Nigel's Photo Blog

This evening, I am reporting on Drygate Craft Brewery which is located within the shadow of Glasgow Cathedral, Scotland and next door to the massive Tennent’s lager brewery. The location has a long history of brewing going back to medieval times influenced by availability of water from the Molendinar Burn (stream) and other sources. The key ingredients of beer manufacture are hops, yeast, barley and water. The brewing process is very similar to the early stages of whisky making, entailing malting and mashing through to fermentation and maturation.  Hops are mainly sourced from New Zealand and California plus Kent (England), occasionally.  Drygate’s four main products are:: Seven Peaks Bear Face Lager Gladeye IPA Mango Pale Ale. Alcohol content of the above (by volume) ranges between 4.4pct and 5.5 pct. Integrated with the brewery is a shop selling a wide range of craft beers and a popular restaurant. A worthwhile experience! Mash Tun Be

(Above image is a capture of St. Vincent Street Church, Glasgow)  This evening, I am posting information on the classically inspired and architecturally important, St. Vincent Street Church which is located on the corner of St.Vincent Street and Pitt Street, central Glasgow, Scotland. This church is still used for worship and is known as The Glasgow City Free Church (Presbyterian). The building is important because it is the only surviving intact church designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson ( 1817-1875) , who has been described as having the greatest mind in Scottish architecture.   Although Thomson never left British shores he was greatly inspired by the architecture of ancient Greece. He was also a devout Christian and allowed images of Old Testament catastrophes to influence his work, along with other styles such as Italian Romanesque and Scottish Baronial. The St. Vincent Street Church dates from 1857-9 and is constructed of local sandstone. Particular f

Wallace Monument, Abbey Craig, Stirling, Scotland This evening, I am posting information on the Wallace Monument in Stirling, central Scotland. The monument was erected in 1869 to commemorate Sir William Wallace ( 1272-1305), a minor Scottish aristocrat, who rose to become a leader of the Scottish resistance against English aggression and won an important battle  (against the English) at Stirling Bridge in 1297. However, Wallace was subsequently betrayed by his own side, taken to London and executed in 1305. The site of the 1297 battle can be viewed from the Monument. The Hollywood film Braveheart ( 1995) popularised Wallace and resulted in a massive uplift in visitor numbers to the Monument resulting in construction of a new visitor centre at the site. Other facts and information concerning the Wallace Monument:- Reaches a height of 67 metres (220 feet). Subject to prevailing weather conditions, visitors can climb the 246 internal steps to the top and be

Main Enrance, Scone Palace, Perth, Scotland This evening, I am posting information on Scone Palace, a 19th century mansion built on a site indelibly linked with concept of a Scottish state since the 9th century. Scone Palace is currently the home of the 8th Earl of Mansfield, William David Murray. It dates from 1803 and is built in the Gothic style. Summary facts and information concerning Scone Palace- Scone is pronunced ‘Skoon’. The name may be derived from the Gaelic word sgonn which means lump of wood. Located near Perth, about 45 miles north of Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city. A major visitor attraction set in 200 acres of grounds. In front of the Palace is Moot Hill, the crowning place of Scottish kings from 9th century through to Charles II in 1651. Historically, coronations were performed with the person to be crowned sitting on a sandstone block known as the ‘Stone of Scone’. What is believed to be the original Stone is h

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Introduction Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928) was an outstanding architect and designer who pioneered the Modern Movement. He was famous for designing every aspect of a project down to such details as cutlery, furniture and light fittings. Mackintosh was one of a quartet known as the ‘Glasgow Four’ which comprised himself, his wife, Margaret MacDonald, Margaret’s sister, Frances and Herbert McNair. The group worked within the Glasgow School of Art around 1890-1910 and produced decorative works of furniture, architecture, panels, embroideries and graphic material. Mackintosh's most revered building is the (now badly fire damaged) Glasgow School of Art : 167 Renfrew Street, G3 6RQ   A new plot for the School was acquired in 1895 and the Glasgow architect firm of Honeyman and Keppie (with which Mackintosh was associated) won the design competition. This building is considered Mackintosh’s masterpiece and has been c

Readers of this blog will recall that yesterday I posted information on the town of Irvine on Scotland's S.W. coast. In the course of exploration of Irvine I came across the above list of slang and jargon words which were embedded in a wall. This has prompted me to research the meaning of the words, many of which are unfamiliar to me.Translations into standard English are provided below. Translations Braw = Good looking, beautiful; really nice. Bletherin = Talking foolishly or too much. Sleekit = Sly or untrustworthy Timmerman = A person who works with timber, a woodman or wood-cutter; a carpenter or joiner, esp. on a ship. Tatties = Potatoes Glaikit = Stupid looking Clabbie = Female reproductive parts. Ken = To know, be aware of, apprehend, learn (a fact). Doo = Pigeon Caw = Turn Canny = Smart or to be wary, or careful Puddock = A frog. Cushie-doo = Wood pigeon Neeps = Turnips Birlin = A small cake made of oatmeal or barley-meal. Sc

(Above image is a capture of a speedboat entering the sea from River Irvine.) For S.W. Scotland today was unusually hot with temperature around 26C/79F. Influenced by this and a cloudless, blue sky we drove to our nearest beach at Irvine, about 28 miles S.W. of Glasgow. This beach, which comprises lengths of golden sand, forms part of Irvine Bay which in turn faces west with Isle of Arran in distance. Irvine is an ancient settlement which is named after the river which flows through it. In medieval times it achieved royal burgh status. It is now a 'new town' on the coast of the Firth of Clyde with population of about 34,000. The origin of the name is not certain but may ultimately have derived from the word ara meaning watercourse.  Beach Scene    Equine activity on the beach  Swans   River Irvine with town in background.    River Irvine in central Irvine.Tall plant in foreground is non-native and invasive, known as Giant Hogweed.This causes

(Above image is a capture of the Firth from Royal Yacht Britannia at Leith.) This evening, I am focusing on Scotland’s Firth of Forth which is a bay or estuary where the River Forth completes its easterly flow into the North Sea near Edinburgh.This tidal estuary offers a wide range of interests for visitors and residents including: Bird Watching (including Isle of May and Bass Rock). Walking and hiking. Photography. Engineering (Queensferry Crossing, Forth Road Bridge and Forth Rail Bridge.) A Roman Fort (at Cramond). Boat trips. Quaint and historic villages along the shores including the Fife Coast  and South Queensferry. Image of Firth of Forth viewed from Lower Largo on Fife Coast.  Image of Forth Rail Bridge from South Queensferry.  South Queensferry Overall, an impressive waterway which offers many recreational facilities but is also home to a petrochemical complex and  commercial docks. Blog record of boat trip from 2014. Today, we enjoyed a