Old Photograph West Garvald Scotland

Old photograph of cottages and houses in West Garvald, East Lothian, Scotland. The combined parish of Garvald and Bara, borders Whittingehame to the East, Morham to the North, Yester to the West, and Lauder to the South. It is mainly an agricultural parish. At one time there were two breweries, three public houses, besides bakers, tailors, weavers, shoemakers, blacksmiths, wrights, coopers, and grocers in the village. Oliver Cromwell's army camped overnight in this parish during his march from Edinburgh to Dunbar. The local tradition is that they drank up all the beer found in the two breweries. In 1890 the proprietors in Garvald parish were: the Marquess of Tweeddale, the Earl of Wemyss, Arthur James Balfour of Whittingehame, Walter W Gray of Nunraw, and Robert Edgar of Linplum and Bara. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.



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Old Photograph Carlyle Place Ecclefechan Scotland

Old photograph of houses and cottages on Carlyle Place in Ecclefechan, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Thomas Carlyle the essayist, satirist and historian was born here on 4 December 1795 in The Arched House in Ecclefechan. Carlyle left Ecclefechan at the age of 13 and walked the 84 miles to Edinburgh in order to attend university. In 1828 he moved to Craigenputtock with his wife Jane. He never forgot his roots and insisted that Ecclefechan should become his final resting place. He was buried in Ecclefechan churchyard on 5 February 1881. Robert Burns composed a song entitled The Lass O' Ecclefechan.



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

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Tour Scotland Video Autumn Woodland Loch Faskally Pitlochry Highland Perthshire

Tour Scotland Autumn video of the woodland that surrounds man made Loch Faskally on ancestry visit to Pitlochry, Highland Perthshire, Scotland. The loch lies between steeply wooded hills and is approximately 2 miles in length, narrowing to around 700 yards wide. The loch is popular with anglers. The water holds many brown trout. Salmon and a few sea trout pass through as they head up the Tummel and Garry river systems.

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

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Tour Scotland Video Old Photographs Isle Of Mull

Tour Scotland video of old photographs of the Isle Of Mull, the second largest island of the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. In the 6th century, Irish migrants invaded Mull and the surrounding coast, establishing the Gaelic kingdom of Dál Riata. The kingdom was divided into a number of regions, each controlled by a kin group, of which the Cenél Loairn controlled Mull and the adjacent mainland to the east. Dál Riata was a springboard for the Christianisation of the mainland; the pivotal point was AD 563, when Columba, an Irish missionary, arrived at Iona, just off the south-west point of Mull, and founded a monastery, from which to start evangelising the local population. In the 9th century, Viking invasions led to the destruction of Dál Riata, and its replacement by the Norse Kingdom of the Isles, which became part of the crown of Norway following Norwegian unification. After the collapse of the Lordship in 1493 the island was taken over by the Clan MacLean, and in 1681 by the Clan Campbell. During the Highland Clearances in the 18th and 19th centuries, the population fell from 10,000 to less than 3,000. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to 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 Whifflet Foundry Scotland

Old photograph of Whifflet Foundry near Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The town is part of the Greater Glasgow urban area. Founded by a long established local family, R. B. Tennent & Company, it opened in 1857 for roll making. Starting on a small scale they quickly grew to become the largest roll making unit in Britain. At its height the Whifflet Foundry produced 40% of the chilled cast iron rolls and 60% of the cast steel rolls manufactured in the United Kingdom. Their steel rolls were also the largest to be made in the country and were marketed world-wide. Until 1915 they manufactured complete rolling mills. In 1942 the company became a leading partner in the British Rollmakers Corporation. In the early seventies there was a big explosion in the Meadow Work Casting Bay when 3 men died. A water pipe which cooled the mould whilst it was being cast burst and water got into the molten metal causing the explosion. The Whiffiet Foundry was closed down in 1995, although the adjacent Meadow Works (also owned by British Rollmakers) remain in operation.



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

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