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Saint Andrew – Patron Saint of Scotland

27th November 2020 by Scran | 0 comments

078834 (1)The St Andrew’s flag – or the Saltire – is flown all over Scotland. Until recently, the man and his day have been often neglected. However, celebrations for St Andrew’s Day on the 30th November are growing in popularity and it is now a recommended public holiday in Scotland.

Who was St Andrew?

Andrew and his brother (Simon) Peter were fishermen from Bathsaida on the Sea of Galilee. While living in Capernaum they became disciples of John the Baptist, who introduced Andrew to Jesus of Nazareth. Andrew recognised Jesus as the Messiah and became the first Apostle. He then introduced Peter to Jesus, “Come with Me, and I will make you fishers of men”

After the crucifixion of Jesus, Andrew traveled to Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Southern Russia. He became a missionary, telling people about the life Jesus had led. While he was preaching at Patras/Pátrai in Greece he offended the Roman governor (possibly for baptising his wife). He was then tied (not nailed) to an X-shaped cross, where he continued to preach for two days before dying on the 30th of November.

The majority of his bones were taken to the Church of Holy Apostles in Constantinople around 375 AD, when it was the capital of the (Christian) Roman Empire. It was during this time that some of his remains were taken to Scotland. In 1206 they were moved to the Cathedral of St Andrew in Amalfi in Italy by Cardinal Pietro of Capua. However in 1964 they were returned to Patras by Pope Paul VI. They now lie in the Church of Saint Andrew.

What were his associations with Scotland?045335

At some point during the 730s some of St Andrew’s relics were brought to the Fife coast. This is widely credited to St Rule (Regulus). In the legend, an angel comes to St Rule in a dream, asking him to take the bones of St Andrew to the ends of the earth. He arrived on the Fife coast by boat (possibly shipwrecked) bearing a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap, and some fingers of the Saint. A chapel was then built to house the relics, and the town of St Andrews was founded. There is however little evidence to prove the validity of this version of events.

A more plausible explanation involves Acca, the Bishop of Hexam. He was a renowned relic collector and could have bought them after they arrived in England with St Augustine. When Bishop Acca sought asylum in Scotland in 732 he took the bones with him to Kirrymont, later renamed St Andrews.

St Andrews

The bones were initially stored in St Rule’s Church, but were transferred to the cathedral in the 14th century. Twice a year the relics were carried in procession around the town. Cathedral and church bells rang and in the evening there were bonfires and fireworks.

St Andrews became the religious capital of Scotland and an important place of pilgrimage. Around the middle of the tenth century he became the patron saint of Scotland. In the 11th century, Saint Margaret, Queen Consort to Malcolm the Third, provided a free ferry across the Forth Estuary (now known as North and South Queensferry) and housing for pilgrims to the relics. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath recognised St Andrew as Scotland’s patron saint.

On the 14th of June 1559, John Knox and his followers arrived in the City of St Andrews. They entered the cathedral and proceeded to remove all valuable items. At this point, the relics of St Andrew (along with many other important historical artefacts) were lost. This was done to aid the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. Scotland became a Protestant country in 1560, with the aid of Queen Elizabeth of England.

There are currently two relics of St Andrew in Scotland. They are kept in St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh, at the National Shrine to St Andrew. The first was given as a gift from the Archbishop of Amalfi to the Archbishop of Strain in 1879, after the restoration of Catholic Emancipation in 1793. The second was given to the newly created Scottish Cardinal (the first in 400 years) Gordon Joseph Gray by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

The Saltire46

St Andrew is usually portrayed carrying an X-shaped cross. As legend would have it, St Andrew appeared in a dream to the Pictish King Angus in the 800s. In the dream, St Andrew gave him advice on the forthcoming battle of Athelstaneford against the Northumbrians. When that battle took place, the cross of St Andrew’s appeared in the sky, leading to a Scottish victory. King Angus adopted it as his flag to commemorate that day, but it was not until 1540 that the Saltire was officially adopted in the form we see today. Before that, various forms of the Saltire were used, including on military uniforms from 1385.

The St Andrew’s cross and the Cross of St George were combined to form the Union flag of Great Britain. With the addition of Northern Ireland the final Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was formed.

The 30th of November

The 30th of November is a celebration of “everything that is good about Scotland”, with ceilidhs, haggis suppers, and general whisky drinking. In the town of St Andrews, a week long festival is held in celebration. However St Andrew’s day celebrations are a relatively new development. It has always been celebrated by Scots and their descendants living abroad, but a survey by Famous Grouse revealed that only 20% of Scottish residents knew when St Andrew’s Day was (compared with 64% for Burns night). The Scottish Government declared that from 2007 St Andrew’s day would be a public holiday, although not a statutory one. St Andrew is also the patron saint of Greece, Russia, and Romania.

