September 19, 2013: Aberdeen to Carlisle, Scotland
	September 17, 2013: Glamis Castle to Aberdeen, Scotland
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For our full day in Aberdeen, we plan to first take a drive out to Crathes Castle to tour the castle and its famous gardens. Then we'll return to Aberdeen to visit St. Machar's Cathedral. We'll do some walking around the city of Aberdeen.

The Drive to Crathes Castle

The drive from the Craighaar to Crathes Castle was a meandering one. We could have gone back through town to the A90 and taken a better or faster road, but we opted to see some of the Scottish countryside and take a rather involved route southwest from our hotel towards the town of Banchory on the banks of the River Dee. Along the way, Fred snapped some pictures of the countryside, and you can use the clickable thumbnails below to have a look at some of them:

Scenery Along the Drive to Crathes Castle, Scotland

Just before Banchory, we saw a sign for the castle that led us down what appeared to be the Scottish equivalent of a residential street through a new housing development (there were houses under construction). A bit of zig-zagging and we were on the road up to Crathes Castle.

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As you can see in the aerial view of Crathes at right, we came up from the south into the parking area and then walked around the west side of the castle itself to the broad lawn to the south of the castle. Along the side of the castle, we stopped to take some group pictures, and you can have a look at them here and here. Nancy also got a nice picture of Guy, Fred and I, and you can see that picture here.

Framing the lawn were two sets of two rows of trees, called "Lime Avenue"; the National Trust for Scotland carried out a replanting of them in 1985, so presumably they have been here for some time. We had a chance to wander down the walkway to them and through them. The area by these trees offered a look back at the castle, which we will tour a bit later, and that view provided a nice backdrop for some of the pictures we took. Use the clickable thumbnails below to have a look:

On the Lawn at Crathes Castle, Scotland

Just to the east of Lime Avenue we found an entrance to the gardens, so we headed there next.

The Crathes Castle Gardens

The gardens at Crathes Castle were quite large, so large that they were divided into sections, and so that's how we'll divide up the multitude of pictures that we took here. Prudence and Guy and Fred were the most interested in the gardens, but Nancy and I also took quite a few pictures. We mostly lost track of Ron and Karl until we got to the castle for a tour.

Nancy took a clear picture of the garden sign; it had a very useful diagram that I have clipped out and put in the scrollable window at right. On it, I've marked our path through the gardens, and I will use the garden names to create subsections here, since we took a great many pictures. (The labels on the diagram may be a bit confusing because the huge rectangular area that is comprised of the various gardens actually runs on a diagonal from northeast to southwest, while the diagram seems to show the gardens in an east-west orientation. So in the diagram, it looks as if the South Border should be the West Border, but it actually does run diagonally from northwest to southeast. Have a look at the aerial view above and you will see what I mean. In my narrative, just to keep things simple, I am going to assume that the gardens are oriented simply east-west.)

Although there has been a garden at Crathes for over 400 years, the gardens we see today were the brainchild of Sir James and Lady Sybil Burnett. From the 1920s, they started developing the distinctive compartments, themed displays and collections of rare trees and shrubs.

The garden was probably built soon after the castle, to supply vegetables for its kitchens as well as herbs for seasoning and medicinal use. It also had a decorative elemtn, designed to be viewed from the rooms high above. Crathes is unusual among Scottish castles as its walled garden is still close to the tower house. Garden enclosures were often moved some distance away in the mid-19th to 19th centuries, allowing newly-fashionable lawns and parkland to sweep up to the house.

The National Trust for Scotland employs a team of gardeners, who work with volunteers and students to keep the gardens looking good and to maintain the spirit and ethos of Sir james and Lady Burnett's work.

So, leaving the beautiful broad lawn, we entered the gardens from the gate near Lime Avenue to begin our tour.

Crathes Gardens- The Berberis Border

The Berberis Border is the walkway that runs along the north side of the Golden Garden on the west and the Camel Garden on the east. On entering, you can go either east (as in the view at left) or west, which takes you back to the northwest corner of the garden and the Golden Garden. There, one finds the gate to the woodland trail and, as you turn the corner to the south, the top of the South Border. This part of the garden is divided into four quadrants, and just inside the entrance gate was one of the walks that lead from the border walks into the central point between the quadrants; there, one finds a shaped tree in the center of a small flagstone circle. Guy got a nice picture looking south down the walk from the entrance gate, and you can see it here.

Looking East Along the Berberis Border

After looking up and down the Berberis border from just inside the gate, I turned to my right (west) and began walking back towards the corner of the garden, making a movie as I went. You can watch it with the player below:

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) Walking West Along the Berberis Border

In the movie, I am walking along the top of the Golden Garden, and towards the end, when I reach the northwest corner of the garden and turn south on the South Border, I meet up with everyone else just at the gate that leads out to the woodland walk and garden.

Crathes Gardens- The Golden Garden

We walked along the west wall of the gardens where we ran across a small fountain, some urns against the garden wall (there were three or four of them, and you can see two different ones here and here), and of course the west garden gate. At the corner of the South Border and the Double Shrub Border we walked into the Golden Garden.

