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St. Lazarus Church, also known as Church of Our Lady of Hope, is one of the three oldest churches in Macau. It was erected in 1569 by Dom Belchior de Carneiro, the first bishop of Macau. At first it was a simple wooden chapel. The present church was renovated in 1886 and the plasterwork was renewed in 1957, when further major renovations were carried out.
The location of St Lazarus' Church was in the district where the leper colony situated since it was a rather remote place outside the city walls. In 1558, right after his arrival in Macau, Bishop Belchior Carneiro, using this church as his base, founded the Holy House of Mercy, St. Raphael's Hospital, and the St. Lazarus Asylum for Lepers, preaching among the Chinese, providing relief of the needy, taking care of the sick and saving their lives. He also set up a small chapel, which was the precursor of the church. In its early days, the chapel was dedicated to Our Lady of Hope, but the local Chinese citizens called it the lepers temple (瘋人廟).
When Pope Gregory XIII declared the establishment of diocese in Macau, the bishop’s seat was set here. So St. Lazarus was also the first cathedral in Macau. Later, however, it was deemed inappropriate to have the seat inside a lepers chapel, so plans were drafted to build the Cathedral. Still, St. Lazarus Church, enjoyed a lot of prestige within Catholic circles in Macau. Whenever a new bishop was inaugurated, he would come to St. Lazarus Church to receive his crosier with which he would be allowed to exercise his power. As the earliest church for evangelization of Chinese in Macau, the Chinese converts settled around the church. In 1818, a new church called “Our Lady of Hope” was built near the original church so the parishioners needed not to use the same church with lepers. The leper asylum was then moved away, the church was renovated to present feature. In St. Lazarus Square, there is a stone cross, inscribed with the following words “Crux da Esperanca Anno de 1637” meaning “Cross of Our Lady of Hope, in the year 1637”.
望德聖母堂又稱聖拉匝祿堂，為澳門三座最古老的教堂之一，始於1569年，由澳門第一位主教賈尼勞興建。最初是一座用木建成的簡陋聖堂，今日之規模是於1886年重建時奠定，1957年修葺時鋪上石米批蕩。昔日此地位於澳門城牆之外，地處偏僻，且毗連痲瘋病院。1558年賈尼勞主教甫抵澳門，即在現址興建教堂，並以此堂為基礎，建立仁慈堂、聖辣菲醫院和聖拉匝祿痲瘋病院，向華人傳道，提供慈善服務，救病扶危，他又建了一座小聖堂，奉望德聖母為主保，但當地居民習慣稱之為「瘋人廟」、「瘋堂廟」或「發瘋寺」。在1576年1月，教宗額我略十三世宣佈將澳門升為天主教教區，望德聖母堂成為首座主教座堂。後來發覺主教座堂不宜設於麻瘋院附近，遂另建大堂為主教座堂。以後每逢新任主教到澳就職，必先到望德聖母堂領取法杖，以行使其權責。因此，望德聖母堂在澳門天主教人士中享有崇高之地位。這教堂是澳門最早的一間華人教堂，華人教徒聚居於教堂附近，稱為「進教圍」。1818年，在原堂附近又另建望德堂，供居住在附近的教友祈禱，以避免與麻瘋病人混雜。由於來澳葡人日見增多，加之華人教徒不斷增加，無法容納，就拆除了舊堂，於1885年建成新堂開始啟用，奠定了今日望德聖母堂之規模。這之後，隨著麻瘋病院遷往他處，有關設施也拆卸改建了。現時的規模，聖堂前的石米批盪是在1957年重新修時所鋪上的。現在望德堂前還存有一個刻著拉丁文「望德十字架，1637年立」的石製十字架。
Most of the internal decoration of the Lyceum Theatre Crewe lies on the balcony fronts, ceiling and boxes, where the Edwardian plasterwork is rich and deep.
Crewe Lyceum Theatre
A scanned negative from 1994.
The ornate ceilings reveal the elegance and charm of the City Hall we have known and loved for the past 80 years. This particular plasterwork is located in the Balmoral Suites which is a sought after wedding venue.
THE FIRST DWELLING AT LEVENS WAS A MEDIEVAL PELE TOWER, BUILT BY THE DE REDMAN FAMILY OF YEALAND REDMAYNE. THE BELLINGHAM FAMILY, WHO WERE WEALTHY LANDOWNERS, CHOSE LEVENS AS THEIR MAIN RESIDENCE IN THE 1590S AND INCORPORATED THE FORTIFIED TOWER INTO A GENTLEMAN’S RESIDENCE. THEY EMPLOYED LOCAL CRAFTSMEN TO CARVE THE OAK PANELLING, INCORPORATED ELABORATE ITALIAN PLASTERWORK, INCLUDING ELIZABETH THE FIRST’S COAT OF ARMS AND STAINED GLASS - ALL OF WHICH CAN BE SEEN TODAY.
THE HISTORIC HOUSE BECAME THE PROPERTY OF COLONEL JAMES GRAHME IN 1688 AFTER HIS CAREER AT COURT IN THE SERVICE OF KING JAMES II. HE BROUGHT WITH HIM A YOUNG FRENCH GARDENER, GUILLAUME BEAUMONT, A PUPIL OF LE NOTRE AT VERSAILLES, TO PLAN A FASHIONABLE GARDEN AT LEVENS. THIS FAMILY HOME CONTAINS FINE FURNITURE, PAINTINGS, ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES IN EUROPE OF SPANISH LEATHER WALL COVERINGS, THE EARLIEST ENGLISH PATCHWORK, WELLINGTONIANA, CLOCKS AND MINIATURES, AND HAS BECOME ONE OF THE FINEST STATELY HOMES IN SOUTH CUMBRIA.
THERE ARE TEN WONDERFUL ACRES OF GARDENS AT LEVENS HALL. THEY INCLUDE THE UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ANCIENT AND EXTRAORDINARY TOPIARY CHARACTERS SCULPTED FROM BOX AND YEW. THEY RISE UP FROM A SPECTACULAR SEASONAL UNDERPLANTING POPULATED WITH AN EVER-CHANGING RANGE OF OVER THIRTY THOUSAND FLOWERS. FURTHER ON, BEYOND THE ROMANTIC OLD ORCHARD AND SEPARATED BY THE GREAT BEECH HEDGES, LIE THE MAGNIFICENT HERBACEOUS BORDERS. THESE ARE TRADITIONALLY DOUBLE IN FORMAT AND ARE AMONGST THE FINEST TO BE FOUND IN ENGLAND. THERE ARE ALSO WALL BORDERS, VEGETABLE AND HERB GARDENS, A ROSE GARDEN, FOUNTAIN GARDEN, FINE LAWNS, WILDFLOWER MEADOWS & WILLOW LABYRINTH ETC.
