Old Photograph Speyburn Whisky Distillery Scotland

Old photograph of Speyburn Whisky Distillery by Rothes located on the banks of the River Spey South of Elgin, Moray, Scotland. Speyburn Distillery was founded in 1897 by John Hopkins and Company for the sum of £17,000. The site was chosen by John Hopkins himself for its unpolluted water supply from the Granty Burn, one of the major tributaries to the River Spey. Hopkins appointed the famous distillery architect Charles C Doig to design the distillery. The proprietors, keen to have production started to ensure that the first fillings could bear the date 1897, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee - had scheduled production to begin on 1 November 1897. However, due to delays, the stills did not run until 15 December. When production finally began, the still house was without doors and windows. Under the watchful eye of the distillery's manager, John Smith, the first spirit was run off in a violent snow storm with the distillery men working in overcoats and mufflers to protect them from the elements. However, the proprietors succeeded in achieving their ambition and one butt was produced and bonded bearing the date 1897.



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Old Photograph Edradour Scotland

Old photograph of Edradour by Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland. Old Ordnance Maps show a Lint Mill and a cluster of cottages that were collectively called Milton of Edradour. Old Atholl Estate records show that the area now occupied by Edradour Whisky Distillery was once called Balnauld and was a small Croft or farm. Industry in the area was not just Mills as there were a number of large farms in the area employing agricultural workers.



Tour Scotland video of Edradour Whisky Distillery by Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland. Established in 1825, the distillery was traditionally run by three men but now there are just two. Only twelve casks are produced each week. Edradour takes it water from a stream on Ben Vrackie called Edradour burn, and that stream, after two days of heavy rain in Scotland, was well filled with water today.

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

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Tour Scotland Video King's Stables Culloden Moor

Tour Scotland video of the King's Stables on the battlefield at Culloden near Inverness, Highlands, Scotland. The thatched cottage is reputed to have housed the King's cavalry after the Battle of Culloden. The inscription on a nearby stone reads: Kings Stables Station of English Cavalry after the Battle of Culloden. The Battle of Culloden was the last pitched battle fought on British soil. It was fought on 16 April 1746 and saw the Jacobite army of Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated by the army of the Hanoverian King George II under the leadership of the Duke of Cumberland. The battle put an end to Jacobite hopes of restoring the Stuart dynasty to the British throne. The Outlander tv series featured the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

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

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Old Photograph Sea Captain Kirkcaldy Fife Scotland

Old photograph of a Sea Captain in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland. The harbour in Kirkcaldy was acknowledged for having " a sheltered cove round the East Burn ", thus giving easy accessibility for boats. By the early 16th century the vessels of the harbour had begun to engage in trade with the Baltic; later dealing with the import of grain in 1618 and continental beer in 1625. A shipbuilding trade also existed on the site until this was phased out temporarily in 1645. As Kirkcaldy entered into the 19th century the harbour was catering for the growing trade of imports of flax, timber and hemp and exports of coal, salt and linen cloth, when a decision was made to build a new wet dock and pier from 1843 to 1846. The subsequent demands for linoleum and coal led to a further extension from 1906 to 1908 in the form of an inner dock.



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

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Old Photograph Fore Entrance Linlithgow Palace Scotland

Old photograph of the Fore Entrance at Linlithgow Palace, Scotland. The entry gate to the palace displays the European chivalric orders which King James V belonged to: The Order of the Thistle, The Order of the Garter, The Order of St Michael, and The Order of the Golden Fleece of Burgundy. These were status symbols which signified James's membership of an European elite whose members followed certain codes of conduct in society and warfare.



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

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