Linlithgow Palace will be holding a medieval pageant in May to celebrate the events of 1503 , as part of the year of the homecoming.
Recent Updates RSS Hide threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
-
webmaster
-
webmaster
Historic Scotland has appointed leading Scottish contractor Morris & Spottiswood for its ambitious project to conserve the Royal Palace at Stirling Castle and to present it in its Renaissance glory.
The go-ahead for the Stirling Palace Project, and the culmination of many years of conservation and restoration work at Stirling Castle, was announced in June 2008. £12 million is being invested by Historic Scotland including funding of £3 million granted by the Scottish Government.
Following the appointment of Morris & Spottiswood, works will commence on-site on 2nd September. Scheduled for completion in 2011, the Stirling Palace Project involves the conservation and refurbishment of the Royal Lodgings to present them as they might have appeared in the heyday of Scotland’s Stewart court. The apartments will be furnished in the style of the mid 16th century, and extensive historical and archaeological research has been undertaken to ensure the interior decoration, as well as the materials and craftsmanship used, are as authentic as possible.The contract won by Morris & Spottiswood, which is worth £4.8 million, comprises three key sections of works. Section I, the main Palace contract, will be completed in January 2010. It covers conservation, refurbishment and maintenance works to all areas of the Palace and the Old Chapel, including the Palace Vaults where there will be an interpretative display on the court of James V. It also includes the creation of a Renaissance Gallery on the upper floors of the Palace which will house the original Stirling Heads, a rare group of intricately carved oak ceiling medallions depicting kings, queens, courtiers and mythological creatures. Section 2 of the contract comprises 12 works in the King’s Old Building, entailing refurbishment of toilet facilities and installation of services. Section 3 covers site attendance on the fitting out, painting and furnishing of the Palace and Gallery.
Morris & Spottiswood Business Unit Head, Tony Ward, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed principal contractor for this key stage of the Stirling Palace Project. This is a site of great historical importance and therefore a very prestigious project to be involved in. In addition, there are several challenges which make it a very interesting project. We are investigating, for example, using a helicopter for movement of the materials because the entrance to the castle doesn’t allow for large heavy vehicles or cranes. All the steelworks therefore need to be connected and constructed on site and the scaffolding will need to be specially designed because of the crag-top location of the castle.”Chris Watkins, head of Historic Scotland’s major projects team, said: “We have already completed a great deal of important conservation and interpretation work at Stirling Castle and this last phase, to present the interior of James V’s magnificent Palace as it might have appeared in the mid 16th century, is the most ambitious. We will not only be conserving the Palace as a monument of international importance but also presenting and interpreting the Royal Lodgings, the life of the Royal Court and the superb Renaissance carvings. The rich history of the period will be brought to life by costumed interpreters helping to increase the appeal of Scotland’s finest Renaissance Palace and encouraging more people to visit both the castle and city of Stirling.”
-
webmaster
Chirk Castle is a beautiful and historic castle in Wales . Trimmings collected from the yew hedges at the National Trust property are being harvested because they contain the active ingredient taxotere for making the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen.
The same ingredient can be extracted by harvesting the bark of some of the trees, but this kills the vegetation, thereby threatening the yew population.yew hedges are able to contribute to potentially life-saving drugs while maintaining their own beauty and longevity.
The trimmings are collected in the castle grounds and transported to laboratories.
There the naturally-occurring compound is extracted and used to produce the drug, which is the world’s largest-selling medication for treating breast cancer.
Clipping the yews is a mammoth undertaking with a team working from late August.
It takes people on the ground and in the air – hanging out of a vertigo-inducing cradle – to trim the enormous yews.
Head gardener David Lock said the trust first started collecting the clippings in 1995 after an approach from a drugs company.
He said: “We usually have two people involved in collecting the trimmings, but sometimes as many as four. We start in the third week of August and carry on until the middle of October. But we don’t clip for the drugs, we clip to keep the shape of the yews.” -
webmaster
Castlepictures.com has introduced a new set of prints on the website , landscapes and castles of Scotland by photographer David Rankin. The landscapes include Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor in the Scottish highlands. He has also included several pictures of Eilean Donan Castle and Edinburgh Castle . The new range are canvas wrap prints . The canvas prints are 16 by 20 inches .
-
webmaster
Picture gallery 3 on the website features Eilean Donan Castle pictures . I took the pictures at sunset in the winter-time . You can just see a reflection of the castle in the loch’s waters.
-
webmaster
Domain http://www.castlesofscotland.com for sale
. 150 visitors a day. Top keyword “castles for sale” - top ten position on Google . -
webmaster
Picture gallery 2 on castle pictures features Edinburgh Castle,the Royal Mile, Palace of Holyroodhouse pictures
Also pictures of the Scott Monument and St Giles Cathedral