GHOSTS AT LEVENS HALL
THE MOST FAMOUS GHOST AT LEVENS HALL IS ABOUT A GYPSY WOMAN WHO IS SAID TO HAVE DIED CURSING THE HOUSE, CLAIMING THAT NO MALE HEIR WOULD INHERIT UNTIL THE RIVER KENT CEASED TO FLOW AND A WHITE FAWN WAS BORN IN THE PARK. STRANGELY, THE ESTATE PASSED THROUGH THE FEMALE LINE FOR FOUR GENERATIONS UNTIL THE BIRTH OF ALAN DESMOND BAGOT IN 1896 WHEN THE RIVER DID INDEED FREEZE OVER AND A WHITE FAWN WAS BORN IN THE PARK. THE THREE MALE HEIRS SINCE HAVE ALL BEEN BORN ON FREEZING WINTER DAYS.
AN EPISODE FILMED BY THE TELEVISION PROGRAMME ‘MOST HAUNTED’ IN 2002 DISCOVERED SOME LIGHTS, SOUNDS AND DISTURBING ATMOSPHERES NOT PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED BY VISITORS.
Palace / Showbar Warrington. Above the false floors and ceilings there is a fair amount of the theatrical plasterwork surviving, including the shallow-domed ceiling and the top of the 29ft wide proscenium arch (seen here). The "welcome" is from the years of bingo use (c1964 - 1997) operated under the Surewin and later Apollo brands. Opened in 1907 and designed by George F Ward, the Warrington Palace Theatre and Hippodrome bears much in common with the Darlington and Middlesbrough Hippodromes by the same architect. All three are in a mix of Arts & Crafts and Baroque style constructed of brick and stone and having square towers topped by cupolas. Owned by the McNaughten Circuit for much of its life, the Palace was converted to a cinema in 1931 which closed in 1964, following which it was used as a bingo club until 1997. After 3 years of disuse it was converted to Brannigans Nightclub, later The Showbar and is now Truth.
Warrington, Cheshire, North West England - Palace Theatre / Truth, Friars Green
May 2013, image reworked 2025
Detail of unrestored plasterwork in Worthing Ritz 1991.
Ritz Theatre (Connaught) Worthing, West Sussex
A scanned negative from March 1991
The George Hotel has existed at 25 Lydiard Street, Ballarat, since 1853. The present building was constructed in 1902 to designs of architects E. and B. Smith.
The principal feature of the three storey building is the triple storey, six bay, cast iron verandah. The main facade was originally face brickwork. The first floor facade is characterised by archivolts to the row of windows. The balustraded parapet has a semicircular tympanium.
The interior of the George Hotel has changed greatly over the years since it was built. The most damage was not caused by the ravages of time and the fickle nature of fashion, but a fire in 1988. However the interiors have been lovingly restored, and original features survive to this day.
The ground floor has marble facings, white above the height of the sill and red below; this was an unusual design feature at the time, as most facades were tiled then. The threshold of the main Lydiard Street entrance has the black marble words "George Hotel" inlaid into white marble.
The George's public rooms feature high ceilings with ornate plasterwork, grand chandeliers and fine cornices.
Here's where the 'tent' met the rest of the plasterwork. Visible in this is the catwalk used for light bulb replacement.
City Varieties Leeds - the plasterwork is much better picked out now in the cream, green, crimson and gold colour scheme. and the new drapes more ornate.
Leeds City Varieties Theatre
August 2011
The lower balcony and ceiling plasterwork survives from the 1930 rebuild. First opened in 1886 designed by R T Johnson, remodelled 1899 by J P Briggs, converted to cinema 1930.
Wigan, Lancashire, UK - Royal Court Theatre, King Street
A 2018 digital scan of a negative taken in 1997.
Gold paint has been applied to the detailed plasterwork along the outer rim of the oculus bringing this stunning feature back to a golden era.
Victoria Palace Theatre refurbishment, February 2017. Plasterwork around ceiling dome is repaired. On 9th April 2016 "Billy Elliot" closed at the theatre to allow for a multi-million refurbishment and extension of the grade 2* listed, Frank Matcham designed building. The most significant changes since the variety theatre opened in 1911. It will reopen at the end of this year with the Broadway hit "Hamilton"
London, West End, Victoria Palace Theatre building works.
February 2017
Lanhydrock is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons. Boasting the best in country-house design and planning, the kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant
one of the few old school buildings in Marrakech that allows non muslim visitors. Originally a school built in 1565 it offers one of the finest displays of traditional zellij tiling, plasterwork, and wood carvings in their original setting.
Sudbury Hall, was the country home of the Lords Vernon, containing 17th-century craftsmanship, featuring plasterwork, wood carvings and classical story-based murals.
The Museum of Childhood within the Hall is a delight for all ages with something for everyone. Watch your children discovering something new, or relive nostalgic memories by exploring the childhoods of times gone by.
The Parish Church of All Saints,which is adjacent to the house, was restored for the 6th Lord Vernon by George Devey.
It was used by the BBC to film "Pride & Prejudice".
Allegory of Sculpture (oil on canvas backed onto plasterwork, 1860-1867) - attributed to Jean Vandoren, Museum Leuven
Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society, Palace Street - built in 1790.
For years the only building on the short Palace Street which leads from Dame Street to the Lower Yard, Dublin Castle. Whether it is the vigorously incised plasterwork or the enigmatic society’s name that grabs your intention, this is a lovely building which has now, unfortunately, being flanked by a rather overbearing neighbour.
The Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers Society is Dublin's oldest surviving charity.
The society was one of many that were established in Georgian Dublin to relieve the poverty that pervaded the city at that time. There was no system of public welfare, nor, until much later, any general policy on the part of the government to alleviate the problem of poverty. It was left to parishes (which in the poorer areas of the city had very little to spare), private individuals and institutions to ease poverty through voluntary work. With this object in mind a group of men met in Mountrath St. on 15 March 1790 to form a society "to be called the Charitable Society for the Relief of Sick and Indigent Roomkeepers of all Religious Persuasions in the City of Dublin."
The founders of the society were, as described in the History of Dublin (1815), "a few individuals in the middle ranks of life, inhabiting a part of the town where the population was poor and crowded, had daily opportunities of knowing that many poor creatures who were unable to dig and ashamed to beg, expired of want and were often found dead in the sequestred garrets and cellars to which they had silently returned". The part of town referred to was north of the river Liffey, in the parish of St. Michan's. The Society has traditionally acknowledged the following to have been the founders: Samuel Rosborough (linen draper), Christopher Connolly (grocer), Patrick Magin (grocer), Philip Shea (carpenter), Michael Stedman (stone-cutter), Peter Fleming (fruitman), Timothy Knowlan (pawnbroker), Thomas Wilmot, William Blacker, Laurence Toole (schoolmaster) and James Reilly. Members paid a subscription of at least 2 pence per week, which entitled them to recommend deserving persons to be given relief by the Society.