Images ©  Crown Copyright Historic Scotland & Cairns Aitken  | Licensor Scran

Up Helly Aa

21st January 2020 by Scran | 0 comments

Up Helly Aa celebrations take place on the last Tuesday of January . They are one of the United Kingdom’s most spectacular winter festivals. The festival, centred in Lerwick on the Shetland Islands, takes a year to plan and spans two days.

Roots

The modern version of Up Helly Aa – meaning “end of holidays” – has its origins around 1815 when young men returned from the Napoleonic war where they had experienced the banging of drums, fires, and guns. Out of such excitement came a desire to create an event which would enliven the long dark winter months. Early activities, particularly tar-barrelling where lit barrels of tar were pulled along the narrow street towards rival gangs, gave way to a more organised festival and by the 1950s the modern Up Helly Aa had evolved.02090271 The Festival is based around both the legends of Norse mythology and the very real links between Shetland and Norway which go back more than 1000 years. In the old Norse calendar Up Helly Aa was the last day of the winter festival and was celebrated on the 24th day following Yule. Shetland’s Up Helly Aa is held on the last Tuesday in January and concludes with the burning of a replica Viking long boat.

Guizers & the Jarl

02102225Each year, a Guizer Jarl or leader is nominated and the whole community work for some considerable time building and naming a new galley. Costumes and 1000 torches are prepared and arrangements are made for a series of parties. The Guizer Jarl (Head Viking) will have nominated himself to the Up Helly Aa committee 15 years in advance. It is therefore a long wait to fulfil the role. Preparation includes the selection of a squad of around 50 men who will form the squad. Direct debits will be set up over 15 years to pay for each costly suit (around £1,000) and other event costs. Being part of the Jarl squad is an honour and men spend long hours preparing their costumes and rehearsing.

 

Blazing Long Ship

02498940On Up Helly Aa morning the Jarl Squad meets, accompanied by the local brass band. All march to the Lerwick Legion where they receive their first dram of the day. Waiting outside are crowds of school children, locals and tourists – and, of course, the new galley, especially named for the day. The Guizer Jarl – wearing traditional Viking apparel – hoists his axe aloft aboard his long ship and calls on his Jarl Squad to begin the Festival. The Squad then processes through the town centre led by the Jarl. They carry banners and weapons as though on a raid.

The Proclamation

At this stage they deliver their “Proclamation” to the town – a light hearted document – which is displayed at the Market Cross in the town centre. Many folk stop to read and have a laugh as they read it. The proclamation (or bill) is erected as a large billboard which has been skilfully painted by local artists. The text includes local political topics and personal jokes. The Jarl squad spend the rest of the day visiting schools, hospitals, houses and the local museum.

The Last Rites

At 7.30pm, the leaders use crimson flares, or maroons, to signal the lighting of the torches and the start of the procession. Torches are wooden stakes, the size of fence posts, dipped in a combustable resin. They resemble giant matches. Lit by torchlight, the procession makes its way along King Erik Street and the Galley makes her last journey to the special burning site. Guizers, the Jarl’s men, wear specially made costumes inspired by mythological creatures such as serpents, double-headed eagles, and dragons. At the “Last Rites”, the procession reaches the burning site. The Galley is positioned as a centrepiece and the glowing torches are thrown into the boat. The flames engulf the galley reminiscent of a Viking leader’s burial. Only then are the feasting halls opened to receive squads. Those not involved in the procession have prepared food and set up parties. As dictated by tradition, the squad tour as many halls as they can. And the festivities last till morning.

For more pictures of Up Helly Aa including some stunning Hulton Getty photographs visit Scran.

Images © The Scotsman Publications Ltd., National Museums Scotland, Newsquest (Herald & Times), Scottish Media Group | Licensor Scran 

Burns Supper

16th January 2019 by Scran | 0 comments

Around January 25th, Burns’ Clubs & other lovers of the poet, arrange Burns Suppers. Burns has always attracted massive support.

01980093This painting, by an unknown artist, depicts the 1844 Burns Festival. The procession, which started in Ayr, is shown passing over the new and old brigs o’ Doon and entering the festival site at the Burns Monument, where Burns’ three surviving sons were guests of honour. The event attracted over 100,000 participants and involved the construction of a banqueting marquee for 1400 invited guests, seen to the right of the picture. A platform was constructed in front of the Monument to enable the guests of honour to be seen by the crowds and to deliver the speeches.

History

01740151

Newton Stewart Burns’ Club dinner, 1904

Greenock enthusiasts founded the earliest Burns’ Club on 21st July 1801 and had their first supper on 29th January 1802; which at that time was mistakenly thought to be the anniversary of his birth. Following close on their heels were clubs at Paisley, Kilmarnock and Dunfermline. Throughout the century more and more clubs sprang up either in Scotland or wherever Scots met. One of the earliest in England was the Bristol Caledonian Society founded in 1820. By 1885 there were so many Burns’ Clubs in existence that an international Federation of clubs was instituted.