Entering the Golden Garden

The main feature of the Golden Garden is the large, tall pot filled with plants that sits in the middle of a circular flower bed in the middle of this quadrant. There are also flower beds along the sides of this are and in the corners, and between the beds is manicured grass.

There were interesting flowers that I hadn't recalled seeing before, and we were all wandering around looking at them.

We walked around taking lots of pictures, and Nancy got a particular good portrait of Karl. Fred was also taking pictures of some of the unusual flowers and he also took a nice portrait of Nancy and Karl.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) In the Golden Garden

While we were walking around, I made a movie here in the Golden Garden, and you can use the player at right to watch it. Between all of us, we took a good many nice pictures here in the Golden Garden, and I have put them into a slideshow. To view the slideshow, just click on the image below and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

We left the Golden Garden the way we'd come in, and continued down the South Border.

Crathes Gardens- The Red Garden and Dove's House

We headed to the southwest corner of the garden to the structure we saw there.

The Dove's House

Walking down the South Border, we were passing an area called The Red Garden. The western end of Crathes Gardens is divided into four blocks; three of the blocks are single-named gardens. The southwest block, however, is bisected by the June Border, a walkway that runs diagonally from the shaped tree in the center where the corners of all the gardens meet down to a structure called The Dove's House. So there are really five gardens in this area, with two of them (the Red Garden and one that is unnamed) occupying the southwest corner. As we passed by the Red Garden, I was impressed with the colorful blooms, and so took some pictures of them, pictures that you can use the clickable thumbnails below to view:

In the Red Garden at Crathes Castle, Scotland

In the southwest corner of the garden is the Dove's House, kind of like a small garden house, although it is two stories high. Nancy and Prudence were enchanted with it, so Fred got them to sit on the bench just outside it so he could get the picture you can see at left.

At the corner of the other small garden in this quadrant, just next to the Dove's House, Fred found a beautiful Japanese Cherry (also called Hill Cherry, Oriental Cherry or East Asian Cherry); it is a species of cherry native to Japan, Korea and China and is cultivated for the wonderful display of blossoms it produces in the spring. This cherry tree is a small deciduous tree (25 to 40 feet high) with a short single trunk; the smooth bark is chestnut-brown, with prominent horizontal lenticels. The leaves are arranged alternately, are a few inches long by an inch or so broad and, at the end of autumn, their normal green turns to yellow, red or crimson.

Crathes Gardens- The Dovecot Path

From the southwest corner of the garden where the Dove's House was, we walked eastward along the Dovecot Path.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) On the Dovecot Path

One main feature along the Dovecot Path was the interesting fountain that we found. I made a movie of it, and you use the player at right to watch it.

Prudence also took a nice picture of her husband, Ron, standing by the fountain, and you can have a look at it here.

If you were wondering what Nancy was photographing in my movie, you can look here. Continuing along the path, we crossed the south end of the White Border that leads into the center of the four gardens in this area; you can see the distinctive shaped tree that we saw earlier when we entered the gardens. Continuing eastward, we could look into the Trough Garden (which we will visit in a little while); we eventually reached the greenhouse that lies along the east edge of this four-garden section, and there Fred stopped to take a photo of me on the Four Squares- the border of the gardens at the west end. At right in picture are the flower beds shown between the four gardens on the west and greenhouses east of them. These beds put on a pretty nice floral display.

Crathes Gardens- The Greenhouse

East of the Trough Garden there is a long flowerbed, and just east of that a long greenhouse that stretches north/south. I didn't know if we could go inside, so I looked around for one of the gardeners to ask. I found one, working just outside the gardens in a potting shed, and got the go ahead.

Before we went in, Fred got a nice shot of Nancy and I outside the greenhouse. On entering, we found a long, stairstepped series of greenhouses connected together, and we simply walked the length of the greenhouse complex, looking at all the various plants that were being cultivated and taking pictures- everything from cactus to grapes to flowers.

Crathes Garden Greenhouse

When we first went inside the greenhouses, I began by making a movie, and you can use the player below to watch it:

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) In the Crathes Garden Greenhouse

Inside the greenhouses, we of course found a lot of interesting flowers and plants, and of course we photographed a good many of them.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

Wandering through the greenhouse was pretty interesting. Up by the ceiling, running along a ledge built there, was a grape vine that had small purple grapes all over it. There was also a vine with clusters of green grapes in another of the greenhouses.

As I said, we took lots of good pictures, and I have taken the best of them and put them into a slideshow.

To view the slideshow, just click on the image at left and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

Crathes Gardens- The Trough Garden

Coming out of the greenhouse, we walked across the Four Squares walkway to enter the Trough Garden.

In the Trough Garden

The distinguishing feature of the Trough Garden is the tree in the middle, beside which is an old stone trough, presumably used for animals. I am sitting on it in the picture at left.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

There were some interesting plants and shrubs around, and good views towards the castle from here. We took quite a few good pictures, and I have put them into a slideshow for you.