Just look at all those rich colours. Most of them, I think, are lichens and algae working their way into the plasterwork.
A masterpiece, a prototype for the gallery itself and a showcase for the Renaissance in France, the Francis I Gallery in the Château de Fontainebleau (post-1528) served as a model for future generations of artists. It pre-dates the Apollo Gallery in the Louvre (post-1661) and the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles (post-1678). www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/The-Francis-I-Gallery?...
Built to link the King’s Chamber to the gallery of the Trinitarian monks’ chapel, this gallery was originally lit from windows along both sides, until the wing was extended during Louis XVI’s reign. The first section comprised two corbelled offices, curving outwards on the north and south façades. The first disappeared after Francis I. This gallery was initially only intended for private use, and Francis I wore the key to it around his neck. It only became a public space when the King’s Chamber was moved at the end of the 16th century or shortly thereafter.
Designed along Classical lines, the series of painted frescoes on the stuccoed interior form a rich and original decorative scheme, the themes of which remain mysterious and have invited a wide variety of interpretations. It dates from 1536 onwards, and was the work of Rosso and Primaticcio. The wood panelling with the king’s monogram and heraldic symbol of the salamander were the work of Scibec de Carpi. www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr/The-Renaissance-Rooms?...
Stucco = plaster and marble dust
The George Hotel has existed at 25 Lydiard Street, Ballarat, since 1853. The present building was constructed in 1902 to designs of architects E. and B. Smith.
The principal feature of the three storey building is the triple storey, six bay, cast iron verandah. The main facade was originally face brickwork. The first floor facade is characterised by archivolts to the row of windows. The balustraded parapet has a semicircular tympanium.
The interior of the George Hotel has changed greatly over the years since it was built. The most damage was not caused by the ravages of time and the fickle nature of fashion, but a fire in 1988. However the interiors have been lovingly restored, and original features survive to this day.
The ground floor has marble facings, white above the height of the sill and red below; this was an unusual design feature at the time, as most facades were tiled then. The threshold of the main Lydiard Street entrance has the black marble words "George Hotel" inlaid into white marble.
The George's public rooms feature high ceilings with ornate plasterwork, grand chandeliers and fine cornices.
Datación s XIV. (?) o antes
In situ - Museo Diocesiano, Cuenca, cuyo edificio era el antiguo Palacio Episcopal de San Julián.
Basilio Pavón Maldonado lo relaciona con las yeserías toledanas del s XIV que integran figuras humanas en vegetación, en concreto
-Arcosolio de la Iglesia San Andrés de Toledo (mavit.toletho.com/ficha.php?inventario=000112)
-Las yeserías en el Seminario Menor (p224-225 en "Tesoros Artísticos de Toledo" de Renate Takkenberg-Krohn)
-El llamado arco del obispo en una mansión de la Bajada de San Justo.
ref: BASILIO PAVÓN MALDONADO: Iconografía hispanomusulmana (Matizaciones y connotaciones): Naturalismo, fauna y el árbol de la vida
Fig. 41.2 "Siluetas sagradas entre letreros árabes de carácteres cúficos, palacio episcopal de Cuenca."
www.basiliopavonmaldonado.es/Documentos/icohispa.pdf
******
Rests of mudejar plasterwork with cufic insciption and human figures; probably from 14th century or earlier
In situ in the Diocesan Museum of Cuenca (Spain) that peviously was the Episcopal Palace. (a great museum very worth a visit if you are fan of medieval art and crafts)
www.spain.info/en/que-quieres/arte/museos/cuenca/museo_di...
Basilio Pavón Maldonado, one of the supreme autorities of hispanomusulman and mudejar art relates this with the toledan 14th century plasterworks integrating human figures in vegetation. The three most famous ones are mentioned above in the Spanish text, wher you can also see the reference to the article, fully available online.
Built in 1398 as a border fortress to keep the troublesome Welsh in line, Chirk Castle has been rebuilt several times over the centuries to turn it into a luxurious and comfortable country house. The medieval towers were largely hollowed-out to provide expansive rooms which were then decorated in the neo-classical style with Robert Adam-style plaster ceilings, Mortlake tapestries and the finest furniture. Today the castle retains the stolid outlook of a fortress, but the walls which were originally 15ft thick are now pierced by the delicate tracery of Elizabethan and later windows. The setting, on top of a granite outcrop on part of Offa's Dyke, and 828ft elevation give commanding views across the Cheshire plain to distant Beeston Castle to the East and south across Shropshire to the Wreakin, Long Mynd and beyond.
Original Co-op store on right (with 'Co-operative' in plasterwork covered up), middle building was eventually bought out by the Co-op but since closed, and 1950's Co-op on far left
Detail of plasterwork of side boxes in the Regent Cinema, Great Yarmouth.. Opened in 1914 and designed by Francis Burdett Ward as a cine-variety house with a full stage. It was closed in 1982 and converted to Bingo, latterly under the control of Mecca. Closed and converted into a nightclub. Closed again and currently (2020) shuttered. Grade 2 listed.
Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, East Anglia - Regent Theatre, Regent Road
January 2003 (image reworked 2020)
By the famous Scottish architect Robert Adam, 1774-88. A Neo-classical records office with domed circular reading room in centre of court.
Interior is of vaulted and fireproof construction. Neo-classical plasterwork of dome executed by Thomas Clayton to Adam's design of 1785. The eight medallions were chosen in London by Adam himself, at a total cost of £33 12s. and were shipped to Edinburgh in 1786. Five of them are based on antique bas reliefs depicting Roman marriage and civic ceremonies, while the remaining three appear to be contemporary designs illustrating scenes from Greek myths and legends.
Crown property. The first purpose built record office in Britain, and still in use as such. The site was given by the city in 1769 to encourage the development of the New Town they were planning. Adam had prepared his design by 1771. The foundation stone for the S section was laid on 27th June 1774, the N side having been postponed, but even this work took ten years to complete. Interior of the dome painted 1791. N range (rear) was completed by Robert Reid, 1822-34.
Ganjali Bazaar - Square - Malek Mosque
The bazaar is located in southern part of Ganjali Square. Inside, the bazaar is decorated with exquisite plasterwork and wall paintings and although they are 400 years old, they are still well-preserved. The bazaar is 93 meters long and is connected to Ganjali square through 16 iwans and vaults.
