The Roundel
Early this morning I headed north from Bridge of Allan. I stopped five miles on, at the Roundel. The inscribed stone, that once stood central in the Roundel, was removed to … Continue reading The Roundel
Tag: Perthshire
“In order to begin to heal”
Sir Tom Devine, the Herald, Sunday 14 June 2020: D U N I R A, a lost garden, which Nature is healing:
150 feet above the rest of us
At the weekend, our daughter Rachel made a BLACK LIVES MATTER sign and put it up in our front window beside the RAINBOW that she had previously made with her … Continue reading 150 feet above the rest of us
‘Are aulder than auld Perth’
The Mercer family was said to be “aye aulder than auld Perth”. In return for giving the North and South Inches to the people of Perth, the Mercer family were … Continue reading ‘Are aulder than auld Perth’
‘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’
‘A Pair of GOLD SPECTACLES in a Tartan Case’
On 13th November 1881, George Stephen, Watchmaker, Comrie lost his spectacles [presumably going to, or coming from, church]: George Stephen would have been a ‘weel kent’ figure in Comrie given … Continue reading ‘A Pair of GOLD SPECTACLES in a Tartan Case’
‘The Patient Art of Fieldwalking’
You might be wondering why the title of this post does not obviously relate to the urban map it superimposes? In what follows I will do my best to bridge … Continue reading ‘The Patient Art of Fieldwalking’
Gourdiehill
Patrick Matthew of Gourdiehill, Perthshire (1790 –1874) was a true social maverick. Many folk more able than I, are endeavouring to secure his proper place in history. On Gourdiehill, cultural … Continue reading Gourdiehill
Spout of Buchanty
On the 20th September 1869, George Patton, Lord Advocate and Solicitor-General for Scotland [who a few weeks before had appointed himself as Lord Justice Clerk], took his life. He did … Continue reading Spout of Buchanty
A9 dualling: additional information
The A9 is currently undergoing work to dual the stretch between Luncarty and the Pass of Birnam. If you are heading north on Scotland’s trunk road let your imagination recreate … Continue reading A9 dualling: additional information
‘I have written my heart in my poems’
Robert Nicoll (1814 – 7 December 1837) was a Scottish poet and lyricist whose life, although short, left a lasting impact. He was born at Tullybelton, north of Perth:
grave full of years
Here in Radical Park where the unemployed were once employed: semi-circular panels in spandrels still rise up into an arch. Father-to-son, until 1902 ballads foretold that the Celtic Graemes would ‘never … Continue reading grave full of years