Format of Burns’ Supper

Welcome & Grace 00981150 (1)

A few welcoming words start the evening & the meal commences with the Selkirk Grace:

Some hae meat and cannot eat.
Some cannot eat that want it:
But we hae meat and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Piping in the Haggis – Before the Haggis appears, one should hear the skirl of the bagpipes and the company should stand to receive the haggis. A piper then leads the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table. The guests accompany this with a slow rhythmic hand clap.

06710548Address to the Haggis – The chairman or invited guest then recites Burns’ famous poem To A Haggis. When he reaches the line “an cut you up wi’ ready slight”, he cuts open the haggis with a sharp knife. The company applauds the speaker and then are asked by their host to stand and toast the haggis with a glass of whisky. The meal is then served.

The Immortal Memory – An invited guest is asked to give a short speech on Burns. There are many different types of Immortal Memory speeches, from light-hearted to literary, but the aim is the same – to outline the greatness and relevance of the poet today.

Toast to the Lasses – The main speech is followed by a more light-hearted address to the women in the audience. Originally this was a thank you to the ladies for preparing the food and a time to toast the ‘lasses’ in Burns’ life. The tone should be witty, but never offensive, and should always end on a friendly note.

Response – The turn of the lasses to detail men’s foibles. Again, this should be humorous but not insulting.

Poems & Songs

Once the speeches are complete the evening continues with songs and poems. The evening will culminate with the company standing, linking hands and singing Auld Lang Syne to conclude the programme.

Food Served

06320052The food varies according to custom and locality but, in general, the meal should feature a Haggis. The usual accompaniment is Tatties [potatoes] and Neeps [turnips or swedes]. Other components might include a soup such as Scotch Broth or Cock-a- Leekie and there may be Atholl Brose or cheese and bannocks [oatcakes].

Images © Trustees of Burns Monument & Burns Cottage, National Museums Scotland, Whithorn Photographic Group  & Scottish Life Archive and an Unknown | Licensor Scran

Hand-me-down

22nd November 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

An adventure in women’s domestic needlecraft

Sewing Class, Glasgow 1953

In 2017, the year of History, Heritage & Archaeology, our small social enterprise, Mrs Magooty led by Sarah Longfield and Katrina Caldwell, embarked on an adventure.

Our mission was to scour the archives for examples of women’s domestic needlecraft in Scotland through the ages. We wanted images of normal women sewing, knitting and stitching.  We also wanted to see examples of their work.  Our intention was to then create a video collage of all these images and film snippets and share them in practical textile art workshops to inspire making and sharing of stories about our personal craft heritages.

Sewing Sampler, Leadhills 1891

As you might suspect, we had to search hard. Women’s domestic needlecraft is not the priority for documentation in times past.  However, after many enjoyable hours trawling through a wealth of search terms on Scran, we had a long list of 180 images.  Gulp!  We also rambled through the Moving Image Archive on a similar quest for films. The shortlisting process was both enjoyable and painful. Choosing between these examples of people’s exquisite work and between wonderful images capturing everyday life for women through the ages was no easy task, but eventually 7 film clips and 30 images were selected and licences applied for. Hand-Me-Down was ready to roll!

The response to the video we made was fabulous. For some participants it jogged memories of their school days or of granny, for other participants it was a new window into a past that they hadn’t experienced or had little access to discovering. Each individual in the workshops created a small piece of textile art and we gathered all in to mount our first exhibition at the Project Café in Glasgow. It was so popular we extended the exhibition and it ran through all of January and into February 2018.

Each piece was either a reflection on that person’s craft heritage or was inspired by the film. Below are 2 works which were directly inspired by items in Scran.

“Shrigley Sun” by Katrina Caldwell is inspired by “Festival of Britain 1951” a cushion cover by Kathleen Whyte which was part of The Needlework Development Scheme which ran from 1934 – 1961. The scheme began in Scotland and was a collaborative project between art and design education and industry, commissioning some really beautiful pieces to encourage embroidery and good design. The scheme was financed by JP Coates of Paisley the thread manufacturer. This cushion currently resides at the National Museum of Scotland.   Katrina was drawn to this record and inspired to create “Shrigley Sun” because she loves mid-century design and we wanted to acknowledge the Needlework Development Scheme in our project.

“Mauchline Memories” by Sarah Longfield takes its inspiration from a Mauchline ware box for cotton reels which is in the Nithsdale museum. Thread boxes or places to keep those all-important buttons and bits & bobs are an instant attraction to most crafters and Sarah shares this passion for boxes and tins to put things in. Instead of the portraits of Burns on the original box, this piece incorporates little things from Sarah’s past: a crystal from the necklace worn on her wedding day, a button from her first school jumper and other mementos physically demonstrating her own heritage. It is worked in Miyuki seed and bugle beads, incorporating beadwork stitches: dutch spiral and spiral staircase, plus bead embroidery techniques.