To view the slideshow, just click on the image at right and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

Crathes Gardens- The Camel Garden

There was one more of the four gardens here in the west end of Crathes Gardens for us to visit- the Camel Garden- so named for the shape of the garden beds in it.

In the Camel Garden

I thought the plants in the Camel Garden were some of the most colorful in the gardens, and certainly the view towards the castle from here was amazing as well; use the clickable thumbnails below to see what I mean:

In the Camel Garden at Crathes Castle, Scotland

Near the northeast corner of this garden there was a stone birdbath, and the castle provided a nice backdrop. We left the Camel Garden by the White Border, coming back north to the entrance where we'd come in. Then we turned right (east) and headed down the Blue and Pink Border (so named because the perennials along it were blue and pink) towards the stone steps that would lead us up to the level of the other gardens at the east end of the area. You can see those steps ahead of us here, and Fred got a picture of me as I walked from the entrance to meet them.

We climbed the stone steps (I got a particularly good picture of them looking up with Crathes Castle in the background, and you can see that picture here.) At the top of the steps, we had a good view back down into the lower gardens, and it was here (at what is the usual entrance for visitors, they usually beginning their garden tours at the upper level) that there was a sign describing the borders we'd seen between the lower garden areas. The themed ornamental gardens were created soon after Sir James and Lady Sybil Burnett inherited Crathes in 1926, and Sybil designed many of the color-themed herbaceous (perennial) borders we saw in the gardens. These include the White Border, backed with the purple Prunus cerasifera 'Pissardii' and the mellow blue and Pink Border. It is easy to see Lady Burnett's unique flair for design and strong color combinations.

Some of Sibyl's creations completely replaced the 19th-century garden layouts that had gone before. In other cases, suich as the Double Herbaceous Border in these western, lower gardens, Lady Burnett held onto the historic layouts, enhancing them as newer varieties of plants became available.

Here in the garden's upper level, there are once again four separate garden areas, and we'll visit them all.

Crathes Gardens- The Rose Garden

From the top of the steps up from the lower gardens, we walked south along the Aviary Border and back to the secluded Rose Garden.

The Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is separated from the Croquet Lawn by a thick yew hedge that is about eight feet high, and it is bordered on the east by another yew hedge that is part of a walkway called the Yew Border. The garden boundary is on the south, and the greenhouse on the lower level is west of it. I made a movie here in the Rose Garden, and you can watch it with the player below:

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) In the Rose Garden

The Rose Garden was quite nice and although Fred has been in much larger rose gardens much closer to home, he was still very interested in the varieties that they had here, and spent a good deal of time looking at all the labels. Meanwhile, Nancy, Prudence and I were photographing the various garden elements and interesting aspects, and there are clickable thumbnails below that you can use to see some of the pictures we took:

In and Around the Rose Garden at Crathes Castle, Scotland

Crathes Gardens- The Fountain Garden

From the back of the Rose Garden, we crossed through the south end of the Yew Border (we'll return here in a little while) and came into the back of the Fountain Garden.

The Fountain Garden

Of course, the central feature of the fountain garden is, well, the fountain! This garden, too, has the Yew Border as one of its boundaries- its western boundary. The rest of the garden is taken up by some central beds of a sage-looking plant (that we thought might be lavender but which wasn't) surrounding the fountain, some lawn space, and then borders of various flowering plants around the outside edges of the garden.

Below are clickable thumbnails for some of the pictures we took here in the Fountain Garden:

In the Fountain Garden

I also made a movie here in the Fountain Garden, and you can watch it with the player below, right:

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) In the Fountain Garden

And below are clickable thumbnails for some of the other pictures that we took here in the Fountain Garden:

In the Fountain Garden

From the back of the Fountain Garden, we decided to go towards the castle in the Yew Border.

Crathes Gardens- The Yew Border

The Yew Border bisects the upper gardens, pretty much, except that here in the upper gardens, as in the lower, the gardens are not exactly symmetrical. While the Rose Garden and the Fountain Garden are basically the same size, both the Croquet Lawn and the Upper Pool Garden are smaller, and of those two, the Upper Pool Garden is the smallest.

The Yew Border Looking Towards the Castle

The gardens at Crathes makes extensive use of the Yew tree. It has been trained into a shrub form that is quite dense, and then these dense hedge-like structures are sculpted into fanciful shapes as at ( the entrance to the Croquet Lawn) or simple hedges. Sometimes, as we have seen in the Rose Garden, the hedge develops a "hole" when the hedge grows out too much and the gardeners have to shave off most of the leaves to keep the size correct. When this happens, you can see the branches inside the hedge, and the hole will remain until new leaf growth covers it. In places, the Yew looks very much like solid green styrofoam, almost as if it was moulded from some artificial material.

We walked north through the Yew hedges, finally climbing the steps that led to the Croquet Lawn. The views of this double hedge, particularly from the top of the stairs to the Croquet Lawn, were pretty amazing, and I have put clickable thumbnails below for some of the pictures we took within and at the end of the Yew Border:

In the Yew Border

At the top of the stairs, we came onto the Croquet Lawn.

