On the last Thursday of 2022 I went on a coastal walk with my friend Callum. We set off from Inverbervie heading south towards Gourdon. It was mid-afternoon, mid-winter and the available light already restricted – but our walk was not far and we had much to chat about!
Arriving at Gourdon we came across an abandoned cottage still protected by railings painted orange – they were flaking badly and it it was hard to tell what was paint or what was rust. However, we could ‘see’ the beauty and charm of this fisherman’s cottage. It’s local vernacular pulled on oor hairt strings.
Badly oxidised, but hanging-on-in-there, was a nameplate on the collapsing front door: ‘J. CRAIG’ it whispered.
This film is about this cottage. A cottage which I now know was named ‘THORNBUSH’. From its beginning this cottage was the family home of the Craig family and here generations of the family began, lived, and breathed their last.
To play this film please click here or on the image above.
Music credits:
[1] ‘Collapsing Time‘ – Dexter Britain
[2] ‘Party Fears Two’ – a cover by Kenny Anderson
Old cine footage: Moving Image Archive