Old Photograph Lovat Arms and Station Hotel Fort Augustus Scotland

Old photograph of the Lovat Arms and Station Hotel in Fort Augustus, Highlands, Scotland. In the aftermath of the Jacobite rising in 1715, General Wade built a fort, taking from 1729 until 1742, which was named after the Duke of Cumberland. Wade had planned to build a town around the new barracks and call it Wadesburgh. The settlement grew, and eventually took the name of this fort. The fort was captured by the Jacobites led by Bonnie Prince Charlie in April 1745, just prior to the Battle of Culloden. In 1867, the fort was sold to the Lovat family, and in 1876 they passed the site and land to the Benedictine order. The monks established Fort Augustus Abbey and later a school. The school operated until 1993. The Caledonian Canal connecting Fort William to Inverness passes through Fort Augustus in a dramatic series of locks stepping down to Loch Ness.



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Old Photograph Of Weavers Outside Their Houses in Kirriemuir Scotland

Old photograph of weavers outside their houses in Kirriemuir, Scotland. In the 19th Century, the town was a centre for handloom weaving and jute processing. Former jute factories are now used to manufacture synthetics. Once an important market town, Kirriemuir lies at the centre of rich farm land. The history of Kirriemuir reaches back to earliest recorded times, when it seems to have been a major ecclesiastical centre. Later it was identified with witchcraft, and some older houses still feature a witches stone to ward off evil. In the 19th century, it was an important centre of the jute trade. The playwright J.M. Barrie was born and buried here.



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

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Old Photograph Fish Merchant Newhaven Scotland

Old photograph of the fish merchant in Newhaven, Edinburgh, Scotland. The Society of Free Fishermen of Newhaven, dating from at least 1572, was one of the oldest friendly societies in Scotland. It survived until 1989. Up to the end of the 20th century, pilots of ships on the Firth of Forth traditionally came from a close knit group of Newhaven families. The early pilots provided their own crews and sailing cutters which were regarded as the fastest and most seaworthy available. Between 1572 and 1890, Newhaven was a major port for landing oysters. It also played a role in the fishing and whaling industry.





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Old Photograph Tram Coatbridge Scotland

Old photograph of a Tram in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Glasgow Corporation Tramways purchased Airdrie and Coatbridge Tramways at the end of 1921 and its 15 cars were taken into stock as numbers 1073 to 1087. These were double deck trams dating from 1904 to 1905 and all were withdrawn by the end of 1934. Coatbridge is situated about 10 miles east of Glasgow city centre, set in the central Lowlands. The town, with neighbouring Airdrie, is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area.



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Old Photograph Tram Depot Leith Walk Scotland

Old photograph of the Tram Depot on Leith Walk, Edinburgh, Scotland. Until 1920 Leith was a separate burgh, with its own municipal tram system. The Leith system was electrified, whereas the Edinburgh system used cable haulage, as still used by the San Francisco cable car system and the Great Orme Tramway in Wales. The cable was housed in a shallow trough between the tram rails; breakages could reduce the entire system to a standstill. The main depot was moved to Shrubhill on Leith Walk. An underground chamber at the main turn into the garages here was permanently manned during operating hours to try to reduce cable snagging. Passengers going from Edinburgh to Leith had to change trams, from cable drawn to electric, at Pilrig on Leith Walk at the boundary between Leith and Edinburgh. This confused exchange of passengers was known locally as " the Pilrig muddle ", and lasted until the electrification of the Edinburgh system. In 1922 Edinburgh Corporation decided to convert the entire system to electric traction. This took around three years to implement. The last cable tram operated in June 1923. A short section of original tram rail and cable track can still be seen in Waterloo Place.



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

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