Crathes Gardens- The Croquet Lawn

The stairs up from the Yew Border that lead to the Croquet Lawn are flanked by two fanciful Yew tree "sculptures" that look something like huge urns pointed towards the Yew Border below.

Benches on the Croquet Lawn

Nanch followed Guy and Fred down the Yew Border, so she was able to get a good picture of the two of them standing at the top of the stairs up to the Croquet Lawn, and you can see that picture here.

From the castle side, there are stone stairs down into the Croquet Lawn that are situated between the two largest Yew tree sculptures in the gardens; they look very much like figures with hats watching over the lawn. Fred took a picture of them from the castle side, and you can see that picture here.

Below are clickable thumbnails for two more pictures of these tree sculptures taken from the Croquet Lawn:

Tree Sculptures at the Croquet Lawn

Crathes Gardens- The Upper Pool Garden

The last garden area that we visited was called the Upper Pool Garden, and, of course, its central feature was a large rectangular pool.

Fred in the Upper Pool Garden

The Upper Pool Garden, the smallest of the upper gardens, was probably the nicest. In addition to the pool in the center (complete with lily pads), there were beautiful flower beds in every corner of the garden as well as wonderful views of Crathes Castle. (There is another view of the pool and castle that Fred took that I want to include, and you can see it here.)

Below are clickable thumbnails for some of our other pictures taken here in the Upper Pool Garden:

The Upper Pool Garden

Here in the Upper Pool Garden, I decided to create a panorama of pretty much the whole garden, so I took six pictures and then stitched them together into the panorama view below:

The Upper Pool Garden

For his part, Fred took a number of very nice pictures here in the Upper Pool Garden, concentrating on the plants themselves. You can use the clickable thumbnails below to have a look at some of his pictures:

Views of the Upper Pool Garden at Crathes Castle, Scotland

Crathes Gardens- The Garden Balcony

Just to the north of the Upper Pool Garden, and up behind the castle, is a patio or deck that has a balcony overlooking the upper gardens. The entrance to the balcony is at the corner of the castle nearest the Upper Pool Garden; going through the little entrance takes you to a flight of stairs that lead up to the balcony.

The Upper Pool Garden from the Balcony

I went up the stairs to the balcony ahead of Fred, and so was able to pose in my "Pope Francis" manner, taking in the adulation of my people below; I think the picture is pretty humorous, and you can see it here. Then when Fred joined me on the balcony, we could look out over the upper gardens, or look up at the back of the castle.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) The View From the Garden Balcony

I really liked the views from the balcony, so much so that I thought you should share them with us. I made a movie panning across the gardens below the balcony, and you can use the player at right to watch it.

I took a bunch of pictures from up here, and you can use the clickable thumbnails below to have a look at some of them:

Views from the Garden Balcony

We left the garden balcony by the little circular stairs, went back along the walk to the Croquet Lawn, and then up to the castle. The tour of the castle is the next item on our agenda.

A Tour of Crathes Castle

When we first arrived a couple of hours ago, we decided to eschew the Castle tour in favor of going through the gardens first, but now that we are done with them, its time to head into the Castle itself to have a look around.

Crathes Castle

It should go without saying that between the five of us with cameras, we took a great many pictures of the exterior of Crathes Castle. For example, I got a nice picture of Fred and the Castle, and Fred used his zoom lens to zero in on the weathervane and flag atop the castle turrets.

We took other pictures, too, and below are clickable thumbnails for a selection of them:

Outside Views of Crathes Castle, Scotland

Crathes Castle, a 16th-century harled castle, was built by the Burnetts of Leys and was held in that family for almost 400 years. The castle and grounds are presently owned and managed by the National Trust for Scotland.

Crathes sits on land given as a gift to the Burnett of Leys family by King Robert the Bruce in 1323, and in the 14th and 15th century the Burnett of Leys built a fortress of timbers on an island they made in the middle of a nearby bog. This method of fortification, known as a crannog, was common in the Late Middle Ages. Construction of the current tower house of Crathes Castle was begun in 1553 but delayed several times during its construction due to political problems during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.

A Tower Room in Crathes Castle

The castle was completed in 1596 by Alexander Burnett of Leys, and an additional wing was added in 18th century. Crathes Castle served as the ancestral seat of the Burnetts of Leys until gifted to the National Trust for Scotland by the 13th Baronet of Leys, Sir James Burnett, in 1951. A fire damaged portions of the castle (in particular the Queen Anne wing) in 1966.

To buy tickets for our tour and begin it, we went over to the unimposing castle entrance to go in. Just up on the castle wall to the left of the entrance, is the Burnett family crest. From the entrance, Guy captured a pretty amazing view of the rolling hills to the southeast.

The castle contains a significant collection of portraits, and intriguing original Scottish renaissance painted ceilings survive in several Jacobean rooms: the Chamber of the Muses, the Chamber of Nine Worthies and the Green Lady's Room. The last of these is said to be haunted by the "Green Lady," said to have been the daughter of a member of the hired staff who did not survive and was buried under the hearth in that room. (Some visitors have claimed to have experienced a green smoke or mist.