Ganjali Caravanserai and Mosque
The caravanserai is located on the east side of the Ganjali Square. Its portal bears a foundation inscription from 1598 composed by calligrapher Alireza Abbasi. The plan of the caravanserai is based on the four-iwan typology, with double-story halls centered on tall iwans enveloping four sides of an open courtyard. There is an octagonal fountain at the center of the courtyard which is chamfered at the corners. The caravanserai measures thirty-one and a half by twenty-three meters. It has a small domed mosque at one corner that measures five and a half by five meters
This mosque is a construction of the 5th century AH. (the Saljuqi period). Various portions of this mosque, specially the main platform was constructed in the times of Vakil-ol-Molk (1285 AH.), and the eastern porch was repaired in the last century by the late Deylamqani which is a remnant of the Saljuqi period. There is the brick tower in the north eastern section, which was formerly in a state of ruin, but has since then been repaired. Besides which there are three altars worked in plaster.
Regent Redcar. 3D digital equipment has recently been installed. The cinema has atmosphere in abundance with the barrel vaulted ceiling and 1920's plasterwork.
Redcar Regent Cinema
November 2011
The ceiling of the Long Gallery, plaster work, has scenes from the Creation and Old Testament; here, Adam and Eve. I like Adam's moustache and beard.
Press "L" for large picture!
"L" drücken für großes Bild!
Lanhydrock, near Bodmin, is a magnificent late Victorian country house with extensive servants quarters, gardens and a wooded estate.
It is the perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home. The kitchens, nurseries and servants' quarters offer a thrilling glimpse into life 'below stairs', while the spacious dining room and bedrooms are truly and deeply elegant.
The house is set in wooded parkland of 1,000 acres and encircled by a garden of rare shrubs and trees.
Follow in the footsteps of generations of the Robartes family, walking in the 17th-century Long Gallery among the rare book collection under the remarkable plasterwork ceiling. After a devastating fire in 1881 the house was refurbished in the high-Victorian style, with the latest mod cons.
Don't miss
* There are 50 rooms to explore – allow plenty of time!
* Play the Steinway piano in the Long Gallery
* Look out for the museum and second-hand bookshop
The gardens
The historical garden with its 30-acres of woodland was laid out back in 1857, but its present format was actually established later on in the Victorian period, and many of the plants are no more than 70 years old. However, a grand atmosphere permeates the entire setting and compliments the brilliant planting of more modern times.
Explore formal parterres of dazzling bedding plants and wander along paths that wind through a woodland landscape planted in a semi-formal Cornish fashion - rhododendrons and Himalayan magnolias lurching to their full-size in the fresh Cornish air. Because the grounds lie inland and rise up to 130-metres above sea level, the plants have to cope with harsher climates than the lush valley gardens of the south coast. In spite of this, Lanhydrock still puts on one of the county's most colourful spring shows, with over 120 species of cream and white magnolias featuring amongst a flurry of wild blooms that carpet the woodland.
Learn more about the history and the work involved to keep the magnificent gardens maintained via the new interpretation on permanent display in the garden's thatched cottage.
Take-in the sweeping views over the gardens and the valley landscape, and it's pretty obvious that this is prime garden for walkers. Not only is there 30-acres of formal and informal woodland to explore, but the garden opens onto an extensive network of footpaths zig-zagging through 900-acres of beautiful countryside.
And with so much space to roam, Lanhydrock makes a very family friendly day out. Whilst the fresh air and colourful surroundings will captivate the kids' imaginations and wear them out, the restaurant has a fantastic children's menu and there are excellent baby-changing facilities on-site.
(visitcornwall.com)
Lanhydrock House (kornisch Lannhydrek) ist ein Herrenhaus nahe der englischen Stadt Bodmin in Cornwall. Es liegt fast 13 Kilometer von der Südküste Cornwalls entfernt im waldreichen Tal des Flusses River Fowey, inmitten eines 367 Hektar großen Anwesens, das bis zu 130 Metern Höhe ansteigt.
Lanhydrock House ist von einem attraktiven formalen Garten und einem Landschaftspark umgeben. Der angrenzende Hügel ist mit ausgewählten Bäumen und Sträuchern bepflanzt. Viele Teile des heutigen Hauses sind viktorianischen Ursprungs, einige sind jedoch mehr als 200 Jahre älter, sie datieren etwa um das Jahr 1620.
Fünfzig Jahre nach dem Bau von Lanhydrock House wurde im Jahr 1690 der erste geometrische Garten neben dem Haus angelegt, er wird erstmals im Lanhydrock-Atlas von 1694 bis 1697 erwähnt. Der Garten bestand aus einer Rasenfläche für Kegel- oder Ballspiele, dem Bowling Green, einem Blumengarten, der von einem Weg entlang der Baumlinie umsäumt war, einer Fasanerie, einem Küchengarten, einem Birnen- und Obstgarten sowie einem an der Nordseite des Hauses angrenzenden Natur- oder Wildgarten. Mit dem Abriss des Ostflügels des Hauses 1780 durch George Hunt wurde auch diese Gartenanlage beseitigt, so dass das Parkgelände bis an das Gebäude reichte.
Um das Jahr 1860 legte man oberhalb des Hauses einen Staudengarten an, den „Oberen Garten“ oder „Hochgarten“. Nach 1858 erstellte Richard Coad basierend auf Plänen des Architekten George Truefitt, die dieser ab 1854 entworfen hatte, einen neuen, heute noch zu besichtigenden geometrischen Garten an der Ost- und Nordseite von Lanhydrock House. Er ist umgeben von niedrigen zinnenbewehrten Brüstungen und Obelisken im Stil des Hauses. Truefitt sah für Lanhydrock Wasserspiele, Terrassen, Kieswege und eine Promenade zum Torhaus vor, die Coad um eigene Ideen, wie die Granitstufen zur Kirche und eine Sitzgelegenheit, ergänzte. Etwa 1933 erfolgte eine Vereinfachung der viktorianischen Beetaufteilung und die Anpflanzung erster Magnolien.
Lanhydrock Gardens besteht heute aus mehreren, unterschiedlich stark voneinander abgetrennten Bereichen. Im Innenenhof oder Vorhof von Lanhydrock House ist eine durch einen Kiesweg begrenzte runde Rasenfläche angelegt. An den Hauswänden neben dem Weg stehen Immergrüne Magnolien (Magnolia grandiflora) und im Juli und August blühende Hortensiengewächse der Sorte Schizophragma integrifolium. Östlich in Richtung Torhaus schließt sich der „Geometrische Garten“ an, der durch 23 beschnittene Säuleneiben (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’) dominiert wird. Zwischen ihnen sind Rosenbeete angelegt, die vornehmlich mit den Sorten ‘Octavia Hill’, ‘Bright Smile’, ‘Escapade’, ‘Wheelhorse Classic’ und ‘Margaret Merril’ bepflanzt sind.
