Nigel's Photo Blog

  Introduction To an extent this post is a continuum of recent posts incorporating references to Robert Burns , Scotland's National Poet. In particular, I refer to the posts covering Kilmarnock and Burns Night 2026 .  Information on Burns Portraits. Coinciding with Burns birthday celebrations, there occurred reports in the media of the discovery of a long-lost portrait of the poet. The work was painted by renowned artist Sir Henry Raeburn more than 200 years ago but then disappeared. By good fortune it turned up in a house clearance in Surrey (southern England). Subsequently, the portrait (above) was cleaned up, formally identified and sold for £68,000 at auction in 2025.The new owner then loaned the work to the Scottish National Galleries in Edinburgh for a short period. The new find was not painted from life but from an earlier painting (below) of Burns which is conveniently exhibited close to the Raeburn work.  Original portrait of Robert Burns    More In...

  Introduction This afternoon, I am reporting on  Dean Castle near Kilmarnock , about 30 minutes S.W. of Glasgow . This fortification has a long history but in conjunction with the associated country park is now operated as a visitor attraction by the local council.      Dean Castle: 14th C tower on left, 15th c palace on right. Essentially, the castle builds comprise two parts: A stand-alone keep or tower which was built about 1350 by the Boyd family , Lords of Kilmarnock. The design focused on defence as evidence by walls some 2-3 metres thick, few windows and just one entrance door positioned high above ground level. Absence of arrow slits would indicate that defensive fire was concentrated from the roof of the building.  Tower  Here is a video clip of the inner courtyard and Grand Hall. p  A small palace with an attached tower built by Robert Boyd about 1460. This features a large number of windows and projecting battle...

  Castlemilk Stables, Glasgow , Scotland Introduction  This evening, I am posting information on a restored stables block from 1800. This sits, somewhat incongruously, in a high density, 1950s era, social housing development in Castlemilk, South Glasgow.  I nformation on Castlemilk Stables   Incredibly, this building provides multi-faceted links with Scotland’s past. Such links include  Scottish Borders region, the Royal House of Stuart, Siege of Orleans (France) 1429, Mary Queen of Scots (1542-1587), David Hamilton (famous architect) and the Battle of Langside 1568 . Summary information as follows: Named after Castlemilk in Dumfries-shire in the Scottish Borders region from whence the Stuarts of Castlemilk originated. This family was connected with the Scottish Royal House of Stuart and acquired lands in Glasgow from around 1474. Two members of the Stuart family fought in France against the English in the 15th century. This military service is co...

Introduction In 2025 Glasgow celebrated it's 850th anniversary . This afternoon I am dipping into the early years with information on still extant sites from the medieval times. Information on Medieval Glasgow   This report covers the period roughly spanning the years 1119 to 1492. This was a period during which Glasgow’s medieval ecclesiastical centre, based on the Cathedral , played an important role in the economic development of the town. Although much of the medieval town lies under Victorian architecture, there are visible remains which provide hints to the past, as illustrated below.    WEST PORT  This was the western entrance to the medieval burgh. Image below shows view from the head of Argyle Street towards Trongate.    West Port, Glasgow, Scotland   NEW VENNEL  This was an alley providing access to Bridgegate which was a busy residential and business area.  New Vennel, Glasgow, Scotland   T...

  Introduction This evening, I am providing information on Tarbert Castle which is situated close to the popular tourist village of Tarbert . Location is S.W. Scotland on the southern shore of East Loch Tarbert. Information on Tarbert Castle The name Tarbert and its variants can be found in many places around Scotland. It means an isthmus or crossing place where boats could be hauled out of one stretch of water and transported to another. Usually associated with the Viking/Norse era  A castle was built on the site (overlooking the harbour) during the 13th century with the tower house added in the 16th century. It is the latter which represents the most visible remains.The location also affords views of Loch Fyne and beyond to the Firth of Clyde. In 1494 the castle was captured by King James IV from John MacDonald, Lord of the Isles.Another military event occurred in 1687 when Walter Campbell seized the castle in an action connected with the Monmouth rebellion in England. The ...

Yesterday evening, my wife and myself attended a screening of 'Hamnet'. Hamnet is an excellent film based on a novel by filmmaker and author, Maggie O'Farrell. It focuses on an early stage of William Shakespeare's life, from about age 19 years until around age 35 years.This period covers his marriage to Agnes (Anne) Hathaway, birth of his three children (Susanna followed by twins Judith and Hamnet (Hamlet) ) and the death of the latter at age 11 years from the plague. It is believed that the death of Hamnet inspired Shakespeare to write Hamlet. Latter being a famous tragedy about a prince who seeks revenge for his father's murder. Note that Hamnet and Hamlet were interchangeable names in Shakespeare's time. The film explores the parents' deep trauma on Hamnet's death set against a backdrop of ( inter alia ) the rich greens of Warwickshire countryside, birthing scenes, deathbed scenes and a performance of Hamlet at London's Globe Theatre. The overwhel...