Huntingtower Castle - 3

Despite alterations in the later 17th century, Huntingtower retains real treasures from its medieval past. These include one of the oldest painted ceilings surviving in Scotland, and exquisite fragments of wall frescoes.

Huntingtower Castle - 2

Huntingtower appears today as a single building, but it was not always so. Before the late 17th century, when the Murrays attempted to make the medieval castle look more like a regular country mansion, the Place of Ruthven comprised two substantial tower houses standing less than 3m apart. This arrangement was highly unusual, and how it came about is one of Huntingtower’s enduring mysteries. Other buildings, including a great hall, stood beside the tower houses around a courtyard. All were enclosed within a substantial stone defensive wall.

Huntingtower Castle - 1

The ruins of Huntingtower Castle are located in the North-West outskirts of Perth.



Huntingtower Castle was a lordly residence for 300 years, from the 15th to the 18th century. It is associated with two noble families: the Ruthvens (later earls of Gowrie) and, following their downfall in 1600, the Murrays (earls of Tullibardine and later dukes of Atholl). Prior to 1600, Huntingtower was known as the Place of Ruthven.

Huntingtower has hosted some famous visitors, and been associated with some dramatic events. Mary Queen of Scots stayed here in 1565, during her honeymoon with Lord Darnley. In 1582, Mary’s son, James VI, was held here against his will by the 1st Earl of Gowrie, in a famous episode known as the ‘Ruthven Raid’. With the downfall of the 3rd Earl in 1600, in an equally bizarre episode called the ‘Gowrie Conspiracy’, the Ruthvens were disinherited and their forfeited castle was renamed Huntingtower.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Armistice Day

Here we see Inverness War Memorial - which will be the scene of a Solemn Act of Remembrance at 11.00 am on this the 11th day of the 11 month of the year. As we keep the two minutes silence we think of the words:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.



O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
our shelter from the stormy blast,
and our eternal home:

Under the shadow of thy throne,
thy saints have dwelt secure;
sufficient is thine arm alone,
and our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
or earth received her frame,
from everlasting thou art God,
to endless years the same.

A thousand ages in thy sight
are like an evening gone;
short as the watch that ends the night
before the rising sun.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
bears all its sons away;
they fly, forgotten, as a dream
dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while troubles last,
and our eternal home!

Tomorrow we shall be visiting Huntingtower Castle.

Stanley Mills - 7

Here we see an order from Wykes of Leicester placed on 10 August 1978.



India became independent in 1947 and imposed import tariffs on cotton goods, damaging a major export market. The growing availability of electricity also shrank the market for belting.

By the late 1960s, Stanley was mainly producing artificial fibres. In 1979, a management buyout led to the formation of Stanley Mills (Scotland), but the market proved too competitive and the mills eventually closed in 1989.

It has now been restored by Historic Scotland and is open to the public. Be among the first to enjoy our new hi-tech interactive visitor experience at the spectacular 18th-century water mill complex beside the River Tay.

The visitor centre tells the stories of those who worked there and the products they made. The superb interactive displays let you discover if your fingers are as nimble as a child labourer’s or compete to see if you are tough enough in business to make the mills profitable. Hear the clamour of the factory floor and see how engineers harnessed the energy of the Tay as well as the machinery that turned raw cotton into products sold around the world.

We think about the passing of the years as once more we prepare to keep Armistice Day.

Stanley Mills - 6

Here we see a plan of the site as it is today. Not exactly the Lateran Basilica!

PLEASE CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR A CLEARER VIEW



F.S. Sandeman took over in 1876. He was an astute businessman and a skilled technician. He replaced the water wheels with turbines and introduced cotton belting as a product. Belting was sold around the world to drive machinery.

During the First and Second World Wars, the mills saw good years producing webbing for the armed forces. Another important innovation came in 1916, when Stanley Mills began producing an ‘endless’ thin cotton belt used in the manufacture of cigarettes. This product helped the mills survive the Depression of the 1920s.

Happy Feast!

32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks to us today about the generosity of a poor widow - he doesn't tell us that she is old!



Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold,
not a mite would I withhold;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store;
take my self, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

Remember, the Lord loves a cheerful giver!

Happy Sunday!