Im Norden des geometrischen Gartens, und hinter der niedrigen Nordmauer außerhalb der eigentlichen Gartenanlage gelegen, befindet sich eine bepflanzte Freifläche, die vormals als Krocket- und Tennisplatz genutzt wurde. Der Tennisplatz nahm dabei die östliche Seite der Freifläche ein. Neben einigen Büschen, wie Gwillimia (Magnolia delavayi), stehen hier zwei Blutbuchen und eine jüngere Korkeiche. Die Blutbuchen wurden von prominenter Seite gepflanzt, die größere 1889 durch den ehemaligen britischen Premierminister William Ewart Gladstone, die kleinere 1905 durch Archibald Philip Primrose, dem 5. Earl of Rosebery. Auf dem westlich angrenzenden ehemaligen Krocketrasen stehen Rhododendren der Sorten ‘Mother of Pearl’, ‘Hugh Koster’ und ‘Pink Pearl’.
Nordwestlich des geometrischen Gartens, nördlich der Gebäude von Lanhydrock House, geht die Gartenanlage ins „Parterre“ über. Hier werden im Frühling und im Sommer verschiedene Blumen innerhalb von Buchsbaumhecken gepflanzt, die in einem komplizierten Muster auf ebener Fläche angelegt sind. Südlich und östlich davon stehen sechs den Bäumen im geometrischen Garten im Schnitt gleiche Säuleneiben. Eine Terrassenstufe höher in Richtung der kleinen Kirche sind die Blumenrabatten als Muster direkt in die Rasenfläche gesetzt.
Beide Bereiche, deren Höhenunterschied keinen Meter ausmacht, haben je eine Bronze-Urne als Mittelpunkt. Diese Urnen, von denen auch einige den geometrischen Garten schmücken, sind Erwerbungen Francis Gerald Agar-Robartes’, des 7. Viscount Clifden, aus der Sammlung von Lord Hertford im Pariser Château de Bagatelle. Sie wurden vom Goldschmied Ludwigs des XIV., Louis Ballin, geschaffen. Nach Westen wird das „Parterre“ durch die Umfassungsmauer begrenzt, in der zwei Durchgänge ausgespart sind. Neben dem Herrenhaus erreicht man über eine Treppe die Kirche St Hydroc, daneben führt ein Weg an der Kirche vorbei in Richtung „Hochgarten“. Unterhalb der Mauer ist ein erhobenes Beet mit Schmucklilien-Hybriden der Sorte ‘Headbourne’, Fuchsien und Waldreben angelegt.
Der Weg zum Hochgarten kreuzt den in Nord-Süd-Richtung verlaufenden Kirchweg, neben dem Fächer-Ahorn (Sorte ‘Sango-kaku’) und laubabwerfende Hybriden der Westlichen Azalee stehen. Direkt vor der Kirche sind verschiedene Kamelien-Sorten, Rhododendren (Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum) und Stern-Magnolien-Hybriden (Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’) gepflanzt, in der Ecke des Kirchhofs eine baumartige Magnolia hypoleuca (obovata). Den nördlichen Abschnitt des Kirchwegs flankieren einige Hortensien, dahinter Magnolia campbellii ‘Charles Raffill’, Rhododendron fictolacteum und Rhododendron rex.
Den Eingang zum Hochgarten markiert ein durch eine Magnolia kobus × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’ verdecktes gewölbtes Tor. Der hinter dem Tor liegende Gartenbereich wurde ab 1933 durch den 7. Viscount Clifden mit verschiedensten Arten von Magnolien bepflanzt, die heute eine Höhe bis zu 25 Metern erreichen. Durch den Hochgarten fließt der Borlase stream („Bach von Borlase“), der die Wasserversorgung für Lanhydrock House sichert. In und an ihm gedeihen Kandelaberprimeln, Astelia, Aronstab, Schaublatt und Kirengeshoma
Im Norden des Hochgartens gelangt man über die „Magnolienlichtung“ zum „Staudenkreis“. Dieser bildet erst seit 1972 einen Vollkreis, nachdem auf der nördlichen Hälfte die Ruinen eines Gewächshauses und eines Schuppens abgerissen wurden. Den südlichen Halbkreis hatte Lady Clifden schon vor 1914 gestaltet. Die hier gepflanzten Stauden blühen vom Ende des Sommers bis in den Herbst. An der Nordwestecke des Hochgartens wurden nach dem zerstörerischen Sturm von 1979 zum Schutz des Gartens Eichen und Edelkastanien angepflanzt.
Lanhydrock war 1996 der Hauptdrehort für den Film Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Regie führte Trevor Nunn, Hauptdarstellerin war Helena Bonham Carter als Olivia. Weiterhin dienten Haus und Garten als Drehort für die Rosamunde-Pilcher-Verfilmungen Klippen der Liebe (1999) und Im Zweifel für die Liebe (2009).
(Wikipedia)
Hardwick Old Hall, Derbyshire, early C16 & 1587-90.
For Elizabeth, Countess of Shrewsbury - Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608).
Grade l listed.
Decorative plasterwork by Abraham Smith.
Hardwick was home to Bess of Hardwick (1527-1608), one of the most formidable women of Elizabethan England. She was the matriarch of the Cavendish family, building Chatsworth with her second husband and returning to build the two great halls at Hardwick after her separation from her fourth husband the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
plaster detail. actually considering the overall condition of this place, how wide open to the elements it is, and how long it has been vacant, i am shocked how intact the plasterwork is.
VIP Room. Not sure if this door is original. Think the original dining room was/is behind this door. Forgot to have a look doh!
Fire sprinkers are carefully installed in the auditorium ceiling to ensure they are hardly noticed amonst the delicate and intricate plasterwork.
The Ancient House has a great deal of shaped plasterwork called pargeting. Objects to be found merely by looking around the streets of the town, looking up as well as down, observing the place closely.
The real hall at Kingsway.
False ceiling covering up epic plasterwork - Check
Glitter Ball - Check
Sweetie wrappers under stage - Check
A 'totally not the owner burning it down to get rid of it' arson attempt / Owner 'accidentally' driving a digger into the side of it - Pending
Dornoch Cathedral is a Church of Scotland parish church serving the small Sutherland town of Dornoch, in the Scottish Highlands. As a congregation of the Church of Scotland, which is Presbyterian, the church is not the seat of a bishop but retains the name due to being, historically, the seat of the Bishop of Caithness. The cathedral's churchyard is adjoined by Dornoch Castle, the somewhat reconstructed remains of the medieval palace of the Bishops of Caithness. It was formerly a Catholic Cathedral.
The cathedral was dedicated to its founder, St. Gilbert and was built in 1224, in the reign of King Alexander II (1214–49) and the episcopate of Gilbert de Moravia (died 1245) (later Saint Gilbert of Dornoch) as the cathedral church of the diocese of Caithness (moved to Dornoch from Halkirk). William de Moravia (later Sutherland), 1st Earl of Sutherland, was buried in the cathedral in 1248.
