Tag: Museums

Japanese Garden

Outside of Dollar in Clackmannanshire there’s a Japanese garden that is over one hundred years old. It’s open to the public and is amazingly tranquil and beautiful.

Referred to as “the most important Japanese garden in the Western world” (Prof. Suzuki) She Raku En, or the place of pleasure and delight, was the original idea of Ella Christie back in 1908. She was an unusual woman for her time as she travelled extensively throughout Asia during her life. She brought in Taki Handa, another fabulous woman ahead of her time, to design the garden. It was a complicated history after that as it was destroyed in 1963 and the main home of the Christies was demolished, however the garden has been re-established since then. If you want to see more of the history and how the garden has developed I suggest you have a look at their website – https://cowden-garden.myshopify.com

Each of the elements in the garden have meaning and it’s a genuinely fascinating place to spend a day. They also have a lovely cafe onsite too (because we know that’s important after shooting).

Brave New World

So I went out to the recently reopened Riverside museum and it was abit of an exerience compaired to the last time I was there in late November 2019 (all of 8 months ago). Last time it was teeming with people as you can see in the photos I took for my Higher Project. Of course, I was also there for fun when I wrote this post all about it in March 2019.

If you had told me back in March, or even November, that it would have about a third of the usual number inside, no cafe, no museum shop, and that you would need to book in advance…. well I would probably have laughed.

It really is a whole different world to the one that shut up shop in March this year.

Meanwhile, out on the streets….. I had a meet up with some of the guys from my Higher class and we had a bit of a walk about. It’s always good to get out and see other humans these days

New Lanark

The beautiful village of New Lanark is one of my favourite haunts, even before I became attached to a camera. There’s something about its selfcontained nature and the history attached to the place that keeps dragging me back. Well that and the fact that I still feel like I haven’t seen every single corner yet.

I have photos hailing from every season and every incarnation of my kit. All of these are from 2018/2019. Even if you don’t leave the village for the Falls of Clyde then there is a wealth of history and places to discover. Pre-Covid the Spinning machine works Monday to Saturday so you get a sample of the noise and atmosphere of the mill when it was in operation. The wool that is spun here is on sale in the gift shop and the cafe is an essential stop on any trip. Additionally you can explore the houses of the mill workers, village shop, Robert Owen’s house and the school when you get a entrance ticket (worth it!).

The beautiful walk along the Falls of Clyde is a great way to spend the afternoon it too changes with the seasons as you can see from the gallery above. This land was part of the Bonnington Estate and there are still pieces of history dotted all over the hiking trails.

This land was part of the Bonnington Estate and there are still pieces of history dotted all over the hiking trails. Interestingly the archway at the start of the trail marks the land boundary and the workers of the mills were not permitted to pass through.

I’m lucky that I have been to a couple of events at New Lanark as well. Most notably I was able to attend a press launch of Shining Lives: Fortunes of Fate last October. It was an installation of light and images projected onto the buildings, telling the story of highlanders who were on their way to America only to find an opportunity and a home in New Lanark. This was a beautiful way to see the buildings and to learn about another part of the history.

It’s safe to say it’s well worth the journey at any time of the year. Although the virus has temporarily closed the exhibits, you can still hike the falls, appreciate the buildings, learn about the history and enjoy some time off in the cafe.

Culzean Castle

So back in that summer we had (that lasted all of 3 days) I took a jaunt down to Culzean Castle. I’ve been there a few times as there’s a cracking Scout run campsite where I’ve taken Guides.

It has fake ruins on the way to the house which I think are brilliant. Not super modern (Victorian even) but built at the same time as the main castle. Somehow I’ve ended up as a National Trust of Scotland member. Not complaining as they hold several places I want to visit.

Modern for the time, the house had is own coal gas plant supplying the house. The farm buildings nearby are the gift shop and main cafe. I’ll admit I didn’t walk far in the heat. There’s extensive grounds and swan pond as well as walled garden and cliff walk. This was just a short loop round the bridge, castle and back to the cafe to cool off.

Summerlee

So this one took me two visits to get all the way round. I seriously underestimated the amount of glorious things there were for me to snap. Also the cafe is brilliant.

Out in Coatbridge, Summerlee is an old iron works now home to an almost endless display of the industrial heritage of Lanarkshire. Even up into my youth still a source of steel, Lanarkshire was home to many coal mines, weavers, engineering plants, steel and iron works. Summerlee is the child and photographer friendly home to a collection of social and industrial history exhibits. There’s a working tram service, coal mine (recreation), canal barge, miners’ cottages, trains…. you can see why it took me so long with my rust problem (I have a lot of rust photos).

So you have the iron Vulcan barge in the post feature image and the the beautiful entrance way now for a few more…

Main visitor centre entrance
The tram leaving the miners’ row cottages
Inside of one of the miners’ row houses
The old iron work foundations and their residents.

Verdant Works, Dundee

So I made one last stop before leaving Dundee a week and a bit ago. I’ve been slow in writing this because I wanted to do it justice as it was the the shortest visit but one of the best. So the Verdant Works was once one of the many jute mills in Dundee. And I have a special place in my heart as I’m from a community when the cotton mill was the centre of the village. It’s now a visitor attraction where people can learn about the processes and history. Again photography is encouraged but some areas can be quite dark so bump the ISO up. The staff are amazing too.

Dundee

So I spent a brilliant weekend in Dundee… I started shooting when it was getting dark on Friday evening then went on to visit the V&A Dundee, RRS Discovery and the best statue I’ve visited in a long time.

The V&A is brilliant inside and out and of course they have a specially commissioned item in the shop that shares its name with me. A Selkie cushion. Yes, I brought one home with me. You can take photos in some of the exhibits just be careful of flash. So from there it was all aboard the RRS Discovery which lives next door.

Photography is actively encouraged and its a great exhibition and place to learn about how we finally made it to the South Pole and Antarctica. Amazing to think this ship was frozen in ice for 2 years while they investigated and made all sorts of scientific discoveries.

They wouldn’t let me use the darkroom but then you don’t really need it with a DSLR……. Yep they were taking photos all the way down there….

I had time for one stop before home but I’ll post about that tomorrow….

T Rex in Town

Across the road from Glasgow’s oldest adopted resident, Dippy, who is still hanging out in Kelvingrove Museum, there’s a new dinosaur in town. Trix, the Tyrannosaurus rex, is now in Kelvin Hall and she’s a real fossil. Not to throw shade at the still popular Dippy but he (she?) is a plaster cast of a true fossil. Abet a plaster mould with a prestigious permanent home in London.

Being the Easter holiday it’s the busiest place on earth…. (I’ve never been to Disneyland so can’t comment)…. It’s also hot for Scotland right now. The temperature is officially “taps aff” (feel free to google that) in the Glasgow area so of course I chose to kneel on the floor of another museum for extended periods. I think it was worth it though as I have some more long exposure (ghost people) shots. I went all out this time having learned from Dippy. I’m now equipped with a mini tripod (which is usually museum friendly) and a 2 stop ND filter (just enough to stop the camera over exposing the shots).