The ancient jewelled ivory Horn of Leys residing in the great hall above the fireplace, was gifted to the Burnetts by the king along with the castle grounds in 1323. Sadly, photography was not allowed inside the castle, but I did manage to get a couple of pictures- two of them surreptitiously. Photography was allowed in the reception area and on the stairway leading to the second level; you can see a picture of that area here. There was also a room of memorabilia related to a member of the family who had been a champion horse trainer before his death, and off to the side, out of sight of any of the castle staff, I discovered that the Burnett family had a Texas connection. The picture I took in one of the tower rooms (right) was also out of sight of staff.

The tour wound through various rooms and up and down spiral stairs inside the turrets. Eventually, we ended up at the highest room in the castle, where, as it turned out, one was allowed to take pictures out the leaded windows.

The Gardens as Seen from Crathes Castle Tower

I think the view at left, taken from the highest point on our tour (the tower on the southeast corner of the castle) is pretty amazing- when you consider that I put together two separate pictures, taken from two different windows that had quite different perspectives. I can't take the credit; the Microsoft ICE program, free from them, did it all in seconds.

From the same tower, I was able to look east across the castle roofs to the woods and farmland beyond, and I also got an interesting view looking directly down to the castle entry. Moving to another tower, I could look southwest to one of the castle turrets, and Fred got a nice picture looking towards the tree rows of Lime Avenue where we had started out this morning.

The tour of the castle was interesting, but as usual I wished that photography had been allowed inside. I like to record sites like Crathes Castle in some detail, not only for my own memory but for others who might access the photo album and who might not have an opportunity to visit themselves, and it is certainly impossible to do that unless I take pictures.

We left the castle and completed our visit with lunch in the cafe in the little visitor complex just north of the castle proper. We stopped in at the gift shop where Nancy and Prudence got some souvenirs and Fred looked at some of the plants from the gardens that were for sale. (I think he might have gotten one if he thought he could get it home in one piece.) We left via the front of the gift shop and made our way back to the van for the return trip to Aberdeen.

The visit to the castle was pretty neat, but it was the gardens that really made the visit worthwhile.

Back to Aberdeen

We piled into the van in the parking area and headed off back to Aberdeen, following a bit different route as this morning, for we wanted to end up on the north side of the city to see St. Machar's Church.

Our route back took us once again through rolling hills and farmland, until we came back into Aberdeen on a highway somewhat south of where we'd left earlier in the day. Then we drove through the city making our way around to the north side to an area called "Old Aberdeen." On the way through town, I snapped a picture of a couple of interesting signs. I have heard of "Happy Family" as a dish in a Chinese Restaurant, but I suppose one could be specific for certain relatives as well. But next door was a more interesting place. A barber shop, to be sure, but the command to "Walk In. NOW." was a little forceful, I thought. But since the shop appears to cater to members of various cults, perhaps they are used to being ordered around.

Just near our destination, we drove by an extremely interesting building in the shape of a cube and made out of some kind of colored glass. It was quite striking, and Fred took a couple of pictures of it as we passed; you can use the clickable thumbnails below to see them:

The Sir Duncan Rice Library

It took me a bit of searching to find out what building it was, but I finally did. It is the Sir Duncan Rice Library at the University of Aberdeen. If you'd like to see a professional image of it, you can look at one of the stock shots I found here.

Eventually, we found the street leading to the cathedral, turned down it, parked and went to explore St. Machar's.

St. Machar's Cathedral

St Machar's Cathedral (or, more formally, the Cathedral Church of St Machar) is a Church of Scotland church in Aberdeen. It is located to the north of the city center, in the former burgh of Old Aberdeen. It is nestled between a large park to its north and northwest, and a row of large residences. Technically, St Machar's is no longer a cathedral but rather a high kirk, as it has not been the seat of a bishop since 1690.

St Machar's Cathedral- West Elevation

In a legend that dates to the 1300s, St Machar, said to have been a companion of St Columba on his journey to Iona, was told to found a church at a particular spot on the River Don and, again according to legend, he did so about 580. Machar's church was superseded by a Norman cathedral in 1131. (It is notable that one of the pieces of the body of William Wallace ended up in Aberdeen and is buried in the walls of the cathedral.)

A thirteenth century expansion included pillars with decorated capitals of red sandstone. These fine stone carvings are all that survives of the Norman cathedral which was demolished in the late 1300s, when the nave of a new church was begun. The granite towers at the western end of the current church were completed by one bishop, the nave by another and the central tower, roof and paving stones by a third. Another fifty years of work, which saw the completion of the heraldic ceiling, featuring 48 coats of arms in three rows of sixteen, and the western spires, brought the church to completion by the early 1500s.

The chancel was demolished in 1560 during the Scottish Reformation; the bells and lead from the roof were sent to be sold in Holland. The central tower and spire collapsed in 1688, in a storm, and this destroyed the choir and transepts. The current church consists only of the nave and aisles of the earlier building.

