The Eleanor Cross – Kenmore, Perthshire

I’d parked overnight in a layby at the east end of Loch Tay at Kenmore and took a swim in the morning sunshine alongside several other morning dippers. Slipping into the cool, clear water of the still loch was a refreshing way to wash away the remnants of sleep. Meanwhile, Millie danced around at the waters’ edge desperate for me to come out. She’s a paddler not a swimmer.

I’d brought my Children camping to Kenmore over the years so it evoked happy memories to be visiting again. There are lovely walks around this area and so Millie and I set off on a jaunt through the woods to take in the Eleanor Cross and onward towards Aberfeldy. The pathway starts by the bridge at the mouth of the Loch and meanders along the north side of the river for a while then heads up the hill through the woods. The Cross was commissioned in 1831 by Lord Breadalbane in tribute to his beloved wife Mary. At that time it would have had a view of the hills and down along the valley with beautiful vistas of the River & Loch Tay. In all these many years however the woodland has grown up high into beautiful mature trees with birdsong echoing through them.

Eleanor Cross is built on the site of an old summer house known as Maxwell’s House. It stands 30 feet tall with a 9 step octagonal base encircling it, a cruciform mid section and a square pinnacle top surmounted with a cross. Delightfully, a door on its south side opens to a spiral stairway. This leads to a small open-air arched gallery surrounding the structure. Climbing up the steps, it feels like a childhood adventure to reach the platform and look through the trees at height. Sadly the interior has been sprayed with graffiti: evidence of bored minds and idle hands.

A brass plaque acclaims – This Building is Dedicated to my Faithful Friend and Fellow-Labourer, MARY, COUNTESS OF BREADALBANE, whose maternal care has been extended to all around this place. anno domini, 1831.

I’ve been as yet unable to ascertain why this particular monument was named ‘Eleanor Cross’ so for the moment will surmise that the reason was purely a romantic gesture in keeping with Breadalbane’s status and the era. (The Victorians were fond of building ornamental ‘follies’ and they can be found throughout Scotland in beautiful rural settings.) NB: King Edward I of England had twelve Eleanor Crosses erected as markers built along the funeral route taken by his wife Queen Eleanor of Castile. They marked the nightly resting places of her coffin procession from Lincoln to Westminster Abbey in 1290.

12th Jul 2025 0

St Bride’s Kirk – Old Blair by Blair Atholl

Reaching this 16th century Kirk takes in a lovely walk northward past Blair Castle, through ancient and varied woodland, including exotic Cedar and Sequoia trees, to a clearing on a mound. The Kirk lies where once was the village of Old Blair through which the old Perth to Inverness road used to run. The fabric of this existing structure dates back to around 1560 however its origins are rooted in Celtic times, standing on a raised circular mound, built over earlier churches possibly dating as far back as the dark ages.

Surviving records show that in 1275 when Scottish Churches were required to finance the crusades, St Brides made payments of 32 shillings which was a significant amount in those times. In 1475 Angus Og, the son of John MacDonald II, Lord of the Isles, attacked Blair Castle. The Earl and Countess of Atholl took refuge in the Kirk but were taken prisoner by Angus who sacked and damaged the building. While sailing back to Islay, Angus’ ship was nearly lost in a violent storm and this was interpreted as retribution for what he’d done to the Kirk. It’s told that he immediately returned to Blair Atholl where he paid for repairs to St Bride’s to try to make amends with God for his actions.

The Coat of Arms of the 4th Earl of Atholl and his 2nd wife were mounted on the outside of the Kirk in 1579.

On 27 July 1689, John Graham of Claverhouse 1st Viscount Dundee (known as ‘Bonnie Dundee’) led his Jacobean army against General Hugh McKay’s Government forces at the Battle of Killiecrankie. Victory was on the the Jacobites side that day, however, amongst the many casualties Dundee himself was mortally wounded. Three days after his death his body was carried here to St Bride’s where he was buried in the vault beneath the South Aisle Mausoleum. Sadly, the vault was broken into in the 1790’s and Dundee’s armour was looted and sold as scrap. The breastplate is the only item remaining and is now on display in Blair Castle.

In 1824, the village of Blair Atholl built its own Church so St Bride’s gradually fell into disrepair. The 6th Duke of Atholl was buried here in 1864 then also his wife Countess Anne in 1897. The remains of other family members were reinterred to the West of the Kirk from and earlier family cemetery in 1954.

11th Jul 2025 0

Earl’s Palace, Birsay – Orkney

The Palace was built in the 1570’s – 1580’s for the notorious Earl Robert Steward, half brother of Mary Queen of Scots. Mary had 13 siblings and Robert was an illegitimate son of King James V and noblewoman Euphimia Elphinstone. After Mary’s forced abdication, Robert remained in the good graces of her son, the young James VI so that in 1581, he was elevated to Earl (Sheriff) of Orkney. Robert considered himself absolute ruler of Orkney and Shetland and this Renaissance style palace was a bold statement of his wealth and power. An inscription in Latin above the palace’s main entrance read – ‘Lord Robert Stewart, son of King James V, King of Scots, commissioned this building’. While Robert clung to his Royal connection, his coat of arms required the Scottish Royal Arms to bear a ribbon through the middle, a symbol of his illegitimacy, while the 2nd and 3rd quarters show the arms of the Earldom of Orkney.

Despite being a luxurious home, defence was still a major consideration. The palace was built around three sides of a courtyard with projecting towers at 3 of its 4 corners and a wall enclosing the north side. There were entrances to the south and west. To mitigate any security risk, only the upper floors had large windows while the ground floors had small openings and an array of gun loops from which artillerymen could cover every side of the building. Despite the many gun holes, the palace was still a place of grandeur and elegance. A single long gallery with views out to sea ran along the west wing and the building had fine panelling and painted ceilings in all the rooms that were needed to keep the Earl living in style. There were kitchens, a ‘girnel’ (granary), brewhouse and ample cellars for supplies. The palace was also equipped for sport and exercise, having archery butts, and a bowling green.

Earl Robert died in 1593 and his son Patrick succeeded him to also become Earl. Patrick was known as ‘Black Patie’ with a reputation for violence and a taste for luxury he couldn’t afford. In 1609 Patrick was imprisoned for ‘monyfauld wrongis’, including theft of lands and funds, oppression of local people, kidnapping, torture and murder. While incarcerated in Dumbarton, Patrick orchestrated a rising in Orkney however it failed and he was summarily beheaded for treason. By the time the Palace was taken over for use by Cromwell’s troops in 1653, most traces of Earl Robert’s extravagant lifestyle were gone and the kitchen contained ‘nothing, but mukk and filth!’ Thereafter the palace was used occasionally by later earls of Orkney but by 1700 it had fallen into decay.

It was such a beautiful, sunny day when we visited and although now in ruin, the palace still exudes an air of its previous magnificence. Definitely worth taking the time stop by.

16th Feb 2025 0