Old Photograph Swing Bridge Alloa Scotland

Old photograph of the swing railway bridge across the River Forth that connected Throsk and Alloa, Clackmannanshire, Scotland. The Caledonian Railway obtained authority through an Act of Parliament on 11 August 1879 to open a section of line linking the South Alloa Branch of the Scottish Central Railway to the Stirling and Dunfermline Railway. The new line served passenger and goods traffic and was opened on 1 October 1885. The rail line was double track except for the bridge crossing, which was single track. The swing bridge design was necessary to allow the passage of shipping up and downstream at a time when Stirling was still an active port. The bridge was designed by the consulting civil engineers, Crouch and Hogg, and built by contractors Watt and Wilson, both of Glasgow. The bridge was damaged by collisions on at least three occasions. In 1899, gales drove a sailing ship against one of the piers. In October 1904, a schooner also collided with one of the piers as it passed through the swing span, displacing some girders. Rail traffic was suspended until June 1905. In August 1920, a German warship, surrendered at the end of the First World War, broke free from its moorings and crashed into the bridge. The damage was serious enough to close the bridge to rail traffic until March 1921. The structure was in use until 1968 and was demolished in 1971.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph New Hospital Kelso Scotland

Old photograph of New Hospital in Kelso, Scotland. The town of Kelso came into being as a direct result of the creation of Kelso Abbey in 1128. The town's name stems from the fact that the earliest settlement stood on a chalky outcrop, and the town was known as Calkou. Kelso's main tourist attractions are the ruined Kelso Abbey and Floors Castle, a William Adam designed house completed in 1726. The Kelso Bridge was designed by John Rennie who later built London Bridge. A small hamlet existed before the completion of the abbey in 1128 but the settlement started to flourish with the arrival of the monks. Many were skilled craftsmen, and they helped the local population as the village expanded.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Tulloch Castle Scotland

Old photograph of Tulloch Castle in Dingwall, Scotland. Tulloch Castle dates to the mid 16th century, when Duncan Bayne was granted the barony of Tulloch in 1542. In the 18th century however, ownership of the castle changed hands. Kenneth Bayne, 8th Laird of Tulloch, sold the estate to his cousin, Henry Davidson, on the 13 January 1762. On Henry's death in 1781 Tulloch was inherited by his younger brother Duncan Davidson, born 1733, died 1799. He was in turn succeeded by his son Henry, born 1771, died 1827, grandson Duncan, died 1881, and great grandson Duncan Henry Caithness Reay Davidson, born 1836, died 1889, who was the father of the last Davidson of Tulloch, Duncan, born 1865, died 1917. The castle passed out of Davidson ownership in 1917 when the last direct descendant of this family, Duncan Davidson, died and left the castle to his daughter and her son, Colonel Angus Vickers, of the Vickers aircraft company. After serving as the Vickers' family home for several years, and as a hospital for casualties of Dunkirk in 1940, Tulloch Castle was purchased by the local education authority in 1957. It was used as a hostel for students from the west coast of Scotland who were studying at Dingwall Academy until 1976. After this, the castle fell into disrepair until it was renovated and converted into a hotel by local family, the MacAulays, in 1996. Now part of the Oxford Hotels and Inns chain, Tulloch Castle is used as a hotel and conference centre. It played host to the official Clan Davidson Gathering in October 2007.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photographs Nisbet House Scotland

Old photograph of Nisbet House located South of Duns in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. The Nisbet family built two fortified houses or pele towers in the 12th century, East Nisbet and West Nisbet. East Nisbet, now known as Allanbank, was located on the Blackadder Water near Allanton, although the original tower no longer exists. Wester Nisbet remains, and was extended in the 1630s to form the bulk of the present house. The laird at the time was Sir Alexander Nisbet, born 1580, died 1660. Sir Alexander Nisbet overextended his finances in supporting King Charles I in the Civil War, and was forced to sell the property to John Ker in 1652. A square tower, with fine interior plasterwork, in the classical style of William Adam was added to the west end in 1774. The house remained with Ker descendants, latterly in the person of Lord Sinclair, until the 1950s, when the estate was sold to Lord Brocket. After partial modernisation, the house was sold again in the mid 1960s to a local farmer.

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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Old Photograph Houndwood House Scotland

Old photograph of Houndwood House near Reston, Berwickshire, Scotland. There is reputed to have been a dwelling at Houndwood in 1143 and Mary, Queen of Scots, is said to have stayed there in 1555. The date of the present Houndwood House, extensively enlarged and modernised early this century, is not known.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.