occupation as ‘Gardener’. However, only pre-formatted categories were available and Peter was categorised as a ‘retired Doctor’.
After graduating in Medicine in Aberdeen, Peter studied Landscape Architecture with the University of Edinburgh. Peter was awarded the Scottish Chapter prize for being the best MLA graduate in Scotland.
So many people enter our lives and many of those now ‘live on’ in Peter and Sian’s garden. Peter has been particularly influenced by Ian Hamilton Finlay who he met at Little Sparta in 1991. The Town Planner and gardener, Patrick Geddes, long dead has been a further guide for Peter.
Garden Notes:
The Ageing Stone – has the exact proportions of Mavisbank House, Loanhead [an Adam house that is now a ruin] Peter was formerly a Trustee of this beautiful house and designed landscape. This sculpture considers ageing and beauty and questions just how separate the “2 cultures” may be? The Latin poem was first carved on the front of Mavisbank, it translates:
May you grow old either never or late,
and that you experience earthly changes late.
May what the numerous ages erode be restored intact,
may it be granted that the older you are,
the more beautiful you may shine.
Poor. OId. Tired. Horse. – The magazine of Wild Hawthorn Press [Little Sparta]
Vivendo Discimus – ‘it is by living that we learn’ [the motto of Patrick Geddes]
Time passes. Listen. Time passes. Come closer now – from Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas
The faltering, unfaltering steps – [the Morgan steps] from In the Snack-bar by Edwin Morgan
“Second to the right, and straight on till morning” – Peter Pan gives Wendy the directions to NEVERLAND
The Hermit Hoose [a treehouse that once had a zip-wire escape!]
It was the artful kindness that moved – from LESSONS by Ian McEwan
open-hearted and open-handed – acts of kindness can come in any form, even just a smile.
The sky belongs to us all – on the side of a raised bed made out of old railway sleepers
4.04 – arborglyph: the moment of time that Andrew Robert Gordon was born
Wonderful Moment – 6.26, Rachel Fiona Gordon was born
Two girls singing – Rachel and her cousin Sarah [a favourite poem by Iain Crichton Smith]
Black Star – David Bowie [a bit of transient art on a granite paving stone that has now completely faded away]
Nullius in Verba – ‘take nobody’s word for it’ [The motto of The Royal Society]
‘The world’s scattered edge’ – an expression of how pollutants, including prescribed drugs, have been absorbed by ocean life, as wide and far as the world’s furthest oceans.
The Rebel Antiquary – Peter, accompanied by ‘Big Ted’ explores Scotland in his 64-year-old Series II Land Rover.
Mrs Picken [painted on top of blue hive, but now worn away by weather and time] – a kind old lady who each day waited at her front door to give Peter an apple in thanks for delivering her evening newspaper [1980s]
SAPERE AUDE – an encouragement to be yourself and be kind to yourself in the wisdom that comes with living [TEXT books are not always right and may in fact not apply to you!]
Small is Quite Beautiful – a recreation of an inscription in stone by Ian Hamilton Finlay
Free Expression – a place on an old Caithness slab to write anything you want in coloured chalks!
“6” – a reference to Anton Chekhov’s 1892 novella, Ward No. 6
DOWN TO EARTH – compost bins
Sensitive to Social Geography – a line by Alexander McCall Smith painted on a bird table hanging from one of our apple trees.
Old Rocker – hopefully we can all live to be auld rockers!
SPEEDY + SALINA – about discovery of two small planets [a reference to a short film made by Peter about his children Andrew and Rachel]
Repeats its Love – the call of the song Thrush [Peter gave this title to his book on Mavisbank]
Boys and Girls come out to play – painted on our garden swing seat. In our minds, however old we are, we are still young!
AYE right – a metal poem where two positive words express an ironic negative! AYE is also the way Peter signs his letters with affection [as Peter’s grandfather once did]. Please note: this piece of art does not represent any political view.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt – by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury. Like many, many families this was a favourite book read to children by parents and grandparents and enjoyed by all ages!
Balansummer – a poem by Tomas Tranströmer about polarisation [it is all too easy for divided to be ‘entrenched’]
Vox Humana – from Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut and used as the title of one of Peter’s short films about his children [VOX HUMANA + VOX CELESTE]
Life as Viewed By [a teddy bear] – a teddy bear accompanies Peter on his ‘wee madcap adventure’, as fellow ‘transitional objects’ they are great friends! Peter’s current bear ‘Big Ted’ was hand-knitted for him by a friend and correspondent who sadly died not long after knitting ‘Big Ted’.
The Gaberston Boys – they enjoy stopping to chat whilst leaning on our boundary wall whilst observing the garden.
The Spa Toon – Bridge of Allan became famous in the Victorian times as the ‘Queen of Scottish Spas’
Graffiti bench – a bit of wantonly creative vandalism. Readers are unearthers. Much of the graffiti has now faded away. All that remains is ‘Please Do Not Carve My Name On This Bench’ and two white doves.
Glenbardy – arborglyph: a very remote place in Deeside beside a mountain nobody knows why it was so named.
LEN, 1940 – arborglyph: a character in ‘That Summer’ by Andrew Greig
Age and beauty do go together – look up into the canopy of our ancient beech tree!
Ten summers fade – a poem by Sir Keir Maxwell for his sister [original inscription in Lecropt Old Kirkyard]
Wunderkammer – literally, a room of wonder [or in this case, a garden full of curiosities]
For all the world to hear – a poem painted on the curved wall that bounds Mossgrove garden:
Just as stars are fading out
Above the heights of Keir,
A mavis wakes and stirs about
For all the world to hear.
‘AND’ – Mayflies by Andrew O’Hagan. This arborglyph is transient art carved into an old tree stump]: dazed AND changed AND happy [fungal growth has now ‘eaten’ through the ‘d’ of ‘dazed]
Finding Cimbrone – Cimbrone is a beautiful cliff-top garden above the Amalfi coastline of Italy. There you will find the finest Agapanthus ever. Sian is Peter’s Cimbrone. Peter relocated this piece of art in April 2026. ‘Finding Cimbrone’ is now painted in LARGE on a concrete wall of Kirnie Law Reservoir, above Walkerburn, Scottish Borders.
Agapanthus: natural, beautiful, reaching
sharing light, colour and presence.
A globe, a world, projecting tall into the clearest of skies.
Without Agapanthus
I have no sky.