Old Travel Blog Photograph Ladies Walk North Berwick Scotland


Old travel Blog photograph of Ladies Walk in North Berwick, Scotland. The wooded glen is at the base of Berwick Law, which is the only prominent feature in the area. The stream is the Mill Burn. North Berwick is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles north east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the nineteenth century because of its two beaches and sandy bays, the East, or Milsey, Bay and the West Bay, and continues to attract holidaymakers. Golf courses at the ends of each bay are open to visitors.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Fishwife With Daughter Newhaven Scotland


Old travel Blog photograph of a fishwife with her daughter in Newhaven, Edinburgh, Scotland. Although close by Edinburgh, the people of Newhaven remained distinctive in dress and tradition. As a result the village and its residents have been well documented in photographs and postcards intended to show the distinctive local character, notably by the pioneer Victorian photographers David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson who photographed many of the fishermen and fishwives of Newhaven in both their village surroundings and the partnership's Calton Hill studio in Edinburgh. 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.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Gypsies Moving Camp Near Pitlochry Highland Perthshire Scotland


Old travel Blog photograph of gypsies moving camp near Pitlochry in Highland Perthshire, Scotland. Highland Travellers also known as Tinkers would often move camp to find work. Scottish gypsies are closely tied to the native Highlands, and many traveller families carry clan names like Macfie, Stewart, MacDonald, Cameron, Williamson and Macmillan. They followed a nomadic or settled lifestyle; passing from village to village and are strongly identified with the native Gaelic speaking population. Continuing their nomadic life, they would often pitch their tents on rough ground on the edge of the village and earn money there as tinsmiths, hawkers, horse dealers or pearl fishermen. Many found seasonal employment on farms, e.g. at the berry picking or during harvest time.



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

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Old Travel Blog Photograph Lord Darnley's Room Holyrood Palace Edinburgh Scotland


Old travel Blog photograph of Lord Darnley's room in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland. This is one of a set of rooms in the old part of the palace, and originally the private apartments of Lord Darnley, husband of Mary Queen of Scots. Here, probably, was planned the murder of her Italian lover, Rizzio. The rooms above are those of the queen, and there Prince Charlie slept in the hopeful days of 1745, while a year later the conquering Cumberland lay here also. Doubtless the tapestried room of the photograph was used by the Prince and his councillors during the weeks that followed Prestonpans. 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 Travel Blog Photograph Queen Mary's Room Holyrood Palace Edinburgh Scotland


Old travel Blog photograph of Queen Mary's room in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, Scotland. Within an older building, to the south of the Palace, this is the little room where Queen Mary gave birth to her son James, who was the first King of England, Scotland and Ireland. This small apartment is entered from the chamber known as " Queen Mary's Room. " Over the courtyard entrance to this room is a panel bearing the cypher of Mary and Darnley, and the date 1566.



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

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