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Visit Fort George, Visit Scotland

May 10, 2012 catswhiskers Comments off

Entrance to Fort George, Scotland

This evening, I am focusing on a stunning piece of 18th century miltray engineering as manifested in the 250 year old Fort George near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.

The catalyst for the construction of the fort was the Jacobite Rising which was finally crsuhed at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.This was a failed attempt by the House of Stuart to overturn the Hanoverian dynasty. However, the Battle of Culloden proved conclusive and after that event the Highlands remained peaceful notwithstanding which the fort has continued as army barracks to this day.

The fort was designed by military engineer, Major-General William Skinner as an impregnable base for George 11′s army in the north of Britain. The complement was some 2000 men comprising two field battalions of infantry, gunners and officer cadre. The building included staff blocks, barrack blocks, powder magazines, ordnance and provision stores, a bakehouse, brewhouse and chapel.

A compelling visitor attraction, especially for persons interested in the military. The western tip offers good views over the Moray Firth where, occasionally, dolphins can be seen feeding.

Here is the parade ground near the front entrance.

Parade Ground, Fort George, Scotland

Defensive bastion with view towards Moray Firth.

Defensive Bastion over Moray Firth, Fort George

This defensive ditch would have served as a killing ground.

Principal Ditch, Fort George, Scotland

Barrack Square, Fort George, Scotland

Garrison Chapel at western end.

Garrison Chapel, Fort George, Scotland

Battlefields, Buildings, Churches, Highlands, History, Inverness, Locations, Nature, Scotland tour, Tours none

Tour Scottish Highlands, Tour Scotland

May 9, 2012 catswhiskers Comments off

Snow Capped Cairngorms, Scotland

Today, was the final day of our ancestry themed tour of Scotland. Having covered the personal ancestry connections we embarked on some sightseeing in northern Scotland around the Inverness area.

Departing our oodgings at Dingwall we drove east to Fort George which sits on a promontory in the Moray Firth. This is a massive construction which was completed in 1769 and remains almost intact. It ranks as one of the most outstanding fortifications in Europe and comprises staff blocks, barrack blocks, powder magazines, ordnance and provision stores, a bakehouse, brewhouse and a chapel. The fort remains a British Army base to this day. A truly impressive edifice.

Fort George was completed in 1769 and was intended as a deterrent to Jacobite uprisings after their final defeat at nearby Culloden in 1746.

The Fort offers an excellent vantage point for viewing the Mora Firth and Chanonry Point opposite. We had the good fortune to view dolphins swimming in the water below the Fort walls.

Chanonry Point, Moray Firth, Scotland

Fort George, Near Inverness, Scotland

Cannon at Fort George, Scotland

After leaving Fort George we drove to nearby Culloden Moor and the site of the last battle on British soil where on 16th April 1746 a British army commanded by General Cumberland defeated an army of Highlanders under Bonnie Prince Charlie and finally ended the threat of a Jacobite uprising which had persisted since 1689. The victors were ruthless, took few prisoners and aggressively hunted down Jacobite supporters in the local communities.

Culloden has an excellent Visitor Centre which provides a full exposition on the events leading to the battle and, of course, the battle itself.

Aided by clement weather we walked the battlefield and visited the key grave sites where the fallen were buried, mostly Jacobite as Government casualtities were light.

Memorial at Culloden Battlefield, Scotland

Boggy Moorland at Culloden Battlefield, Scotland

Next we drove a short distance to visit the ancient monments known as Clava Cairns, on the south side of the River Nairn. These burial chambers date from pre-2000 BC and are surrounded by stone circles. An intriguing site.

Clava Cairns, Prehistoric Site, Scotland

Finally, we drove S.E. to destination of Tomintoul and lodgings for the night.

Ancestry, Ancestry Tours, Battlefields, Highlands, History, Inverness, Locations, Monuments, Prehistory, Scotland tour, Stone Circles, Tours none

Tour Cunninghame, Tour Scotland

April 27, 2012 catswhiskers Comments off

: St Maur’s Glencairn Parish Church, Kilmaurs, Scotland

Today, we embarked on the second leg of our Cunningham Ancestry Tour around S.W.Scotland.

First stop was St. Maur’s Glencairn Parish Church. The Minister here was very helpful, showing us around the Church and providing records of births, deaths and marriages.

The church was endowed by Sir William Cunninghame as a collegiate church in 1413 and rebuilt by Robert S Ingram in 1888.

The annexe in centre of the picture is not part of the church but a Cunningham family mausoleum known as the Glencairn Aisle. Regrettably, this building is not open to visitors due to health and safety reasons.

St. Maur's Glencairn Parish Church, Kilmaurs, Scotland

Here is a Cunningham memorial stone in the burial ground.

Cunningham Memorial Stone, Kilmaurs Church, Scotland

Here is a Cuninghame memorial which pre-dates the current church.

: Cuninghame Memorial Stone, Kilmaurs, Scotland

This is the pretty village of Kilmaurs with the old tolbooth at its centre. This (tolbooth) was a combined community centre, tax collection point and place of imprisonment and punishment.

Tolbooth, Kilmaurs, Scotland

Here is the former Glencairn Church, now a stained glass studio. The former church probably had a Cunningham connection as the Earls of Glencairn were Cunninghams.

Glencairn Church, Kilmaurs, Scotland

Next, we paid a brief visit to Dunlop and its church.

Street Scene with Church, Dunlop, Scotland

Next a photo opportunity at the small village of Cunninghamhead.

Cunninghamhead, S.W. Scotland

Next to Stevenston to view the ruins of Kerelaw Castle which sits, incongruously, in the centre of a social housing estate. This castle was in Cunninghams’ possession when in 1488 it was sacked and burned by the Earl of Eglinton, a Montgomerie. In revenge, the Cunninghams, led by the Earl of Glencairn, burned Eglinton Castle in 1528.

Kerelaw Castle, Stevenston, Scotland

We followed the coast road round to the popular and historic town of Largs. This is where a battle occurred in 1263 when a Scottish army defeated a force of Norwegians and thus ended Viking/Norse rule in the west of Scotland. Here we stopped for a pleasant lunch at the Marina.

Largs, Firth of Forth, Scotland

After lunch we followed the coast road round the Firth of Clyde to Greenock, Port Glasgow and eventually back to the hotel near Kelvingrove, Glasgow.

Ancestry, Ancestry Tours, Battlefields, Buildings, Castles, Churches, Glasgow, Greenock, History, Kerelaw Castle, Locations, Lochs & Lakes, Port Glasgow, River Clyde, Scotland tour, Tours, Viking none

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