25 pictures celebrating Scotland's summer gala days of the past - with Coal Queens, parades and fancy dress
Gala days remain as much a highlight of the summer calendar in some parts of Scotland as they did 200 years ago, although the tradition has waned in some communities. Originally, the events were often held to mark successful wins for workers’ rights or simply to raise some cheer in the country’s industrial communities during tough economic times. Scotland’s first gala day is thought to have been held in the 1770 in Loanhead, when miners from the Dryden Colliery were invited to feast with their children to celebrate the birthday of the landowner, Lord Lockhart of Carnwath. From there on, sports days and children’s play days would be held at individual collieries, given workers and their families often cut off from larger summer festivals in towns and cities, according to the National Mining Museum Scotland.