In 1570, the cathedral was burnt down by the Mackays of Strathnaver during local feuding. Full renovations were not carried out until 1835–37, by the architect William Burn, funded by Elizabeth the Countess of Sutherland at a cost of £15,000 (equivalent to £1,450,000 in 2021). Among the renovations carried out, the ruined but still largely intact aisled medieval nave was demolished and a new narrow nave without pillars built on its site. In the 17th century, Dornoch ceased to be the seat of the Bishops of Caithness due to the abolition of the episcopate in the Church of Scotland, but the name has remained due to this historical association.
On 30 September 1866, the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland were present to welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales, and the Duke of Edinburgh, who attended the morning service.
The interior was reordered between 1924 and 1926 by Rev. Charles Donald Bentinck, with the removal of Victorian plasterwork to reveal the stonework (although the medieval church would have been plastered throughout). The site of the medieval high altar was raised and converted into a burial area for the Sutherland family, who introduced large marble memorials.
The previous minister was the Very Rev Dr James Simpson, who was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1994. As of May 2018, the minister (since 1998) was the Rev Susan Brown. On 9 October 2017, it was announced that she had been nominated as the next Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. She took up the position in May 2018 and served for a year.
Burials
Adam of Melrose - body moved here from the church of Skinnet in 1239
William de Moravia, 1st Earl of Sutherland, was buried in the cathedral in 1248.
Saint Gilbert of Dornoch - founder of Dornoch Cathedral
Richard de Moravia, was buried in the cathedral after he was killed during the Battle of Embo in 1245.
George Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
Elizabeth Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland
Organ
The first organ was built by Eustace Ingram and given by Andrew Carnegie and installed in 1893 and opened in January 1894. It was the first organ installed in the county of Sutherland. It was enlarged and hydraulic power introduced in 1909 at a cost of £200 given by Andrew Carnegie. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
The Highlands is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gaelic throughout most of the Lowlands. The term is also used for the area north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, although the exact boundaries are not clearly defined, particularly to the east. The Great Glen divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands. The Scottish Gaelic name of A' Ghàidhealtachd literally means "the place of the Gaels" and traditionally, from a Gaelic-speaking point of view, includes both the Western Isles and the Highlands.
The area is very sparsely populated, with many mountain ranges dominating the region, and includes the highest mountain in the British Isles, Ben Nevis. During the 18th and early 19th centuries the population of the Highlands rose to around 300,000, but from c. 1841 and for the next 160 years, the natural increase in population was exceeded by emigration (mostly to Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand, and migration to the industrial cities of Scotland and England.) and passim The area is now one of the most sparsely populated in Europe. At 9.1/km2 (24/sq mi) in 2012, the population density in the Highlands and Islands is less than one seventh of Scotland's as a whole.
The Highland Council is the administrative body for much of the Highlands, with its administrative centre at Inverness. However, the Highlands also includes parts of the council areas of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Moray, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
The Scottish Highlands is the only area in the British Isles to have the taiga biome as it features concentrated populations of Scots pine forest: see Caledonian Forest. It is the most mountainous part of the United Kingdom.
Between the 15th century and the mid-20th century, the area differed from most of the Lowlands in terms of language. In Scottish Gaelic, the region is known as the Gàidhealtachd, because it was traditionally the Gaelic-speaking part of Scotland, although the language is now largely confined to The Hebrides. The terms are sometimes used interchangeably but have different meanings in their respective languages. Scottish English (in its Highland form) is the predominant language of the area today, though Highland English has been influenced by Gaelic speech to a significant extent. Historically, the "Highland line" distinguished the two Scottish cultures. While the Highland line broadly followed the geography of the Grampians in the south, it continued in the north, cutting off the north-eastern areas, that is Eastern Caithness, Orkney and Shetland, from the more Gaelic Highlands and Hebrides.
Historically, the major social unit of the Highlands was the clan. Scottish kings, particularly James VI, saw clans as a challenge to their authority; the Highlands was seen by many as a lawless region. The Scots of the Lowlands viewed the Highlanders as backward and more "Irish". The Highlands were seen as the overspill of Gaelic Ireland. They made this distinction by separating Germanic "Scots" English and the Gaelic by renaming it "Erse" a play on Eire. Following the Union of the Crowns, James VI had the military strength to back up any attempts to impose some control. The result was, in 1609, the Statutes of Iona which started the process of integrating clan leaders into Scottish society. The gradual changes continued into the 19th century, as clan chiefs thought of themselves less as patriarchal leaders of their people and more as commercial landlords. The first effect on the clansmen who were their tenants was the change to rents being payable in money rather than in kind. Later, rents were increased as Highland landowners sought to increase their income. This was followed, mostly in the period 1760–1850, by agricultural improvement that often (particularly in the Western Highlands) involved clearance of the population to make way for large scale sheep farms. Displaced tenants were set up in crofting communities in the process. The crofts were intended not to provide all the needs of their occupiers; they were expected to work in other industries such as kelping and fishing. Crofters came to rely substantially on seasonal migrant work, particularly in the Lowlands. This gave impetus to the learning of English, which was seen by many rural Gaelic speakers to be the essential "language of work".
Older historiography attributes the collapse of the clan system to the aftermath of the Jacobite risings. This is now thought less influential by historians. Following the Jacobite rising of 1745 the British government enacted a series of laws to try to suppress the clan system, including bans on the bearing of arms and the wearing of tartan, and limitations on the activities of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Most of this legislation was repealed by the end of the 18th century as the Jacobite threat subsided. There was soon a rehabilitation of Highland culture. Tartan was adopted for Highland regiments in the British Army, which poor Highlanders joined in large numbers in the era of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1790–1815). Tartan had largely been abandoned by the ordinary people of the region, but in the 1820s, tartan and the kilt were adopted by members of the social elite, not just in Scotland, but across Europe. The international craze for tartan, and for idealising a romanticised Highlands, was set off by the Ossian cycle, and further popularised by the works of Walter Scott. His "staging" of the visit of King George IV to Scotland in 1822 and the king's wearing of tartan resulted in a massive upsurge in demand for kilts and tartans that could not be met by the Scottish woollen industry. Individual clan tartans were largely designated in this period and they became a major symbol of Scottish identity. This "Highlandism", by which all of Scotland was identified with the culture of the Highlands, was cemented by Queen Victoria's interest in the country, her adoption of Balmoral as a major royal retreat, and her interest in "tartenry".