You can see all the ‘Hand-me-down’ work on Mrs Magooty’s social media too.

Images © The Herald, Leadhills Reading Society, Dumfries & Galloway Council, National Museums Scotland | Licensor Scran 

 

Stained Glass at the Scottish National War Memorial

5th November 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

The Scottish National War Memorial at Edinburgh Castle houses a rich variety of artwork to honour & remember those who died in World War One.  When it was built, between 1923 & 1927, over 200 professional artists worked with the architect, Robert Lorimer, to create a suitable tribute.

The interior of the memorial expresses the tragic sense of loss felt by Scotland after WW1. Inside the building, there is a feeling of dignity, pride and a sense of peace. The artists and makers used different materials, including bronze, iron, wood, stone, paint as well as stained glass. The result is impressive.

Air Force window design 1924 by Douglas Strachan

The artworks are designed to pay respect to the individual Scots who died, both men and women in all their different roles. Animals are acknowledged too, in the much loved stone sculpture ‘Remember also those Humble Beasts‘ by Phyllis Bone.

 

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Certainly the most colourful element of the SNWM is the is the stained glass with light flooding in from outside. In the main Hall of Honour the windows provide a lot of information, if you look carefully. For example, there is imagery illustrating what life was like on the Home Front, such as the mobilising of troops at Waverley Station (pictured top).

At either end of the hall, there are windows dedicated to different military services; that is the army, the navy and the air force – land, sea & air. Other windows show the four seasons. Some of the windows have roundels illustrating the different jobs people did or technology used in the machinery of war.

The windows in the Shrine are different to those in the Hall of Honour. These seven windows tell a another story, they use Bible and Christian messages to describe the experience of the War. Therefore they look more familiar to many, perhaps like traditional church windows at first glance.

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The artist who made all of these stunning windows was Douglas Strachan (1875-1950). Strachan was born in Aberdeen and educated at Robert Gordon’s College. He took evening classes at Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen. He worked as an apprentice lithographer, a muralist, a portrait painter and then found a passion for working with stained glass. In 1909 he moved to Edinburgh to set up the crafts department of Edinburgh College of Art. He lived in Midlothian where he died in 1950. He worked on many other memorial windows, including a designs for the Peace Palace in The Hague installed in 1929.

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* To see more of the SNWM stained glass windows visit Scran

Images © Canmore Historic Environment Scotland | Licensor Scran 

 

1791 ‘Currie Powder’ Recipe

23rd October 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

07560042We thought we might whet your appetite for National Curry Week!

This page has been taken from recipe books written by Stephana Malcolm & it dates from 1791. This is one of five recipes for curry powder which she included in her recipe books. Ready-mixed curry powder was available in Britain at this period, but either Stephana Malcolm found it hard to get or she simply enjoyed making her own. Several Malcolm family members lived and worked in India and their influence is seen in the many Indian-inspired dishes in the recipe books from Burnfoot.

Stephana Malcolm clearly had curried dishes often enough that it was worth making powder in bulk. In this recipe she advises storing it in bottles and adding the wet ingredients, such as lemon juice and garlic, just before use. The National Library of Scotland holds a fascinating and valuable series of seven recipe books which survive from the Malcolm family. The earliest was started by Margaret Malcolm in 1782, several were then written by her daughter Stephana and her daughter-in-law Clementina, and the last in the series was written by Margaret’s great granddaughter, Mary Malcolm.

Image © National Library of Scotland | Licensor Scran

6. Extraordinary Estonia | Erakorraline Eesti

26th September 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

This is the sixth, and final, in a series of travelogue posts about an Erasmus+ cultural heritage, study trip undertaken by Jackie Sangster from the Learning & Inclusion Team at Historic Environment Scotland.

Maarika striding towards Vabamu

Day 6 Freedom

It seemed the time was right, that on our last day we would visit the purpose built Vabamu Museum of Occupations & Freedom. This museum is powerful. I was immersed in the stories from the outset. The interpretation for me was second to none. The use of technology was intuitive and successful. The virtual reality experience of decorating a sparse Soviet apartment was enjoyable. The carefully curated objects and archives reinforced the narrative, all about Estonia’s recent history, making us think about the value of our freedom. The various films with real people relating their personal stories and recollections were the highpoint – genuine, heartfelt, matter-of-fact & authentic. Not surprisingly, the museum touched Maarika most intensely.

Contemporary helped to convey the stories

Personally I know a woman, who as a small child fled, from Estonia to escape the Russian invasion of 1940. She has led an astonishing life. Knowing her, and her family well, made this museum & especially the permanent exhibition, ‘Freedom Without Borders’, resonate for me. I was also able to draw some parallels in my own life. Having grown up during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, I am all too familiar how violence & conflict impacts on life. In fact, afterwards another group member & I were wondering why Belfast did not have such a museum. It saddens me to say, I don’t believe the peace process has reached maturity yet.

