Old Photographs Byres Road Kilwinning Scotland

Old photograph of people, houses, horse and cart and cottages on Byres Road in Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, Scotland.



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Old Photographs Church And Abbey Kilwinning Scotland

Old photograph of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The Parish Church of Kilwinning was built by John Garland and John Wright and completed in 1774. It stands on the site of an earlier sixteenth century church which in turn was located within the ruins of Kilwinning Abbey. The Abbey was founded in 1188.



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

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Old Photograph Lodge of the Freemasons Kilwinning Scotland

Old photograph of the Lodge of the Freemasons in Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, Scotland. Kilwinning is notable for housing the original Lodge of the Freemasons. When the Lodges were renumbered, Kilwinning was kept as Lodge Number '0', the Mother Lodge of Scotland.



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

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Old Photograph Fox Hunting Selkirk Scotland

Old photograph of fox hunting near Selkirk, Scottish Borders, Scotland. Common Riding is an annual event celebrated in Scottish Border towns as well as in other locations. Common Riding is meant to commemorate the times of the past when local men risked their lives in order to protect their town and people. The Selkirk Common Riding is a celebration of the history and traditions of the Royal and Ancient Burgh. Held on the second Friday after the first Monday in June, the ceremony is one of the oldest in the area, with 300 to 400 riders, Selkirk boasts one of the largest cavalcades of horses and riders in Europe. Selkirk still owns common land to the north and south of the town, but only the northern boundary of Linglie is ridden on the day. Selkirk Common Riding commemorates how, after the disastrous Battle of Flodden in 1513, from the eighty men that left the town, only one, Fletcher - returned bearing a captured English flag. Legend has it that he cast the flag about his head to indicate that all the other men of Selkirk had been cut down. At the climax of the day the Royal Burgh Standard Bearer and Crafts and Associations Standard Bearers cast their colours in Selkirk's ancient Market Place. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



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

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Old Photograph Loch Beinn Tighe Isle Of Eigg Scotland

Old photograph of Loch Beinn Tighe on the Isle of Eigg, one of the Small Isles, in the Scottish Inner Hebrides, located South of Isle Of Skye, Scotland. During the sixteenth century there was a lengthy feud between the MacLeod and MacDonald clans, which may have led to the massacre of the island's entire population in the late 16th century. According to Clanranald tradition, in 1577 a party of MacLeods staying on the island became too amorous and caused trouble with the local girls. They were subsequently rounded up, bound and cast adrift in the Minch but were rescued by some clansmen. A party of MacLeods subsequently landed on Eigg with revenge in mind. Their approach had been spotted by the islanders who had hidden in a secret cave called the Cave of Frances located on the south coast. The entrance to this cave was tiny and covered by moss, undergrowth and a small waterfall. After a thorough but fruitless search lasting for three to five days, the MacLeods set sail again but a MacDonald carelessly climbed onto a promontory to watch their departure and was spotted. The MacLeods returned and were able to follow his footprints back to the cave. They then rerouted the source of the water, piled thatch and roof timbers at the cave entrance and set fire to it at the same time damping the flames so that the cave was filled with smoke thereby asphyxiating everyone inside either by smoke inhalation or heat and oxygen deprivation. Three hundred and ninety five people died in the cave, the whole population of the island except for one old lady who had not sought refuge there. Blog post of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to travel and visit one day.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.