We came in through the main entry where there is the typical plaque announcing the church and its worship schedule. The church is under the care of Historic Scotland, and contains an important group of late medieval bishops' tombs, protected from the weather by modern canopies. The Cathedral is chiefly built of outlayer granite. On the unique flat panelled ceiling of the nave (first half of the 16th Century) are the heraldic shields of the contemporary kings of Europe, and the chief earls and bishops of Scotland.

(Mouseover Image if Video Controls Not Visible) Entering St Machar's Cathedral in Aberdeen

The Cathedral is a fine example of a fortified kirk, with twin towers built in the fashion of fourteenth-century tower houses. Their walls have the strength to hold spiral staircases to the upper floors and battlements. The spires which presently crown the towers were added in the 15th century. We took a number of pictures outside the church, and I have put them into the slideshow below:

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

To view the slideshow, just click on the image above and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

We wandered around the outside of the cathedral for a bit (we will look at the graveyard in a bit) and then went inside. We each deposited a donation, and then began to walk around the inside of the church.

Inside St Machar's Cathedral- The Rear of the Nave

The beautiful wood ceiling has intricate carved insets, and at the intersections of each cross member there is a coat of arms. These are related to the frieze which starts at the north-west corner of the nave and lists the bishops of the see from Nechtan in 1131 to William Gordon at the Reformation in 1560. This is followed by the Scottish monarchs up to Mary, Queen of Scots. The coats of arms of these bishops and royals are those found adorning the ceiling.

There has been considerable restoration in recent years, including completion of the western towers. Inside, a number of important stone monuments are displayed, including an 8th century cross‑slab and several well-preserved late medieval effigies of Cathedral clergy, valuable for their detailed representation of contemporary dress. Thee is also, mounted on one nave wall, a Pictish Cross‑Stone. The University of Aberdeen installed this stone on indefinite loan in 1995 to mark the 500 years association of King's College and the Cathedral. This early Pictish Cross-Stone is probably associated with the first church on this site founded in 580. Discovered in a stone dyke at Hillhead of Seaton in 1932, it was removed and placed outside the apse of King's College Chapel.

As for more modern additions, there was a beautiful 18th century clock as well as a carved wooden triptych commemorating John Barbour, archdeacon of Aberdeen (d. 1395). This explained the small wooden sign that we saw at the entrance to the cathedral.

Click on the Image Above to View the Slideshow

I thought that the inside of this cathedral was about the nicest we had seen so far on our trip, although as it turned our we had a good many more churches and cathedrals to see. Still, looking back, the interior of this one was outstanding, and I want to include a fair number of pictures here. They are best shown in a slideshow.

To view the slideshow, just click on the image at right and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.

At the back of the nave, there were stairs that led up to a choir loft, and with the permission of the docent, I went up there to look around. The loft provided more great views of the inside of the church, and some of the pictures in the thumbnail set above were taken from there. I thought this would be a good place to try to create a panoramic shot of the inside of the cathedral and so, steadying my camera on the wooden railing, I took a series of three pictures and have stitched them together. I am pretty pleased with the result:

The Nave of St Machar's Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland

As you have seen in all of our pictures, one of the prettiest aspects of St. Machar's is its use of stained glass windows.

Daniel Cottier's Artists Window in St. Machar's

Some of the windows, such as the one at left, were created by Daniel Cottier (1837–1891)- an artist and designer born in Glasgow. He was primarily a painter, creating allegorical figures in the Pre-Raphaelite style of Rossetti. He also worked in glass and is considered to have been an important influence on Louis Comfort Tiffany and the introduction of the Aesthetic movement to America.

Cottier was also interested in furniture, ceramic manufacture, and interior design. His early career saw him in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. His art furnishing business opened branches in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London between 1864–1869, when he moved to London to become part of an influential and avant-garde group of designers- many of them also expatriate Scots. In 1873 he opened more branches in New York, Sydney and Melbourne. In the United States he was the harbinger of aestheticism, and had a profound influence on American decoration.

The window he did for St. Machar's is also allegorical, and depicts Faith, Charity and Hope. Below are clickable thumbnails for three of Prudence's pictures of St. Machar's stained glass windows:

Stained Glass in St. Machar's Cathedral

Stained glass is also an interest of Fred's, and he took quite a few pictures of some of the narrow windows that depicted single figures. I looked around for some information on who the figures were or what they represented, but could find none. Content yourself with using the clickable thumbnails below to see some of them:

Stained Glass Windows in St. Machar's Cathedral, Aberdeen, Scotland

When we'd finished looking around inside the church, we headed back outside to wander around the graveyard that surrounds it.

The Graveyard of St Machar's Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland

A number of notable figures (at least to the Scottish) are buried in the cemetery that surrounds the church on three sides, and we found it interesting to walk around and look at the inscriptions (look at a couple of them here and here), some of them going back 400 and more years.

Most of the tombstones were quite "normal-looking," although a number of them were adorned with a Celtic cross rather than the more traditional Christian one. Some of the crypts were also adorned with such ornate crosses. Not to be outdone, one tombstone had atop it a cross that looked like it was made out of logs (why, I do not know) you can see that tomb among some others here.