A balancing act

Whilst at Vabamu, I read that one of the aims was to create a museum that touches people from all around the world, not just Estonians. It is safe to say I was touched by this place. Later in 2018, I will be attending the Museums Association conference in Belfast. The theme is Dissent: inspiring hope, embracing change – having the courage to challenge traditional thinking to transform museums and society. I think Vabamu has set the standard. #Vabamu

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Tallinna Teletorn

A leisurely lunch & to our final stop Tallinna Teletorn the TV Tower & some matches. After a tour providing the context of the tower’s history. Construction began in 1975 and it was completed for the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics and Tallinn was the host city for the sailing events. The 170-metre-high observation platform and landmark opened for the occasion. Today TV Tower is one of the most important symbols of the restoration of Estonian independence. In August 1991 radio operators risked their lives to protect the free flow media and declaration of independence. We enjoyed the interpretation of these events in a humorous almost slapstick film, nonetheless enjoyable as an overseas visitor.

‘No Bananas Today’ Soviet Daily Life

After taking in the 360 degree vistas of the city & surrounds from the viewing platform we descended again to see the temporary exhibition called “No Bananas Today” – Time Travel to Soviet Daily Life. This was another take on the interpretation of Estonia’s recent pasta and a peek behind the Iron Curtain.

In 1992 I was lucky enough to spend the summer travelling in Russia, so seeing this exhibition brought many memories back through the little details, especially the reconstructed sets of shops, cafes & homes under Communisim. I devoured each interpretation panel as they were loaded with anecdotes about how people endured the Soviet regime by scrimping, saving, stealing or swindling the system. Life was hard and relentless but this exhibition explored what can be now be considered as absurd.

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Finally, back to our hotel in the district of Nõmme & for our farewell dinner with Maarika and joined again by Riin at Mimosa to indulge in some contemporary Estonian cuisine.

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Glehni Castle or Jälgimäe Manor

Spontaneously after dinner, our super hosts decided we needed an unscripted, late-night adventure to see the whimsical Glehni Castle or Jälgimäe Manor. So off we went in the dark to find this medieval castle-style building. Created by Baltic-German owner Nikolai von Glehn in 1886. It has a number of curious features, including an organically formed palm house. Nearby are his statues of Estonia’s epic hero Kalevipoeg, known as the ‘devil statue’ and another of a dragon which looks more like a crocodile.

Tallinn’s district of Nõmme was founded by Nikolai von Glehn in 1878 as a summerhouse district, now it’s referred to as the forest city suburb. The development started around the railway station. In 1926 it was granted town rights, but in the beginning of the Soviet occupation in 1940, it was unified to Tallinn and remains as one of the eight districts of Tallinn today.

Kalevipoeg by night

As if the day couldn’t get any better Riin also invited us into her Nõmme home, this was such a privilege. It was a Soviet house build in a street for artists. Therefore the design incorporated extra studio space and more windows to allow light to flood in. Riin had bought her home form the original owner-occupiers, both of whom had spent their lives working there. They were elderly when they left and Riin acquired a vast hoard of artwork with the house. Some of which was contributed to The Art Museum of Estonia collections. The studio still contains much of their collection & there are sculptures all over the garden. From what I could see in the dark, the fabric of the house for me was exquisite in its simplistic design and built to last surrounded by the forest, idyllic.

It was time for bed.

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Day 7 Departure Day

Hüvasti Eesti

Homeward bound & time to leave Estonia. This study trip exceeded expectations with a great group of heritage sector colleagues, I believe we learned more about Estonian cultural heritage than any of us ever expected to. Hopefully this report encapsulates just some of the joy had on this learning journey. As for our host Maarika, Eesti oli imeline – head aega ja tänan teid väga.

 

 

 

 

 

*NB you can login to Scran with your local library card in Scotland

This is a report on a course developed by ARCH, hosted by Maarika Naagel from Viitong Heritage Tours and funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

Archive Images ©  & Historic Environment Scotland | Licensor Scran

5. Extraordinary Estonia | Erakorraline Eesti

19th September 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

This is fifth in a series of travelogue posts about an Erasmus+ cultural heritage, study trip undertaken by Jackie Sangster from the Learning & Inclusion Team at Historic Environment Scotland.

 

Day 5 Time for Tallinn

Like Edinburgh, the historic centre of Old Town of Tallinn is a UNESCO world heritage site & upon arrival it was obvious to see why. Here we met Riin Alatalu, for a walking tour of the city, old & new. Riin is an associate professor at the Estonian Academy of Arts and an expert in built heritage, so we were set for an enthralling walk. Our rendezvous point was outside the Soviet built, 1963 modernist Writers’ House at 1 Harju Street. Today, the ground floor is occupied by a brilliant second-hand bookstore, called Raamatukoi.

