Old Travel Blog Photograph Parish Church Fort William Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Parish Church by the Alexandra Hotel in Fort William, Scotland. The present church building was opened in August 1882 when the church leader Professor Charteris preached in English, and Mr Watson of Kiltearn in Gaelic. Historically, this area of Lochaber was strongly Clan Cameron country, and there were a number of mainly Cameron settlements in the area. The town grew in size as a settlement when the fort was constructed to control the population after Oliver Cromwell's invasion during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and then to suppress the Jacobite uprisings of the 18th century. Fort William is now a major tourist centre, with Glen Coe just to the south, Aonach Mòr to the east and Glenfinnan to the west, on the Road to the Isles.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Bridge Spittal of Glenshee Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the bridge in Spittal of Glenshee, Perthshire, Scotland. The historic bridge at Spittal of Glenshee was constructed as part of the Blairgowrie to Braemar Military Road. This route was built by General Caulfeild, and seems to have taken a surprisingly long time to construct, as work is recorded as starting in 1749 and yet was not completed until 1763. The bridge over the Shee Water is about half way, so it seems reasonable to suggest it was constructed in the mid to late 1750s. The bridge itself has a significant humpback to lift the roadway over the arch that spans the river, although it appears that the gradient has been eased over the years when the road has been re-surfaced, with the parapets much taller in the middle than at either end! This has been partially rectified by the addition of metal railings to maintain a constant height.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph St Ninians Square Brechin Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of St Ninians Square in Brechin, Angus, Scotland. The granite fountain in memory of Fox Maule Ramsay was moved to St Ninians Square from its original position in front of the Mechanics Institute. Fox Maule Ramsay, 11th Earl of Dalhousie, born 22 April 1801, died 6 July 1874, known as Fox Maule before 1852, as The Lord Panmure between 1852 and 1860, was a British politician. He married the daughter of George Abercromby, 2nd Baron Abercromby, in 1831. They had no children. She died in November 1853, aged 46. Lord Dalhousie died July 1874, aged 73. On his death, the barony of Panmure became extinct, but the earldom of Dalhousie, and its subsidiary titles, passed to his cousin, George Ramsay.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Grand Opening Golf Course Pitlochry Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Grand Opening of the Golf Course in Pitlochry, Perthshire, Scotland. In the early 20th century, the members of both the Pitlochry Golf Club and the Pitlochry Ladies Golf Club played over a nine-hole course situated on the banks of the River Tummel. The holes weaved their way down from Faskally Woods to the pavilion at the Recreation Ground and back again. The new golf course was constructed during 1908 with Willie Fernie of Troon being commissioned as the initial designer. He saw the natural beauty of the Balnacraig and Drumchorry farms upon which the course now rests and set about using the undulating landscape to its full potential.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph East Road Kirkwall Orkney Islands Scotland

Old Travel Blog photograph of houses on East Road in Kirkwall on the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Kirkwall is the largest town and capital of the Orkney Islands of Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty. In 1486, King James III of Scotland elevated Kirkwall to the status of a royal burgh; modern roadsigns still indicate The City and Royal Burgh of Kirkwall. The name Kirkwall comes from the Norse name Kirkjuvagr, meaning Church Bay, which later changed to Kirkvoe, Kirkwaa and Kirkwall. 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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