Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.
Old photograph of people, houses and the George Hotel in Newburgh, Fife, Scotland. For some time, the industries in Newburgh chiefly consisted of the making of linen and floor cloth, malting and quarrying, and there were fisheries, especially of salmon. The harbour was used for the transshipment of the cargoes of Perth-bound vessels of over 200 tons. But most of these industries have now gone. A linoleum factory, owned by Courtaulds, which had been the town's principal employer, closed in May 1980 after a large fire destroyed much of the building.
Old photograph of Portobello, Edinburgh, Scotland. Portobello is located three miles to the east of the city centre of Edinburgh, along the coast of the Firth of Forth, in Scotland. By the 18th century it had become a haunt of seamen and smugglers. In 1742 a cottage was built on what is now the High Street, close to the junction with what is now Brighton Place, by a seaman by the name of George Hamilton, who had served under Admiral Edward Vernon during the 1739 capture of Porto Bello, Panama, meaning literally beautiful port or harbour, and who named the cottage Portobello Hut in honour of that victory. By 1753 there were other houses around it, and the cottage itself remained intact until 1851, becoming a hostelry for walkers and becoming known as the Shepherd's Ha'.
Old photograph of North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. One of the most famous Witch trials at North Berwick was of the woman named Agnes Sampson. She was accused of making a potion to make the storms rough as King James VI of Scotland was sailing home from Denmark with his new wife, Anne of Denmark. The trial took place in 1591 and King James was there himself. Sampson was tortured to confess and then burned at the stake, like many other innocent people.
Old photograph of the Blacksmith, houses and cottages in Gateside, Fife, Scotland. A small Scottish village in the north east of Fife which has the River Tay on its northern coast, and the Firth of Forth to the South. Other notable population centres include Cupar, Newport-on-Tay, Newburgh, Auchtermuchty and Anstruther. The famous golf and university town of St. Andrews is in this constituency.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
Old Shetland. Based on the extensive collection of old photographs and postcards gathered over the years by Shetland native Douglas Smith, this beautifully presented book provides fascinating insight into the lives of Shetlanders from the 19th to the mid 20th centuries. As is usual in a fishing and maritime community, the men folk were typically absent for long periods of time at sea and the role of women was vital to the life of the islands. They are pictured here performing task as varied as gutting the herring catch, knitting the complex Fair Isle patterns and gossamer thin shawls for which the islands are famous, cutting and drying peat for fuel, shelling bait for the fishermen and burning seaweed for Kelp to supply chemical manufacturers. The wartime period 1939 to 1945 and the island’s crucial role as a lifeline to occupied Norway via the “Shetland Bus” is detailed and there are some fine examples of the unique and mysterious Brochs, substantial round stone defensive towers located throughout the islands. The herring and whaling boats, social occasions such as football and dancing, not to mention the annual Up-Helly-Aa fire festival celebration are all covered in this very comprehensive volume. Old Shetland.
.