This is one of the most important streets in Tallinn, dating back to early medieval times. Most notably in 1944 the Soviet Union performed air raids here, the heavy bombing of Tallin killed hundreds. The last ruins of old Harju Street served as a memorial but after archaeological work in 2007 a park was created. In 1966, this vicinity was the first conservation area established in the former USSR. We wandered with Riin, hearing about the evolution of the city and its diverse architecture – there was a lot of information to absorb.

Marzipan marvels inc. 1980 Moscow Olympic character Misha

Within the magnificently preserved Old Town we witnessed the vast hordes of tourists and co-ordinated cruise ship visitors as they too enjoyed the courtyard surroundings of Katariina Kirik.  Sadly, the oldest working pharmacy in Europe established in 1422, Raeapteek, was closed – perhaps because it was Sunday? However, we were able to pop into the Kalev Marzipan Museum Room to see the mesmerising, medicinal confectionary figures in the 1864 Café, Maiasmokk on Pikk Street.

 

 

Linnamuuseum Tallinn City Museum

At the Linnamuuseum Tallinn City Museum, housed in a medieval merchant house, we went to the exhibition ‘One Hundred Years of Daily Life’ about everyday life the city and how it has changed – it was great! We also saw the permanent display about the history of the city and I learned about the impact of the Hanseatic League. I have since discovered there were settlements associated with Hanseatic trade in Scotland too, such as Hillswick on Shetland. In the cellar, we explored the glorious stores of ceramics & metal.

 

Hanseatic – Hillswick House, Shetland

Continuing outdoors, we wove our way around, spotted more Muhu style doors, many Kultuurimälestis National Monuments and wound up towards Alexander Nevsky Cathedral at the very top of the city by Toompea Castle, where the Estonian Parliament sits. From this aspect, we joined the masses taking in great panoramas of the city and the sea.

After all that we were ready for our evening meal so we set off to the cool Kalamaja district to dine. Today this is one of well-known areas for its hipsters. Beyond the train station, it boasts Bohemian charm and consists of wooden buildings which once accommodated fishermen.

Lender Houses

Before our table was ready at trendy Boheem, Riin had more knowledge to impart about the local architecture. We were surrounded by gorgeous two storied timber tenement houses with symmetrical facades, named after the architect engineer Voldemar Lender who was also the mayor of Tallinn from 1906 to 1913.

Lender House ironwork & windows

These early 20th century homes had been cheap to construct when the city had been growing rapidly. The houses have subtle variations reflecting the owners’ preferences, such as doors with carved details, fanlights or ironwork ornament around the windows. I was captivated by them.

Fishertown housing, Dunbar Scotland early C20th

Scotland’s fisher town communities, such as those in Cromarty or Dunbar, looked somewhat different at this time. The local building material was stone rather than wood, which resulted more often in lower level thatched cottages. Although, Cat’s Row in Dunbar looks like a larger tenement circa 1900.

 

During dinner much to my amusement, a reminder of home unexpectedly surfaced because Belhaven Ale (made in my adopted home town of Dunbar) featured on the foreign beer menu.

Foreign Beers inc. Belhaven Wee Heavy

Later, Riin told us about a travel campaign she’s involved with, that is Visit Baltic Manors. This European Year of Cultural Heritage initiative celebrates 130 historic heritage sites across the Baltic countries; Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania. When given our own traveller’s card, we were pleased to see we’d already been to two! That was Loona mois and Muhu pastoraat.

After dinner, we travelled back to our hotel by train to rest up for our penultimate day with Maarika.

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Our hotel – a Soviet era building

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a report on a course developed by ARCH, hosted by Maarika Naagel from Viitong Heritage Tours and funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

Archive Images © East Lothian Museum Service & Historic Environment Scotland | Licensor Scran

4. Extraordinary Estonia | Erakorraline Eesti

12th September 2018 by Scran | 0 comments

Rita Valge, museum director

Day 4 Museums, Meteorites & Muhu

Aerial view of Kuressaare Castle, Estonia

This is fourth in a series of travelogue posts about an Erasmus+ cultural heritage, study trip undertaken by Jackie Sangster from the Learning & Inclusion Team at Historic Environment Scotland.

Aerial view of Fort George, Scotland

Moving on from our base today, we packed-up and left for our engagement with the director of Saaremaa Muuseum, housed at Kuressaare Castle.  At first glance this citadel, complete with moat, looks like the stuff of fairy tales and unsurprisingly it is a Kultuurimälestis National Monument. Viewed from above, the aerial plan is reminiscent of our own 1769, HES property in care, Fort George.

Rita Valge, the director greeted us and we enjoyed a whirlwind Castle tour and explored the collections held within. Rita who is relatively recent in post expressed the challenges she faces in her quest to update some exhibition interpretation. Yes, it was apparent that certain collections would benefit from a more contemporary curation and display solutions. Yes, there were some dated mannequins and cabinets not fit for purpose, however the exhibits had charm and offered intriguing insights into Saaremaa’s history.