Recurrent famine affected the Highlands for much of its history, with significant instances as late as 1817 in the Eastern Highlands and the early 1850s in the West. Over the 18th century, the region had developed a trade of black cattle into Lowland markets, and this was balanced by imports of meal into the area. There was a critical reliance on this trade to provide sufficient food, and it is seen as an essential prerequisite for the population growth that started in the 18th century. Most of the Highlands, particularly in the North and West was short of the arable land that was essential for the mixed, run rig based, communal farming that existed before agricultural improvement was introduced into the region.[a] Between the 1760s and the 1830s there was a substantial trade in unlicensed whisky that had been distilled in the Highlands. Lowland distillers (who were not able to avoid the heavy taxation of this product) complained that Highland whisky made up more than half the market. The development of the cattle trade is taken as evidence that the pre-improvement Highlands was not an immutable system, but did exploit the economic opportunities that came its way. The illicit whisky trade demonstrates the entrepreneurial ability of the peasant classes.
Agricultural improvement reached the Highlands mostly over the period 1760 to 1850. Agricultural advisors, factors, land surveyors and others educated in the thinking of Adam Smith were keen to put into practice the new ideas taught in Scottish universities. Highland landowners, many of whom were burdened with chronic debts, were generally receptive to the advice they offered and keen to increase the income from their land. In the East and South the resulting change was similar to that in the Lowlands, with the creation of larger farms with single tenants, enclosure of the old run rig fields, introduction of new crops (such as turnips), land drainage and, as a consequence of all this, eviction, as part of the Highland clearances, of many tenants and cottars. Some of those cleared found employment on the new, larger farms, others moved to the accessible towns of the Lowlands.
In the West and North, evicted tenants were usually given tenancies in newly created crofting communities, while their former holdings were converted into large sheep farms. Sheep farmers could pay substantially higher rents than the run rig farmers and were much less prone to falling into arrears. Each croft was limited in size so that the tenants would have to find work elsewhere. The major alternatives were fishing and the kelp industry. Landlords took control of the kelp shores, deducting the wages earned by their tenants from the rent due and retaining the large profits that could be earned at the high prices paid for the processed product during the Napoleonic wars.
When the Napoleonic wars finished in 1815, the Highland industries were affected by the return to a peacetime economy. The price of black cattle fell, nearly halving between 1810 and the 1830s. Kelp prices had peaked in 1810, but reduced from £9 a ton in 1823 to £3 13s 4d a ton in 1828. Wool prices were also badly affected. This worsened the financial problems of debt-encumbered landlords. Then, in 1846, potato blight arrived in the Highlands, wiping out the essential subsistence crop for the overcrowded crofting communities. As the famine struck, the government made clear to landlords that it was their responsibility to provide famine relief for their tenants. The result of the economic downturn had been that a large proportion of Highland estates were sold in the first half of the 19th century. T M Devine points out that in the region most affected by the potato famine, by 1846, 70 per cent of the landowners were new purchasers who had not owned Highland property before 1800. More landlords were obliged to sell due to the cost of famine relief. Those who were protected from the worst of the crisis were those with extensive rental income from sheep farms. Government loans were made available for drainage works, road building and other improvements and many crofters became temporary migrants – taking work in the Lowlands. When the potato famine ceased in 1856, this established a pattern of more extensive working away from the Highlands.
The unequal concentration of land ownership remained an emotional and controversial subject, of enormous importance to the Highland economy, and eventually became a cornerstone of liberal radicalism. The poor crofters were politically powerless, and many of them turned to religion. They embraced the popularly oriented, fervently evangelical Presbyterian revival after 1800. Most joined the breakaway "Free Church" after 1843. This evangelical movement was led by lay preachers who themselves came from the lower strata, and whose preaching was implicitly critical of the established order. The religious change energised the crofters and separated them from the landlords; it helped prepare them for their successful and violent challenge to the landlords in the 1880s through the Highland Land League. Violence erupted, starting on the Isle of Skye, when Highland landlords cleared their lands for sheep and deer parks. It was quietened when the government stepped in, passing the Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act, 1886 to reduce rents, guarantee fixity of tenure, and break up large estates to provide crofts for the homeless. This contrasted with the Irish Land War underway at the same time, where the Irish were intensely politicised through roots in Irish nationalism, while political dimensions were limited. In 1885 three Independent Crofter candidates were elected to Parliament, which listened to their pleas. The results included explicit security for the Scottish smallholders in the "crofting counties"; the legal right to bequeath tenancies to descendants; and the creation of a Crofting Commission. The Crofters as a political movement faded away by 1892, and the Liberal Party gained their votes.
Today, the Highlands are the largest of Scotland's whisky producing regions; the relevant area runs from Orkney to the Isle of Arran in the south and includes the northern isles and much of Inner and Outer Hebrides, Argyll, Stirlingshire, Arran, as well as sections of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. (Other sources treat The Islands, except Islay, as a separate whisky producing region.) This massive area has over 30 distilleries, or 47 when the Islands sub-region is included in the count. According to one source, the top five are The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Aberlour, Glenfarclas and Balvenie. While Speyside is geographically within the Highlands, that region is specified as distinct in terms of whisky productions. Speyside single malt whiskies are produced by about 50 distilleries.
According to Visit Scotland, Highlands whisky is "fruity, sweet, spicy, malty". Another review states that Northern Highlands single malt is "sweet and full-bodied", the Eastern Highlands and Southern Highlands whiskies tend to be "lighter in texture" while the distilleries in the Western Highlands produce single malts with a "much peatier influence".
The Scottish Reformation achieved partial success in the Highlands. Roman Catholicism remained strong in some areas, owing to remote locations and the efforts of Franciscan missionaries from Ireland, who regularly came to celebrate Mass. There remain significant Catholic strongholds within the Highlands and Islands such as Moidart and Morar on the mainland and South Uist and Barra in the southern Outer Hebrides. The remoteness of the region and the lack of a Gaelic-speaking clergy undermined the missionary efforts of the established church. The later 18th century saw somewhat greater success, owing to the efforts of the SSPCK missionaries and to the disruption of traditional society after the Battle of Culloden in 1746. In the 19th century, the evangelical Free Churches, which were more accepting of Gaelic language and culture, grew rapidly, appealing much more strongly than did the established church.
For the most part, however, the Highlands are considered predominantly Protestant, belonging to the Church of Scotland. In contrast to the Catholic southern islands, the northern Outer Hebrides islands (Lewis, Harris and North Uist) have an exceptionally high proportion of their population belonging to the Protestant Free Church of Scotland or the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland. The Outer Hebrides have been described as the last bastion of Calvinism in Britain and the Sabbath remains widely observed. Inverness and the surrounding area has a majority Protestant population, with most locals belonging to either The Kirk or the Free Church of Scotland. The church maintains a noticeable presence within the area, with church attendance notably higher than in other parts of Scotland. Religion continues to play an important role in Highland culture, with Sabbath observance still widely practised, particularly in the Hebrides.