Below are some clickable thumbnails for other views we captured around the St. Machar's graveyard:

In St. Machar's Graveyard, Aberdeen, Scotland

Wandering around the graveyard brought our visit to St. Machar's to a close, so we left the church via the entrance walk, returned to our parking space, piled into the van, and headed down into the central part of Aberdeen to walk around and see what we could see.

Afternoon and Evening in Aberdeen

From St. Machar's, Ron drove us down into the center of Aberdeen where we were able to find a parking space for the car right near the Central Library and Union Square Park just off Rosemount Street. We did a fair amount of walking around this afternoon, and I'd like for you to be able to follow us around. So I've taken an aerial view of the center of Aberdeen, the area we traversed, marked our route and major sights we saw on it, and put it in the scrollable window below. Return here as you wish to follow us on our walk.

From the car, we just took a walk up Rosemount looking at the buildings and then came back by the Central Library where we went in to have a look around. Then we walked down towards Union Street, Aberdeen's main thorofare and headed west just looking around. After a while, Ron wanted to stop in to a pub or restaurant where he could have a cigar and Prudence could get some wine. I wanted to continue walking around, so I went off on my own, ending up back at the car after walking through Golden Square. Waiting near the car, I knew I would have some more time, so I walked across the intersection to Union Square Park and walked around there for a while before heading back to rendezvous at the car with everyone.

Along Rosemount Street

Our walk up Rosemount and back towards the Library was just a pleasant outing; there were no particular landmarks to see and we just wanted to get a flavor for the area. Aberdeen is a city of churches; at one time, it was one of the top ten cities in the world with established churches per capita. On our little jaunt up Rosemount, we saw three of them, two of which you can see here and here.

Looking West on Rosemount Street in Aberdeen, Scotland

A couple of blocks off Rosemount, we could also see the Triple Kirks church, which is now abandoned. This seemed to be something that is common in England and Ireland; for some reason, church buildings have ceased being used as churches, and either converted to other purposes or simply abandoned. I found this odd, although I understand that surveys over the past half century have noted a definite decline in "religiousity" in Scotland at least, with 43 percent of Aberdeen's current population list themselves as having no religion. But the buildings remain, and on our way back by the Central Library, we could see four more of them in the distance.

Below are clickable thumbnails for three more of Fred's candid pictures from this part of our walk:

Along Rosemount St., Aberdeen, Scotland

Near the Central Library

The Central Library turned out to be one of a row of three connected buildings (although why they are connected I do not know). I couldn't get back far enough to get the whole row in one picture, so I put three pictures together:

L-R: The Central Library, St. Mark's Church and His Majesty's Theatre

We approached the Central Library from the west; the building is quite deep at its eastern end, but narrows to a point on the west. When we went inside, we found that the western point is reading rooms. the front of the Library has some interesting blue lamps and two or three different entrances. We did go inside so Prudence could have a look around (she was a librarian in a former life) and so we could use the facilities. It was pretty modern inside.

St. Mark's Church, Aberdeen, Scotland

Next to the Library on the east is St. Mark's Church. Until 1828, the City of Aberdeen had only one Parish (St Nicholas). In that year, the Court of Teinds decided that there should be six Parishes. These were East, West, St Clement's and Greyfriar's (each based on existing churches) and The North and South Parishes for which new churches would be built. The East Parish was served by what is known as St Mary's Chapel at the Kirk of St Nicholas and the West the "Mither Kirk".

At the disruption in 1843 the East, West and South congregations built three places of worship together, at the corner of Belmont Street and Schoolhill. In 1892 the congregation of the South Parish moved into the present building, which featured a giant portico surmounted by a drum and high dome- modelled on St Paul's Cathedral.

In 1972, due to a scarcity of ministers, the South Church united with the East and Belmont Church and the new congregation took the name St Mark's. As a result of the discovery of dry rot in their buildings at Crown Street, the congregation of Trinity Church (who had been worshipping in St Mark's for some time following a fire) united with St Mark's in 1981.

Between 1986 and 1989 there was a protracted vacancy which was caused by the uncertainty of the congregation's right to call a minister. However after long discussion and two major debates in Presbytery the congregation won the right to an unrestricted call which resulted in the arrival of John Watson as minister. On Watson's retirement in 2009, St. Mark's was once again in vacancy. The next year, the Presbytery approved a free call and on Sunday 22 August 2010, the current minister, Reverend Diane Hobson, preached her first sermon.

Next to St. Mark's is His Majesty’s Theatre, which is a major element within the Aberdeen Performing Arts organization. It is a distinguished venue boasting one of the most beautiful and spectacular auditoriums in the UK.

His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, Scotland

Designed by eminent theatre architect Frank Matcham and opened in 1906, the venue quickly became a staple on the UK theatre circuit as well as a prominent part of the Aberdeen skyline. Steeped in history, the theatre has a fascinating background.

By 1906, Her Majesty’s Theatre, now known as the Tivoli Theatre, had grown too small, and the larger productions required more staging facilities; patrons were also needing more comfort and improve refreshment areas. The initial cost of building the theatre was £35,000 and the opening night was greeted with great excitement. All the reserved seats were sold out well in advance and the queue for the unreserved seats was so large extra police were called in to manage the crowd.

