Nigel's Photo Blog

  Tonight, I am posting a portfolio of nine images of original works by Alasdair Gray (1934-2019), a Scottish artist.   The artwork includes original design for Gray's novel, 'Poor Things'. The portfolio is on display at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum , Glasgow, Scotland until June 5th 2026. The display shows aspects of Gray's artistic practice and how he created artworks for publications      This post connects nicely with Scottish art, architecture and culture . More Information For more information on Glasgow and many other aspects of Scotland please refer to the Visitors’ Guide to Scotland, ISBN 978-1-9161332-0-4. This book is also available via Kindle.        

Introduction  Tonight, I am reporting on a small group trip from Glasgow to Fort William. Latter is a popular destination in the Scottish Highlands. 'Squinty' Bridge over River Clyde, Glasgow  First, across the River Clyde to Dumbarton Rock and Dumbarton Castle on the north bank of the Firth of Clyde .This ancient volcanic plug has a long history of human occupation, probably dating back at least 2000 years. In the early medieval period the Rock was the power base of the Kingdom of Strathclyde and much later, in the 18th and 19th centuries was a British military fort the cannon from which era are still in situ. This elevated  site offers superb views over the Clyde and surrounding landscape out to Ben Lomond in the Trossachs. Dumbarton Rock and Castle on banks of River Clyde   View from Dumbarton Rock towards Ben Lomond   Next, we visited the quaint village of Luss on the banks of Loch Lomond. We ventured on to the short pier which offers good vi...

 Introduction This evening, I am reporting on the Lady Well, one of the few remaining tangible links with the medieval period (5th to the 15th century) in Glasgow , Scotland.  Lady Well, Ladywell Street, Glasgow, Scotland. Information on the Lady Well Just to the east of Glasgow’s 13th century Cathedral  on the perimeter of Glasgow Necropolis , can be found the Lady Well which is situated in (the very quiet) Ladywell Street which in turn is off John Knox Street. This is close to a back entrance to a brewery . Like the nearby Cathedral, the Lady Well is said to date from the 13th century and would have been located close to the heart of the medieval city. The Lady Well was restored in 1836 and then rebuilt in 1874 by the Merchants House of Glasgow . A further restoration was undertaken in 1983 by Tennent Caledonian Brewery Limited. Despite the Well’s isolated location, the visible monetary and other offerings suggest the site benefits from a form o...

Introduction This evening, I am focusing on Poltross Burn Milecastle near Gilsland on Hadrian’s Wall in northern England.Location is approximately forty-two miles west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne . Information on Roman Milecastles Regularly spaced at one Roman mile intervals along the Wall. Performed function as fortified gateway with double gates at front and rear. Typically measure 60 by 50 Roman feet. Contained one or two small outbuildings, possible barrack-blocks. Usually contained an oven in N.W. corner and a staircase in opposite north corner to provide access via ladder to a tower over the north gate. Between each milecastle (or fortlet) was situated two observation towers (or turrets). The towers were thus spaced one-third of a Roman mile apart. Garrisoned by a complement of 20-30 auxiliary soldiers.  Aspect of Poltross Burn Milecastle  Poltross Burn Milecastle, Hadrian’s Wall Poltross Burn Milecastle, Hadrian’s Wall    More ...

This evening, my post is influenced by a recent press report (Times of Dec 19th 2025) that scientific analysis of sewer drains from the Roman fort of Vindolanda (close to Hadrian's Wall ), has shown that the occupants were riddled with three types of intestinal parasite: roundworm,whipworm and Giardia duodenalis .All are spread through the contamination of food, drink or hands by human faeces. Whipworms can grow to about 5cm in length and roundworms 30cm.  The three types of parasite could have led to malnutrition and diarrhoea thus impacting on the effectiveness of the soldiers. The Roman medics had no treatment for the parasites.   Landscape view of Vindolanda looking west.   Similar outcomes were revealed when scientists and archaeologists worked on the 2nd century AD Roman fort on the Antonine Wall at Bearsden, about 7 miles north of central Glasgow in the west of Scotland. Bathhouse remains at Bearsden Roman Fort.   R oman medicine, which was highly...

Introduction This evening I am reporting on the White -throated Dipper, an environmentally threatened small bird which is usually found in fresh water environments.   Information on the Dipper Dippers are easily recognized as a function of their 'jerky' movements when hunting for for food-hence the name.    Whilst not a committed bird-watcher I will certainly jump at the opportunity to capture rare or unusual avian images when opportunity permits. One such opportunity arose a couple of days ago at Rouken Glen Country Park in Glasgow, Scotland. In this case the bird was motionless but I took the image anyway and later received confirmation of identity. Please bear in mind the image was taken with a cellphone camera over some distance, hence quality is not ideal. Dippers are at risk of declining populations due to environmental factors . They are particularly sensitive to changes in water pH levels.There has occurred a 39pct fall in dipper populations since 1995 and th...