Old Photograph High Street Pittenweem Fife Scotland

Old photograph of the High Street in Pittenweem, East Neuk of Fife, Scotland. The late 17th to early 18th centuries saw a number of notorious witch hunts in Pittenweem by the local minister. The burgh was bogged down in debt and witchcraft was used as an excuse to improve the financial position by seizing the assets of some local women. The Church of Scotland building at the top of the High Street adjoined the Tolbooth which was used as the jail for some of the Pittenweem witches, and the door to the cells can still be seen. It is the studded door at the bottom of the tower.



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 Merchants House Glasgow Scotland

Old photograph of the Merchants House in Glasgow, Scotland. The Merchants House of Glasgow was constituted in 1605 by the Letter of Guildry, which laid down the rights, duties and privileges of the Merchants and Craftsmen of Glasgow. From the beginning, the Merchants House supported members and their families who had become "decayed and distressed", both within their hospital and outside it. Over the years donations and bequests have enabled the House to continue and extend this benevolence.



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 Fishing Boats Gourdon Scotland

Old photograph of fishing boats in the harbour and children on the beach in Gourdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. A coastal Scottish fishing village located South of Inverbervie and north of Johnshaven, with a harbour built in 1820. A Lifeboat station operated here from 1878 until 1969 and between 1865 and 1966 the village was linked to Montrose and Inverbervie by railway. The last working flax spinning mill in mainland Britain operated in the village's Selbie Works until 1997. Gourdon flax yarns were used to make high quality linen goods and tarpaulins and jute yarns were used in a wide range of products from car seats to carpets.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.

Tour Scotland Video Drive C1225 Road To Quiraing Isle Of Skye Inner Hebrides

Tour Scotland travel video of a road trip drive on the C1225 single track road to the Quiraing on ancestry, genealogy, family history visit to Isle of Skye, Inner Hebrides. The C1225 is the famous Quiraing Road on Skye. It runs across the Trotternish Peninsula from the ferry port of Uig to Staffin on the east coast, passing the famous rock formations at The Quiraing above Staffin. The road below the Quiraing is a popular route in itself, with a couple of switchback bends to negotiate, climbing up from Staffin to the car park at the top. To the west, the road is much gentler, climbing slowly from the junction on the A855 above Uig, and running over open moorland.

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 Cave Rock Laide Scotland

Old photograph of Cave Rock at Laide on the South side of Gruinard Bay twelve miles North of Poolewe in Wester Ross, Scotland. This rock was blown over during a severe gale in 1950. Laide is a small hamlet on an inlet of the sea, in Wester Ross in the Highlands. It is situated at the junction of the road which climbs up steep Cabeg Hill and the single track road to the remote crofting townships of Mellon Udrigle and Opinan, where the road ends. At Laide there are the ruins of a chapel. This building dates from 1713 when George Mackenzie of Gruinard either restored or rebuilt an earlier chapel which was believed to have been built by St. Columba. In the nineteenth century the chapel fell in to disuse and services were held in a nearby cave. In the distance is Beinn Ghobhlach, meaning horned or forked, a mountain on the Scoraig Peninsula between Little Loch Broom and Loch Broom. At 2083 feet it may not be one of Scotland's highest peaks but its isolation makes it very impressive.



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

View the most recent Tour Scotland photographs.