Scottish connections found on exhibition

There was general discussion within our group about bespoke souvenirs, visitor flow, access issues, promotion … as I have worked closely with digitised archives & collections on scran.ac.uk for ten years, my query was about accessing to the museum collections online. I was also curious to know if Rita was aware of any Scottish objects held within the museum, she was unsure. Later, amongst the collections on exhibition, I was delighted to discover that Scottish connection I was seeking and it came in the form of an enamelled – “Singer Õmblus Masinad” a Singer sewing machine sign!

The household name & sewing machine manufacturers, Singer transferred their factory works from Bridgeton to Clydebank during the 1880s to become the largest sewing-machine factory in the world! To Scots, Singer is synonymous with this Glasgow works.

Singer Clock at Clydebank, Scotland

My favourite part of the morning was the permanent exhibition of contemporary history from 1950-1994 designed by artist Vello Laanemaa. This led the viewer chronologically, up through seven spaces and the various decades of Soviet occupation & Estonian social history. Each flight of stairs connecting the floors contained amusing jokes within the steps, a nice touch. The carefully selected objects succinctly told the stories and struggles of daily life. Time was up at the castle & so to Kaali for lunch.

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Kaali Kraater

Our reason for going to Kaali was to see the noteworthy punch-bowl crater formed there by a meteorite 4,000 years ago and of course to find out about how the heritage is handled – how the community has turned potential interest into practical solutions. There were tales of associated folklore surrounding the site, scientific & archaeological aspects to the crater field and so on. As we made our way back from the site to the purpose-built tourist centre, we were lured by signs of local lace on sale in the school building. There was a wealth of crafts on offer to the international visitors here.

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Tihuse Horseriding Farm.

Crossing the Väinatamm causeway, we left Saaremaa behind and proceeded to its smaller sister, island of Muhu to see some stunning horses at Tihuse Horseriding Farm. The heritage trails at this horse breeding farm were based on various Forest Father stories & memories of the owner’s grandparents. We had the absolute pleasure of jaunting around the forest in two wagons, however for me the well-meaning delivery of the heritage aspect was a little thin & unconvincing. The owner, Ahto Kaasik was supposed to meet us, however he was unable to.  The staff were excellent equestrians, committed to their animals but it was unfair to have them deliver some of the folklore based activities – perhaps the intended Pagan spirituality was wasted on me. The environmental interpretation back at the café didn’t quite convince me either sadly. More positively though, we all fell in love with the five-month old foal.

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Kadri Tüür

Inside Muhu Pastoraadi, now Muhu Heritage School

Our day was still young and we were expected at another Kultuurimälestis National Monument, i.e. Muhu Pastoraadi, now Muhu Heritage School stands beside Muhu Katariina Kogudus (or St. Catherine’s Church), in Liiva. We were met by former pupil Kadri Tüür (with babe in arms), she is the powerhouse behind this conservation project. Funding has been secured from the EU LEADER programme for rural development, to partially restore this 1832 building and we were privileged to have a behind the scenes tour of this historic parsonage. Kadri sought out our ideas how to interpret and revive the building, to usher in its next chapter. Given the traditional methods required and materials such as lime being employed in the fabric of the building, I saw potential links with the work of Scotland’s built heritage conservation centre, The Engine Shed. Interestingly, when asked if the lime being applied was Lubi Ò , it transpired it was not but another brand from another part of Estonia, Savikumaja.

Being watched over by the Muhu Angel

Leaving, we stopped to admire the unmissable Muhu Ingel sculpture, another project by Kadri Tüür – another inspirational Estonian woman who has written a book “The Muhu Angels” stories about Muhu women, heard in the family home.

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Moonland

There was now a little time to stop for supplies, namely the much loved Muhu Leib – a locally produced black bread, before our adventures on the high seas. We set off from Kuivastu harbour on a historic uisk sailing ship called ‘Moonland’.

Sailing toward Kesse on the Väinameri Strait

In 2009 Väinamere Uisk was founded to re-build this traditional wooden vessel. The captain of our ship told us about the origins of uisk which were still in use until the early 20th century. During the Middle Ages people from the Saaremaa & Muhu islands were called vikings and their vessels were named huisk or snake. So, these narrow and relatively light weight vessels became known as serpent ships. It was a breath-taking voyage as the sun set we admired the cliffs on the island of Kesse in the Väinameri Strait.

 

 

 

Anstruther, Scotland c.1900-1933

 

 

Back at the office, I was taken by the similarities of the ships in this photograph, taken of the harbour at Anstruther, Fife in the early 20th century. Apparently sailing ships used Anstruther as a port for sailing to the Baltic – could that be a serpent ship?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Typical striped door, Muhu

When we returned to land our home for the night was at the nearby Kuivastujaani, our second tourist farm stay. Before leaving the next morning to catch the ferry, we were invited to look around at the owner’s beautiful striped doors. The ancient tradition of painting doors and decorating them has been revived in Muhu. We would start to see them everywhere.