In traditional Scottish geography, the Highlands refers to that part of Scotland north-west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which crosses mainland Scotland in a near-straight line from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. However the flat coastal lands that occupy parts of the counties of Nairnshire, Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire are often excluded as they do not share the distinctive geographical and cultural features of the rest of the Highlands. The north-east of Caithness, as well as Orkney and Shetland, are also often excluded from the Highlands, although the Hebrides are usually included. The Highland area, as so defined, differed from the Lowlands in language and tradition, having preserved Gaelic speech and customs centuries after the anglicisation of the latter; this led to a growing perception of a divide, with the cultural distinction between Highlander and Lowlander first noted towards the end of the 14th century. In Aberdeenshire, the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands is not well defined. There is a stone beside the A93 road near the village of Dinnet on Royal Deeside which states 'You are now in the Highlands', although there are areas of Highland character to the east of this point.
A much wider definition of the Highlands is that used by the Scotch whisky industry. Highland single malts are produced at distilleries north of an imaginary line between Dundee and Greenock, thus including all of Aberdeenshire and Angus.
Inverness is regarded as the Capital of the Highlands, although less so in the Highland parts of Aberdeenshire, Angus, Perthshire and Stirlingshire which look more to Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, and Stirling as their commercial centres.
The Highland Council area, created as one of the local government regions of Scotland, has been a unitary council area since 1996. The council area excludes a large area of the southern and eastern Highlands, and the Western Isles, but includes Caithness. Highlands is sometimes used, however, as a name for the council area, as in the former Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern is also used to refer to the area, as in the former Northern Constabulary. These former bodies both covered the Highland council area and the island council areas of Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles.
Much of the Highlands area overlaps the Highlands and Islands area. An electoral region called Highlands and Islands is used in elections to the Scottish Parliament: this area includes Orkney and Shetland, as well as the Highland Council local government area, the Western Isles and most of the Argyll and Bute and Moray local government areas. Highlands and Islands has, however, different meanings in different contexts. It means Highland (the local government area), Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles in Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service. Northern, as in Northern Constabulary, refers to the same area as that covered by the fire and rescue service.
There have been trackways from the Lowlands to the Highlands since prehistoric times. Many traverse the Mounth, a spur of mountainous land that extends from the higher inland range to the North Sea slightly north of Stonehaven. The most well-known and historically important trackways are the Causey Mounth, Elsick Mounth, Cryne Corse Mounth and Cairnamounth.
Although most of the Highlands is geographically on the British mainland, it is somewhat less accessible than the rest of Britain; thus most UK couriers categorise it separately, alongside Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and other offshore islands. They thus charge additional fees for delivery to the Highlands, or exclude the area entirely. While the physical remoteness from the largest population centres inevitably leads to higher transit cost, there is confusion and consternation over the scale of the fees charged and the effectiveness of their communication, and the use of the word Mainland in their justification. Since the charges are often based on postcode areas, many far less remote areas, including some which are traditionally considered part of the lowlands, are also subject to these charges. Royal Mail is the only delivery network bound by a Universal Service Obligation to charge a uniform tariff across the UK. This, however, applies only to mail items and not larger packages which are dealt with by its Parcelforce division.
The Highlands lie to the north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to Stonehaven. This part of Scotland is largely composed of ancient rocks from the Cambrian and Precambrian periods which were uplifted during the later Caledonian Orogeny. Smaller formations of Lewisian gneiss in the northwest are up to 3 billion years old. The overlying rocks of the Torridon Sandstone form mountains in the Torridon Hills such as Liathach and Beinn Eighe in Wester Ross.
These foundations are interspersed with many igneous intrusions of a more recent age, the remnants of which have formed mountain massifs such as the Cairngorms and the Cuillin of Skye. A significant exception to the above are the fossil-bearing beds of Old Red Sandstone found principally along the Moray Firth coast and partially down the Highland Boundary Fault. The Jurassic beds found in isolated locations on Skye and Applecross reflect the complex underlying geology. They are the original source of much North Sea oil. The Great Glen is formed along a transform fault which divides the Grampian Mountains to the southeast from the Northwest Highlands.
The entire region was covered by ice sheets during the Pleistocene ice ages, save perhaps for a few nunataks. The complex geomorphology includes incised valleys and lochs carved by the action of mountain streams and ice, and a topography of irregularly distributed mountains whose summits have similar heights above sea-level, but whose bases depend upon the amount of denudation to which the plateau has been subjected in various places.
Climate
The region is much warmer than other areas at similar latitudes (such as Kamchatka in Russia, or Labrador in Canada) because of the Gulf Stream making it cool, damp and temperate. The Köppen climate classification is "Cfb" at low altitudes, then becoming "Cfc", "Dfc" and "ET" at higher altitudes.
Places of interest
An Teallach
Aonach Mòr (Nevis Range ski centre)
Arrochar Alps
Balmoral Castle
Balquhidder
Battlefield of Culloden
Beinn Alligin
Beinn Eighe
Ben Cruachan hydro-electric power station
Ben Lomond
Ben Macdui (second highest mountain in Scotland and UK)
Ben Nevis (highest mountain in Scotland and UK)
Cairngorms National Park
Cairngorm Ski centre near Aviemore
Cairngorm Mountains
Caledonian Canal
Cape Wrath
Carrick Castle
Castle Stalker
Castle Tioram
Chanonry Point
Conic Hill
Culloden Moor
Dunadd
Duart Castle
Durness
Eilean Donan
Fingal's Cave (Staffa)
Fort George
Glen Coe
Glen Etive
Glen Kinglas
Glen Lyon
Glen Orchy
Glenshee Ski Centre
Glen Shiel
Glen Spean
Glenfinnan (and its railway station and viaduct)
Grampian Mountains
Hebrides
Highland Folk Museum – The first open-air museum in the UK.
Highland Wildlife Park
Inveraray Castle
Inveraray Jail
Inverness Castle
Inverewe Garden
Iona Abbey
Isle of Staffa
Kilchurn Castle
Kilmartin Glen
Liathach
Lecht Ski Centre
Loch Alsh
Loch Ard
Loch Awe
Loch Assynt
Loch Earn
Loch Etive
Loch Fyne
Loch Goil
Loch Katrine
Loch Leven
Loch Linnhe
Loch Lochy
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park
Loch Lubnaig
Loch Maree
Loch Morar
Loch Morlich
Loch Ness
Loch Nevis
Loch Rannoch
Loch Tay
Lochranza
Luss
Meall a' Bhuiridh (Glencoe Ski Centre)
Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary at Loch Creran
Rannoch Moor
Red Cuillin
Rest and Be Thankful stretch of A83
River Carron, Wester Ross
River Spey
River Tay
Ross and Cromarty
Smoo Cave
Stob Coire a' Chàirn
Stac Polly
Strathspey Railway
Sutherland
Tor Castle
Torridon Hills
Urquhart Castle
West Highland Line (scenic railway)
West Highland Way (Long-distance footpath)
Wester Ross