Author: Alberto Pearson

Images of The Italian Chapel, Orkney In 1940, around 1800 Italian Prisoners of War who had been captured in North Africa were taken to the Orkney islands to assist in building the Churchill Barriers under the premise that this was a civilian project linking islands with roads. In 1942 550 prisoners arrived on Lamb Holm […]

Murthly Castle Tayside Original free standing tower of unknown age with alterations and additions dating from the late sixteenth century. Extensions have been added at various times several carrying 17th century dates. The rubble tower rises to 4 storeys with an attic. The tower is claimed to have been a hunting-seat of the old Scottish […]

Mingary Castle This castle guards the entrances to the Sound of Mull and Loch Sunart. It was erected inside a wall of enciente shaped to the rock and dates from the 13th century. The main entrance was by sea up cut steps from the rock. Three ranges of buildings stand within the curtain wall . […]

Self Recording with the Portable Antiquities Scheme The actual concept of allowing members of the public enter data onto the database, was one of the requirements of the Scheme’s funding. This aspect of the scheme is in the very first steps of it’s evolution and will only improve. If people are interested, contact your local […]

Spynie Palace Morayshire Residence of the Bishops of Moray from 14th century to 1686. The oldest part of the castle is the hall house along the south side. Much of the design of the mouldings seems French or English rather than Scottish. As the castle was erected while the nearby Elgin Cathedral was being built […]

Kellie Castle 16th century E plan tower house Kellie Castle is one of the finest Tower Houses in Scotland. It was probably spared any improvements by the Victorians as it was dissociated in the late 18th century and was virtually abandoned and left to ruin. In 1878 it was taken over by the Lorimer family […]

  Prehistoric Sites Edin’s Hall NT 772603 Broch Bow NT 461417 Broch Torwoodlee NT 465384 Broch Tappoch NS 833849 Broch Coldoch NS 696981 Broch Cockburn Law NT 765597 Cairn Dirrington Little Law NT 686530 Cairn North Muir NT 105503 Cairn Hill of Airthrey NS 796981 Cairn Tullo’s Hill NJ 951031 Cairn Tullo’s Hill NJ 957036 […]

Caerlaverock Castle 13th century fortress surrounded by moat and was built by Sir Herbert Maxwell. It is one of the few castles in Scotland with a protective moat. It has been attacked many times, in 1300 a garrison of 3000 troops of Edward I of England laying siege to it; the sixty men inside held […]

Today when we talk about the Picts we are referring to the ‘Historical Picts’, those Iron Age people living in the present Scotland and who had come to the attention of classical writers after their encounter with the Romans in the 1st. century AD.  This was not always the case however. Three decades ago discussion […]

The Picts were the people who lived north of the rivers Forth and Clyde from the late 3rd century until the mid 9th century AD. There is very little archaeological evidence for the Picts and much of what we do know about them has come from the study of their art. This is mostly on […]