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This is a report on a course developed by ARCH, hosted by Maarika Naagel from Viitong Heritage Tours and funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

Archive Images © National Museums of Scotland, Scotsman & Historic Environment Scotland | Licensor Scran

 

3. Extraordinary Estonia | Erakorraline Eesti

5th September 2018 by Scran

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is third in a series of travelogue posts about an Erasmus+ cultural heritage, study trip undertaken by Jackie Sangster from the Learning & Inclusion Team at Historic Environment Scotland.

Day 4 Friday Flounders

Today’s start was not for the faint hearted. There was more culinary heritage to explore and fish was on the menu for the evening – we were to prepare it from scratch. I can’t say I was looking forward to the experience when faced with a bucket of freshly caught flounders, however it had to be done. Led by Aado Haandi at Värava, we were skilfully taught how to gut & prepare these bottom-feeding, flat-fish correctly. Once cleaned and salted, they were hung to dry before being smoked later in the day.

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Abandoned Soviet Border Checkpoint, Kõruse

Ready for adventure after a short drive north west, we set off on our nature hike to the Hariland Peninsula located at the tip of Tagamõisa peninsula once again within Vilsandi National Park.

On our way, I asked to stop at a spot which caught my eye in Kõruse. The place could be described as a ghost town, the inhabitants were evicted by the Russians in 1945 to make way for an army base, a Soviet border out-post.

Kõruse

The place was littered with the remnants of military occupation; a crumbling checkpoint, rusty signs, a faded noticeboard, a monument which was out of bounds and lots of Marston matting. Here this perforated steel planking, often used as portable runways on soft ground for temporary airstrips in WWII, had been repurposed as a small fence.

The place really intrigued me and later in the day we also encountered a stranded boat embedded in dune and a distant line of anti-tank blocks in a field, all linked to the military defences of the past.

 

Marston Matting

If you know where to look in Scotland, it’s also easy to encounter anti tank defences.

Wartime Coastal Defences, Dunbar

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Soviet Naval Remnants

We parked up at the end of the current road, at Harilaiu from here on it was on foot for us. The road once went all the way to the end, past the Kelba Spit, to the captivating Kiipsaare Lighthouse. However, nature has fought back and the Soviet road has long since been consumed by the sea. Kiipsaare Tuletorn was originally built of concrete in 1933 to warn seafarers of the dangers of the Baltic Sea. It once stood on land, but erosion has taken its toll and now the tower stands askew in the water. The walk allowed us to witness the huge diversity of plant & animal life thriving under the care of the Riigimetsa Majandamise Keskus (State Forest Management Company).

Kiipsaare Tuletorn

 

On site the RMK promote positive engagement with the landscape through a series of informative interpretation boards and basic facilities such as composting toilets. The rangers amongst us were in their element, observing birdlife & butterflies all around.

 

Marine Waste

To my lay person’s eye, I would have said the environment was close to pristine, the only unfortunate sight was really rather peculiar. Initially the group was unsure what we were looking at in the distance on the beach, it did not become apparent until we were closer that there was a fridge standing on the foreshore. A reminder that marine waste infiltrates every environment. After our invigorating circular hike, it was back to finish of the fish preparations at base.

The fish which had dried since morning, were now ready to be threaded onto long skewers & hung in the already lit, wood-smoker in the trees. We wondered how they would compare to the more familiar smoked fish found at home such as the Kipper or the Arbroath Smokie?

Our Flounders in the Smoker

Smoking Fish at Gardenstown c1950

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile Maarika had arranged for a local teacher, Paul to deliver an open-air, wood-working session, so we were thrown into creating a variety of artefacts. Despite our language barriers Paul gave us a highly skilled lesson on the steps required, using a variety of manual & power tools. I chose to make a trivet from juniper wood, which I enjoyed making immensely. The scent of the omni-present juniper wood will always remind me of this experience. We also bound together a selection of branches including birch twigs, oak and more juniper to make viht AKA whisks, or whips, for use in the sauna planned for later. After eating our fishy tea, the genuine sauna that evening was a wonderful way to end the day.

Of course, there were ancient saunas in Scotland too, let us not forget the sauna at the Brough of Birsay settlement on Orkney, granted this was no doubt introduced by the Norse men.

We were recharged by the sauna & more good sleep was had, ready for another day in the field with Maarika.

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This is a report on a course developed by ARCH, hosted by Maarika Naagel from Viitong Heritage Tours and funded through the Erasmus+ programme.

Archive Images © North East Folklore Archive   & Historic Environment Scotland | Licensor Scran

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