‘These buds of love’
I once made a film about the lost garden of D U N I R A . A number of years later, I came across this verse inscribed on a … Continue reading ‘These buds of love’
Tag: gardens
Notes from HERE and THERE
Holmhill House, Dunblane, where extraordinary charity began. Grace Donaldson raised thousands of pounds for charities and alongside financial legacies, left on her death, the park of Holmehill to the children … Continue reading Notes from HERE and THERE
Something of the sky
This film is for Sian. Thanks to Mike Mckenzie for writing such a beautiful song from his home.
The Sisters’ Garden
This photograph makes me smile. The Matron looks fierce but the Sisters’ as bonny as the flowers that they are tending! The exact location of the Sisters’ Garden has been … Continue reading The Sisters’ Garden
No.1 Shrub Place
From No.1 Shrub Place, Edinburgh, a dynasty of gardeners grew. No.1 Shrub Place was where Melville Christie and his wife Jane raised their family. Melville Christie was employed as a gardener … Continue reading No.1 Shrub Place
Glassingall Gardener
Glassingall Mansion House, just North of Dunblane, was demolished in the months before my birth. I have seen photographs of it, and to my eyes, it looks to have been … Continue reading Glassingall Gardener
A Dishonest Sweep
Philip Hughes (1836-1896), a Chimney Sweep who lived and worked in Edinburgh, had a troubled life. His family, and the City he lived in, were also troubled by his behaviour. … Continue reading A Dishonest Sweep
R E E K I A N A
James Skene (1775-1864), advocate, antiquarian and confidant of Sir Walter Scott, had a profound sense of Edinburgh as a changing city. In the early 19th century, he witnessed, at first … Continue reading R E E K I A N A
Garden Cottage
For nearly half-a-century Nicol Cathie was gardener at Airthrey Castle. He and his wife lived in Garden Cottage by auld Logie Kirk. Garden Cottage has been abandoned for many years … Continue reading Garden Cottage
Scotland’s Silver Glen
The Silver Glen lies approximately 1 km to the east of the town of Alva, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, and takes its name from the silver that was mined there in the … Continue reading Scotland’s Silver Glen
Glen Creran gardener
I recently came across this photograph of a Victorian gardener who worked in Glen Creran, Argyll. The photograph was annotated with the name of the gardener: Peter Rankin. To me … Continue reading Glen Creran gardener
Princes Street Gardens
This film is for my Granny who died in 1998. She used to take me on the bus into Edinburgh and we fed birds in Princes Street Gardens. It is … Continue reading Princes Street Gardens