Old Photograph Curling Pitlochry Perthshire Scotland

Old photograph of men Curling by Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire, Scotland. Curling was invented in medieval Scotland, with the first written reference to a contest using stones on ice coming from the records of Paisley Abbey, Renfrewshire, in February 1541. The word curling first appears in print in 1620 in Perth, Perthshire, in the preface and the verses of a poem by Henry Adamson. Outdoor curling was very popular in Scotland between the 16th and 19th centuries because the climate provided good ice conditions every winter. The game is most firmly established in Canada, having been taken there by Scottish emigrants. The first curling club in the United States was established in 1830, and the game was introduced to Switzerland and Sweden before the end of the 19th century, also by Scots. Today, curling is played all over Europe and has spread to Brazil, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, China, and Korea.



All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.