Glaswegians quickly dubbed it a “Paddler for a Pound” but the deal, which saw ownership of the PS Waverley change hands on 8th August 1974, wasn’t quite how it appeared. “The brand new Royal Bank of Scotland One Pound note was actually given to me by the Chairman of the Scottish Transport Group, which I […]
Tag Archives | D C Thomson
Life-Changing Moments
Edinburgh-based crime writer Doug Johnstone is preparing to Crash Land – but he’s set to take off in America. Scotland is home to numerous successful crime fiction writers, but Arbroath-born Doug Johnstone is surely the only one who has a PhD in nuclear physics. “I quit a high-paying engineering job and became a freelance music […]
Accidental Pioneers of the Passivhaus
When John and Jeanette Fenwick were looking to enjoy an early retirement in the north of Scotland, they didn’t initially plan on utilising a new style of housing. “We’d sold up down south, we had the money in the bank, and we thought we’d be able to pick and choose property and have the money […]
Scots at the Somme
The dawn of 1 July 1916 “came with great beauty,” according to Philip Gibbs, a Special Correspondent for The Glasgow Herald and Daily Chronicle, who was “attached with the British Armies in the Field” near the Somme River in France . “There was a pale blue sky flecked with white wisps of cloud,” he wrote. […]
Serious and Sweet
Award-winning novelist and short-story writer Alison Louise Kennedy may be among our most popular literary authors but she’s not without surprises. Few other Granta magazine “Best of Young British Novelists” – an accolade she’s been awarded twice – having performed stand-up comedy or written a Doctor Who novel. Yet she insists: “Anybody who knew me […]
Bard in the Botanics… and on Tour!
You may not have noticed, but this is a big year for William Shakespeare. “It seems slightly off to be taking the opportunity to commemorate his death, 400 years ago,” admits Gordon Barr, “but I guess any significant anniversary puts the spotlight back on to him.” That’s potentially good news for Gordon. He’s Artistic Director […]
Theatre for All Ages
Scotland has a theatrical secret. Productions like the National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch might well tour internationally and receive awards, but the country also has a strong global reputation for great theatre for children and young people. Much of that is down to an Edinburgh-based organisation called Imaginate, best known for running an annual […]
