Old Photograph Post Office Isle Of Rhum Scotland

Old photograph of the cottage Post Office on the Isle of Rhum, Lochaber, Scotland. Rhum a a name often anglicised to Rum, is one of the Small Isles of the Inner Hebrides, in the district of Lochaber. For much of the 20th century the name became Rhum, a spelling invented by the former owner, Sir George Bullough, because he did not relish the idea of having the title Laird of Rum. It is the largest of the Small Isles, and the fifteenth largest Scottish island, but is inhabited by only about thirty or so people, all of whom live in the village of Kinloch on the east coast. The island has been inhabited since the 8th millennium BC and provides some of the earliest known evidence of human occupation in Scotland. The early Celtic and Norse settlers left only a few written accounts and artefacts. From the 12th to 13th centuries on, the island was held by various clans including the MacLeans of Coll. The population grew to over 400 by the late 18th century but was cleared of its indigenous population between 1826 and 1828. The island then became a sporting estate, the exotic Kinloch Castle being constructed by the Bulloughs in 1900. Rùm was purchased by the Nature Conservancy Council in 1957.

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Old Photograph Barra Head Lighthouse Scotland

Old photograph of Barra Head lighthouse on Berneray located between Isle of Harris and North Uist in the Sound of Harris in the Outer Hebrides,Scotland. The Barra Head Lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson, has operated since 1833. From 1931 to 1980 Barra Head was inhabited only by the lighthouse keepers and their wives but the lighthouse is now automated and the island completely uninhabited.



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Old Photograph The Covin Trysting Tree Bemersyde Melrose Scotland

Old photograph of the Covin Trysting tree at Bemersyde near Melrose, Borders, Scotland. A tryst is a time and a place for a meeting, especially of lovers. This trysting tree here is a Sweet Chestnut tree which has long been a feature of Bemersyde, appearing in many paintings of the house including a sketch by Turner, located in the British Museum, in London, England. The tree is thought to have been planted in the 12th century by Petrus de Haga, making it 800 years old. Although the original trunk has now died, layers were taken by Earl Haig in the 1950s resulting in several new healthy stems rising from the base. One of the layers, planted about 30 meters from the original, is growing into a fine looking individual. The old rings that can be seen in the branches of the original Covin Tree were once attached to concrete weights which aimed to balance the trunk in its younger days the tree was twice as high as it is now. Dating back to 1535 as a peel tower, Bemersyde house was bought by the British Government in 1921 and presented to Field-Marshal The 1st Earl Haig, the British Commander in World War I. The House is the seat of Clan Haig.



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Old Photograph Golf Course Scarista Isle Of Harris Scotland

Old photograph of golfers on the golf course at Scarista on Island Of Harris, Scotland. The Isle of Harris Golf Club is located in Scarista on the West Coast of Harris, one of the world’s finest settings for the game of golf.



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

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Old Photograph Women Cyclists Cairnwell Pass Road Scotland

Old photograph of women cyclists on the Cairnwell Pass road between Glenshee, Perthshire and Braemar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Historically, the pass was a cattle drover's route from the Lowlands to the Highlands. The road is often blocked by snow in the winter. A mile south of the summit is the Devil's Elbow, a notorious double hairpin bend. The often quoted gradient of 33 percent is a myth: in reality it was no more than 1 in 6. The modern road bypasses the hairpin bends, but the old road still exists and its route can be walked, or carefully cycled.



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

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