Old Travel Blog Photograph Town Hall Duns Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Town Hall in Duns in the Scottish Borders, Scotland. The foundation stone of the town hall was laid on 3rd December 1816 by Alexander Christie of Grueldykes and was officially opened on 17th of March 1820. Duns is a past county town of the historic county of Berwickshire in the Scottish Borders. The town was created a Burgh of Barony in 1490 by King James IV heritably for John and George Hume of Ayton, and the townsfolk were given the right to hold a market every Wednesday, and to hold a week long annual fair between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday. Duns suffered badly in cross border raiding and feuding, and was burned to the ground three times within 14 years, in 1544, 1545 and 1558 during the war of the Rough Wooing. Oliver Cromwell put a garrison into the town after the Battle of Dunbar on 3 September 1650. In the peace following the end of the Jacobite rebellion in 1746, Duns began to expand and many of the administrative functions of Berwickshire were carried out in the town. The Hay family were responsible for the present Gothic Revival Duns Castle. 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 Travel Blog Photograph Askomil Campbeltown Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of houses and people in Askomil, Campbeltown, Argyll, Scotland. William Mitchell McKersie who lived at Craigard, Askomil, was born in 1844. He was born into a Whisky Distillery family. His father, also William, was a partner in Lochside Distillery, Longrow, Campbeltown before becoming the owner of Albyn Distillery, situated on The Roading, Campbeltown. The Albyn Distillery passed to his sons, William and John. In 1867, William and his brother John bought another distillery, Lochruan located at Princess Street, Campbeltown which they rebuilt. William and his brother, whilst running two distilleries together, seem to have been quite competitive. William had the architect H E Clifford design his villa “ Craigard ” at Askomill. His brother employed the same architect and gave him the order that he build him a house like his brother’s, only better. William’s son, Jack, served with Princess Louise’s Regiment of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Two of his daughters, Marion and Jean operated a motorised field kitchen on the Italian Front. William’s wife, Marion, was awarded the MBE for her services to the British Red Cross. William Mitchell McKersie died in 1916 in Campbeltown.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Courting Tree Hunterston Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the Courting Tree in Hunterston, Ayrshire, Scotland. The Courting Tree was an Ash Tree located at the end of a footpath opposite a walled garden heading towards a Mansion House. It had its trunk carved out and a seat embedded into it. The original Hunter lands were Ardneil, or " Arnele " or " Arnell " or " Arnelle ". Ardneil Bay extends from West Kilbride towards Portencross on the South side of the Hunterston Peninsula. Ardneil is on the road between Portencross and West Kilbride. The old spelling of the family was " Huntar ", and the estate, " Huntarstown. " Hunter of Hunterston owned the estates here as early as the time of Alexander II, King of Scotland.



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Old Travel Blog Photograph Road To Stevenston Scotland

Old travel Blog photograph of the road to Stevenston in North Ayrshire, Scotland. The town is named after Stephan Loccard or Lockhart, whose father obtained a grant of land from Richard de Morville, Lord of Cunninghame and Constable of Scotland, around 1170. The town is first mentioned in a charter of 1240. The town's main link with Robert Burns is that Mayville House here was the birthplace in 1768 of Miss Lesley Baillie. Robert Burns met her in 1792 and described her to a friend as " the most beautiful, most elegant woman in the world ". She inspired one or two of his love poems, in which she is described as, Bonnie Lesley.



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Tour Scotland Travel Blog Photograph River Balgy Wester Ross

Tour Scotland travel Blog photograph of the River Balgy in Wester Ross, Scotland. The River Balgy flows from Loch Damh to Upper Loch Torridon. The mountain in the background is Beinn Alligin which rises to 3,232 feet. The Torridon group of mountains is one of the highest ranges in Britain and reputed to be among the oldest in Europe. The hills are formed mainly of Torridonian sandstone, with some exhibiting a topping of white quartzite and boulders of Lewisian Gneiss at the base. Other mountains in the range include the nine peaks of Beinn Eighe, and the seven peaks of the Liathach ridge. The Torridon region is one of outstanding scenic beauty and popular with hill walkers, photographers, geologists and naturalists.



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

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