Another Fine Day at the Office...

I've been off on walkabout today.  The weather was lovely - the chiffchaffs are back, and the bumblebees and wolf spiders are extremely active.

It was one of those days that makes me realise why I enjoy archaeological field survey work.  Field survey's like a roller-coaster, or a see-saw, or the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead.  It very much has its ups and downs.  When it's good, it's very, very good.  When it's bad, it's horrid.

Today, I almost entirely failed to find an 18th century flax-spinning mill.  We're not talking a wee shed here, we're talking something that's approaching the size of New Lanark!!  The site in question had been virtually erased from the landscape, courtesy of the National Coal Board, who'd bulldozed everything into oblivion fifty years ago.  I did find the site of the mill-owner's mansion, or at least the place where the remains of the mill-owner's mansion had been unceremoniously dumped, so it wasn't entirely fruitless.

Here's a view of the landscape, looking out towards a range of hills near Edinburgh - I'm not entirely sure if they're the Pentlands or the Lammermuirs:-

 

And here's some of the local landmarks. 

The first is the Lady Victoria Colliery, now reborn as the Scottish Mining Museum.  The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland recently held a poll to find the top three amongst a selection of Scotland's 'Treasured Places'.  This particular site hit the No. 1 spot, which I find disturbing, considering it was up against various wonders like standing stones, medieval buildings, Pictish carved stones, the Forth Rail Bridge, etc.  Don't blame me - I voted for Falkland Palace!!  I think the Lady Victoria's success may be something to do with the Scots' dewy-eyed devotion to the Noble Working Man and his Socialist Ethics... 

 

Nothing wrong with the Lady Victoria Colliery, but I far prefer the historic building featured below - Dalhousie Castle.  It's little more than a dot on the horizon here, but if you get up close, you'll find a 19th century mansion with a 15th century tower-house at its core.

 

It was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie (they've been promoted to Marquis in the recent past), but it now functions as a rather upmarket country house hotel.  
 

The Ramsays of Dalhousie have had their ups and downs through the centuries.  One of the most unfortunate of their line was Sir Alexander Ramsay (1290-1342), who was a renowned fighter on the Scots' side during the Wars of Independence.  He got on the wrong side of Sir William Douglas (one of the formidable 'Black Douglases'), when he was granted the titles of Sheriff of Teviotdale and Constable of Roxburgh Castle, titles which Douglas himself coveted.  So, in a fit of pique, Douglas had Ramsay imprisoned in the bowels of Hermitage Castle, where he eventually starved to death...

I'd hoped to visit one of the Douglas strongholds on my recent Dumfries & Galloway trip, but the weather was against me, so sadly I can't elegantly tie this Dalhousie post into a D & G/  Black Douglas spectacular. No matter - back to Dalhousie Castle...

The castle sits in the midst of a well-preserved designed landscape.  Incorporated into this are the remains of Cockpen Church, a medieval church which is now used as the burial place for the Dalhousie family.

Here's a quick preview of the church, which is worthy of a post in its own right (and trust me, it will get one!):-

 

 

And I'll end with some nice pictures of the natural world.  Here's a view of the lovely wooded idyll that confronted me today (spot the flax mill, everyone!! And please don't think you're an idiot if you can't see it...).  I'm sure all archaeologists out there will agree that a carpet of wild garlic does not assist in the easy  identification of archaeological monuments:-

 

I'll end with a close-up of some coltsfoot flowers, a sure sign that spring's finally here!

 

Tomorrow, I'll have a brief diversion to Cockpen Old Parish Church...
 

Another Fine Day at the Office...

I've been off on walkabout today.  The weather was lovely - the chiffchaffs are back, and the bumblebees and wolf spiders are extremely active.

It was one of those days that makes me realise why I enjoy archaeological field survey work.  Field survey's like a roller-coaster, or a see-saw, or the little girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead.  It very much has its ups and downs.  When it's good, it's very, very good.  When it's bad, it's horrid.

Today, I almost entirely failed to find an 18th century flax-spinning mill.  We're not talking a wee shed here, we're talking something that's approaching the size of New Lanark!!  The site in question had been virtually erased from the landscape, courtesy of the National Coal Board, who'd bulldozed everything into oblivion fifty years ago.  I did find the site of the mill-owner's mansion, or at least the place where the remains of the mill-owner's mansion had been unceremoniously dumped, so it wasn't entirely fruitless.

Here's a view of the landscape, looking out towards a range of hills near Edinburgh - I'm not entirely sure if they're the Pentlands or the Lammermuirs:-

 

And here's some of the local landmarks. 

The first is the Lady Victoria Colliery, now reborn as the Scottish Mining Museum.  The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland recently held a poll to find the top three amongst a selection of Scotland's 'Treasured Places'.  This particular site hit the No. 1 spot, which I find disturbing, considering it was up against various wonders like standing stones, medieval buildings, Pictish carved stones, the Forth Rail Bridge, etc.  Don't blame me - I voted for Falkland Palace!!  I think the Lady Victoria's success may be something to do with the Scots' dewy-eyed devotion to the Noble Working Man and his Socialist Ethics... 

 

Nothing wrong with the Lady Victoria Colliery, but I far prefer the historic building featured below - Dalhousie Castle.  It's little more than a dot on the horizon here, but if you get up close, you'll find a 19th century mansion with a 15th century tower-house at its core.

 

It was the seat of the Earls of Dalhousie (they've been promoted to Marquis in the recent past), but it now functions as a rather upmarket country house hotel.  
 

The Ramsays of Dalhousie have had their ups and downs through the centuries.  One of the most unfortunate of their line was Sir Alexander Ramsay (1290-1342), who was a renowned fighter on the Scots' side during the Wars of Independence.  He got on the wrong side of Sir William Douglas (one of the formidable 'Black Douglases'), when he was granted the titles of Sheriff of Teviotdale and Constable of Roxburgh Castle, titles which Douglas himself coveted.  So, in a fit of pique, Douglas had Ramsay imprisoned in the bowels of Hermitage Castle, where he eventually starved to death...

I'd hoped to visit one of the Douglas strongholds on my recent Dumfries & Galloway trip, but the weather was against me, so sadly I can't elegantly tie this Dalhousie post into a D & G/  Black Douglas spectacular. No matter - back to Dalhousie Castle...

The castle sits in the midst of a well-preserved designed landscape.  Incorporated into this are the remains of Cockpen Church, a medieval church which is now used as the burial place for the Dalhousie family.

Here's a quick preview of the church, which is worthy of a post in its own right (and trust me, it will get one!):-

 

 

And I'll end with some nice pictures of the natural world.  Here's a view of the lovely wooded idyll that confronted me today (spot the flax mill, everyone!! And please don't think you're an idiot if you can't see it...).  I'm sure all archaeologists out there will agree that a carpet of wild garlic does not assist in the easy  identification of archaeological monuments:-

 

I'll end with a close-up of some coltsfoot flowers, a sure sign that spring's finally here!

 

Tomorrow, I'll have a brief diversion to Cockpen Old Parish Church...