Heritage
Scots scientist who helped save 300m lives
THE life of the Scottish scientist who played a pivotal role in the discovery of insulin will be celebrated this week to mark the 90th anniversary of the crucial medical breakthrough.
1 comment
Scottish World Heritage Sites: Future candidates
News broke on Monday that the Forth Rail Bridge has been put forward as a potential World Heritage Site. If successful, the bridge will join five existing sites in Scotland, and 28 in the UK in total. But what other sites in Scotland would be worth nominating?
Fuel poverty has prompted a revival of peat-cutting on Lewis video
IT IS early one morning in May, the Hebridean sky huge and blue, and Norman Macleod and Peter Urpeth, two old pals from Lewis, are walking out on to the moor, tools slung over their shoulders, ready for another day at the peats.
We are a mile or so inland from the village of Back, in the north-east of the island.
Breed honours Bobby
THE Capital’s most famous dog has been honoured after it was revealed its breed is under threat.
For sale, the house that hid a cross-dressing Bonnie Prince Charlie
A COUNTRY house which played a major role in one the best-known episodes from Scotland’s history – by hiding Bonnie Prince Charlie following his defeat at Culloden – has been placed on the market.
23 comments
Scottish word of the day: Ramscooter
‘THE Angry Scotsman’ is, ahem, not an entirely uncommon phenomenon in popular culture.
Scottish word of the day: Gallus
GALLUS is, thankfully, a rather less obscure word than many that feature in this series.
1 commentScottish Word of the Day: Piece
MANY visitors to Scotland may overhear the locals referring to what sounds like ‘peace.’ What they’re actually talking about is their lunch, or a snack.
Rare Canna stone’s a blessing and a curse
AN ANCIENT “cursing stone” used by Christian pilgrims more than a thousand years ago to bring harm to their enemies has been discovered on Canna.
8 comments
Notes of interest: A history of printed money in Scotland
THE Royal Bank of Scotland has led the way in
the issue of banknotes and, finds Brian Ferguson,
that history is about to be celebrated as part of
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations
The explosive history of Canongate’s cannonball Picture gallery
IT HAS a strong claim as one of Edinburgh’s most intriguing buildings, with a chequered history as a merchant’s home, a slum, a church house and a brothel.
14 comments
Scottish quote of the day: Jimmy Reid, Glasgow University, 1972
Trade union activist and politician Jimmy Reid was the spokesman and one of the leaders of the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders work-in of 1971-72 in which workers refused to accept the liquidation of the company and continued to work without pay in protest.
Plans afoot to tell Aberdeen’s granite story Picture gallery
AMBITIOUS plans have been unveiled for a heritage centre that will allow visitors an unprecedented clifftop view into the biggest man-made hole in Europe.
1 comment
Grief for ‘down to earth’ Duke of Atholl who commanded a private army
JOHN MURRAY, the 11th Duke of Atholl and commander of Britain’s only private army, has died in a hospital in South Africa.
Falkirk’s historic town centre to get a facelift
ONE of Scotland’s most historic town centres is set to undergo a £2 million facelift.
1 comment
Aberdeen University becomes font for Scotland’s Catholic heritage
TWO priceless collections of manuscripts, books and letters from the archives of the Catholic Church are to be returned to the north-east of Scotland for the first time in more than half a century.
7 comments
Rescue deal to bring William Adam mansion back from brink Picture gallery
THE future of one of Scotland’s most important listed buildings has been secured under a rescue deal set to trigger a £12 million overhaul for the crumbling 18th-century mansion in the Lothians.
2 comments
Scottish Word of the Day: Rook
Not the common bird, but an old Scots word meaning plunder. Although one of the most common uses is to indicate that you have no money left, it is unclear whether this is a general term, or whether it implies (as plunder does) that it was lost or stolen.
Diamond jamboree as Bonnie Prince Charlie’s gem auctioned off Picture gallery
A YELLOW diamond brooch once owned by Bonnie Prince Charlie and a rare stone worth £3 million are among jewels going under the hammer at auction today.
7 comments
Harley-Davidson devotees rescue crumbling Scots home of legendary motorbike maker
A TINY but ’n’ ben is about to get a new – and noisy – lease of life. The cottage in Angus is the former family home of the American Scot who helped found the most iconic motorbike ever produced. Now devotees of the Harley-Davidson brand have used their own money to buy the cottage to turn it into a pilgrimage site for bikers around the world.
Hard living: A history of crofting
Crofting was the outcome of the Highland Clearances when tens of thousands of people were evicted and moved to small plots on difficult-to-cultivate land in return for an annual rent.
Croft tourism throws lifeline to struggling farms
THE chances are there will be dodgy weather, a surplus of midges and a lack of night life. But the historic network of crofts that date back more than a century are to be marketed as an “authentic” taste of Scotland.
Duke of Argyll joins Jacobite rebels to petition Queen for clemency
THE Queen is to be presented with a petition aimed at ending laws imposed by the British government on the vanquished Jacobite clans after the 1715 and 1745 risings.
3 comments
Scottish quote of the day: William Wallace’s statement at his trial on 23 August, 1305
Thanks to the popular film Braveheart, it’s difficult to know what William Wallace truly said, and what Hollywood decided he said.
Island on the edge: The challenges facing Foula
David Pollock finds a memoir of life on the remote outpost of Foula highlights the present challenges to its survival
Historic Scotland rescues Perth City Hall from demolition
AN ICONIC Scottish concert venue threatened with demolition has been saved after an intervention by Historic Scotland.
4 commentsScottish word of the day: Biddie
As is the case with several Scots words, there are numerous descriptions (both pleasant and unsavoury) for women.
Enter our Historic Scotland photo competition
You could win £500 worth of photography vouchers, one year of Historic Scotland Membership and a unique experience on location with a Scotsman photographer.
1 comment
Scottish events of the Week
Need some inspiration for how to spend your free time this week? Here we look at five events worthy of your consideration.
Rare glimpse of Raj – hidden in Edinburgh shoe box
A SHOE box full of images capturing life in India at least a century ago has been discovered in one of Scotland’s national collections.
Sacrifice: Remembering the Scots in the Russian Arctic Convoys
This week Wester Ross is holding exhibitions and events to commemorate the Scots who undertook one of the most hazardous duties of the Second World War, writes Alistair Munro
Chariots of Fire’s Olympic secret revealed
THE extraordinary role of a French resistance fighter in bringing the award-winning film Chariots of Fire to the big screen has been revealed by the film’s producer, Lord Puttnam.
Eric Liddell: The man who put God before gold
THIRTY years after Lord Puttnam brought the story of Eric Liddell so memorably to life in Chariots of Fire, the Oscar-winning film-maker pays tribute to the Scottish athlete who put his faith before Olympic glory and in doing so became one of the greatest Olympians of them all
3 commentsScottish Fact of the Day: Scottish Saints
MOST people will be aware of St Andrew, commonly referred to as the patron saint of Scotland, but there are around 23 prominent Scottish saints - and no, St Johnstone isn’t one of them!
Scottish Fact of the Day: Loch Lomond
YOU may know it due to the song ‘The Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond’, but the eponymous loch is in fact the largest expanse of fresh water in the whole of Britain.
- Scottish independence: I don’t want ‘separatism’ says Sir Tom Farmer
- Jim McColl may back Scottish independence if third option omitted
- Rangers administration: Club run risk of new sanctions
- The Rumour Mill: Monday’s football news and gossip
- Rangers takeover: CVA bid ‘on track’ as date is set for 14 June
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Edinburgh
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 15 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 8 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