The venue was largely built using local tradesmen. The masonry, joinery, electrics, upholstery, sculptures, painting and plumbing were all done using the skills of the Aberdeen population. At the time of opening, the foyer entrance leading directly to the Dress Circle was unique to British theatre design.

The first performance at HMT was the panto Little Red Riding Hood. The show ran for four hours on its opening night, which the local press declared “pretty and refined” and received three curtain calls from the appreciative audience. In 1933 the venue was bought by a local businessman, who refurbished the venue and introduced features such as external neon lighting, a cinema projector and a revolving stage – the only one in Scotland.

The Aberdeen City Council bought the building in 1975, and allocated £3.5 million to ensure its survival. After 23 months of closure the theatre was reopened in 1982 by Prince Charles with the subsequent period proving hugely successful resulting in the theatre becoming one of the most successful in the country. In 2005, the Edwardian building got a modern, £8 million glass extension, which was officially opened by Prince Edward. If you'd like more information about the theatre, find Edi Swan’s book “His Majesty’s Theatre – One hundred years of Glorious Damnation.”

Walking on Union Street

From the Central Library building, we headed south alongside Union Square Park down to Union Street, where we turned and headed west. Union Street goes across downtown Aberdeen, and seems to be the city's main street. It was certainly busy enough. We passed a Greek Revival building that turned out to be the offices of the Aberdeen Arts Council and, just down the street, one of the city's more famous drinking establishments.

There was a Starbuck's in an old Aberdeen building, and two or three statues along the way- such as this one of Edward VII.

A Church on Union Street, Aberdeen, Scotland

But probably the most interesting building along Union Street was the church seen at left, on one of the street's busiest corners. I happened to be on that side of the street, so I went over to see if I could have a look inside, and was quite surprised at what I found. Just inside the door was a gentleman sitting at a reception desk in a small waiting room. I inquired as to whether I could look inside the church, and that's when I found that I should have paid attention to the sign by the door through which I entered. Although I did not go in, here is what the interior looks like now:

Yet another example of a church converted to a different purpose, "Soul Casino is Aberdeen's most exclusive West End casino. Housed in a stunning church conversion, this striking venue has been transformed. Keeping all of the original features, including the stained glass windows, stunning high ceilings and church organ, it is the most glamourous casino in Aberdeen."

Back to the Van/Union Square Park

When everyone else wanted to go into one of the drinking establishments for a glass of wine, I begged off and asked if I could meet everyone back at the van at a specific time. That was OK, of course, so I headed off on my own. Following my nose, I went back along Union Street and turned north when I saw a street that seemed to head back to the Library. This street took me through Golden Square- what appeared to be an upscale residential enclave in the interior of a block. There was a circular street bordered by what appeared to be very nice houses, and in the center of the circle there was a statue of George, the Duke of Gordon; General George Duncan Gordon, 5th Duke of Gordon (1770–1836), styled Marquess of Huntly until 1827, was a Scottish nobleman, soldier and politician and the last of his illustrious line. I took Silver Street north out of Golden Square, and went past the Globe Inn, which is locally famous for being a restaurant that showcases local entertainment. This brought me right back to the van, just as I'd hoped.

Floral Display in Union Square Park, Aberdeen, Scotland

Since I still had plenty of time, I thought I would walk over to Union Square Park, a park located below street level near the main train station.

Robert      Edward VII     William   Burns                          Wallace

In the intersection near the Central Library there were three different statues/monuments, and I took a picture of each. You can use the clickable thumbnails at left to have a look at them.

I continued across the intersection and along the street for a ways until I found an entrance to the park. (Ahead of me, a few blocks away, I could see numerous churches (although by now, I'm not assuming that everything with a steeple is still a church).

I took the stairs down into Union Square Park, which turned out to be a multi-level park with a kind of amphitheatre area at the north end and more traditional walks, benches and so on on a higher level at the south end. Down below street level, it was like a oasis in the middle of Aberdeen, with only the occasional sounds of a train to interrupt the relative quiet. The park was re-done on the occasion of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012, and that is why there is the floral display in the hillside (seen at left).

I took a few good pictures down here in Union Square Park, and you can use the clickable thumbnails below to have a look at them:

Scenes in Union Square Park, Aberdeen, Scotland

I returned to the van and had a while more to wait until everyone else showed up. We headed back out to the Craighaar to relax and plan our dinner outing. Prudence and Nancy decided on a restaurant called Rustico, which turned out to be right back down in the center of town where we had been (we were only a block away from it at one point). We parked on a side street and walked to the multi-story restaurant housed in an old lodging house; we were seated in a private alcove on the third floor and had a great meal. A really nice end to our last day in Aberdeen.

You can use the links below to continue to another album page.

	September 19, 2013: Aberdeen to Carlisle, Scotland
	September 17, 2013: Glamis Castle to Aberdeen, Scotland
	Return to the Index for Our British Isles Trip