Several years ago, while attending an event at Holyrood, the award-winning Edinburgh-based architect Richard Murphy was introduced to Prince Charles. Well known for his forthright views on modern architecture and architects, the Prince demanded to know whether Richard lived in a house he’d actually designed — and was clearly rather surprised when Richard explained how […]
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Rocket Man
For as long as he can remember, Dave McKay always wanted to fly. “During my formative years, I lived in Helmsdale on the east coast of Sutherland,” he says. “That really inspired me to get into flying because it was on a low level entry point to one of the great training areas in the […]
Scotland’s Futile Fortresses
For generations, young men from Leith fished for crab and mackerel from the side of a squat stone tower next to the port’s eastern pier. The nearby sands, tide permitting, were also a popular venue for picnics, where cups of freshly-brewed tea invariably tasted slightly salty. Not any more, of course; those beaches were lost […]
In a Bit of a Jam…
After recently becoming an MBE, Fraser Doherty (24) is taking a moment to reflect. “I’m not sure how great my first few jars of jam were but, thankfully, my Gran, parents and the neighbours who bought them didn’t discourage me.” He’s gone from selling a few jars, door-to-door, out of a plastic bucket to supplying […]
Working with Nature
Whisky is synonymous with Scotland, with thousands of visitors every year coming specifically to visit the numerous distilleries flowering across the country – many of which have histories going back hundreds of years. Yet this isn’t just some tartan-clad, short-bread-flavoured nostalgia; the world of whisky has evolved radically in recent years. “Within the past decade […]
Forth Road Bridge at 50
“No one man builds a bridge. He is part of a team, and they all built it. And a bridge is, in a way, a monument; a monument of lasting benefit to mankind.” So said John Alexander King Hamilton, the resident engineer during the construction of the Forth Road Bridge who, aptly enough, also became […]
Gale Force
Everybody loves Robert Softley Gale. He may not be a household name, but in the world of Scottish theatre, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t a good word to say about him. That includes the good folk at Creative Scotland; he’s one of 20 artists selected by them to create new work […]
