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Happy Burns' Night everyone! 
2 days ago
What would Burns say, on reading this week's tinsel show news? "Gie fools their silks, and knaves their wine; A Ma… twitter.com/i/web/status… … 1 week ago
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Waverley's Blog and News
Auld Lang Syne - why a song matters so much, and Robert Burns
Happy New Year!
We are big fans of tomorrow. And today. We celebrate the power of now. Such as it is. As a concept. And the day!
So - happy new year! Happy New Year!
We are fans of Robert Burns, as you know, and prepared a blog post about the traditional Scots song people sing on Hogmanay, ‘Auld Lang Syne’. ‘Auld Lang Syne’ is attributed to Robert Burns, who collected traditional folk songs and re-wrote the lyrics.
There are many versions of ‘Auld Lang Syne’.
One, in the archive, was written for The Masonic Lodge Burns belonged to. Another is the adaptation Burns wrote.
We noticed, on the morning of New Year’s Eve, that Dr. M. J. Grant of Edinburgh University had revealed her research on why she thinks we link arms when we sing ‘Auld Lang Syne.’ (The roots are masonic - her view is that the tradition in Masonic associations, linking arms to sing was the form)
Dr Grant’s book is available and published by OpenBook Publishers and is available to read free online.
Meanwhile, Ron Grosset, publisher of Waverley Books, gathered for us a variety of Robert Burns’ related files in the course of our work. One of which is the ‘Masonic Odes and Poems’ by Rob Morris LLD, 1864. As well as a ‘Tribute to Robert Burns’, and ‘Burns’ Farewell’, the Morris publication includes a ‘Masonic Auld-Lang-Syne’ which we thought we would share.
Inside Central Station - BBC Scotland launches its 4th series about Glasgow Central
‘Inside Central Station’
The BBC Scotland documentary following the staff at Glasgow Central Station is in now into its 4th series.
At the back of the station is the 4-star Glasgow's Central Hotel, now run by Voco,
Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel has been a Glasgow landmark since it opened in 1883.
Over its long history it has
played host to show business stars such as Laurel & Hardy, and Frank Sinatra, and world leaders such as John F Kennedy and Winston Churchill. Through parties, weddings, drinks, and events, thousands of people have travelled to the hotel from all over the world, as well as Glasgow and Scotland.
The hotel, is no stranger to television – indeed it has a permanent link to Scotland’s great history of inventiveness and creativity. In 1927 the hotel hosted one of the most transformational events of the 20th century, when John Logie Baird made the first-ever long-distance television broadcast from London to a room on the fourth floor.
John Logie Baird chose the Central Hotel back in 1927 as the receiving equipment used was transported from London by train so it was a simple matter to move it from the adjoining Central Station. Just a quick walk across the concourse.
On the wider screen, in 1954, the hotel appeared in the Ealing Film Studios’ comedy, The Maggie, made by Alexander Mackendrick. Several scenes were filmed on the west coast of Scotland at Islay, and in Glasgow. The film reflects life as it was in the 1950s when Glasgow was an industrial city with a thriving riverside (and not short of few characters among its citizens!).
‘Glasgow’s Grand Central Hotel – Glasgow’s Most Loved Hotel’, by Bill Hicks and Jill Scott is published by Waverley Books, Glasgow.
The many illustrations in the book include pictures of people’s personal mementoes as well as wonderful images, old and new, documenting the development of the hotel from its beginnings in 1883 as Glasgow’s railway station hotel at Central Station to the bustling presence it has today.
The book shows how the railway and the businesses
surrounding the station, including the Central Hotel, have helped shape Glasgow throughout the years.
Welly Boot Broth - new book by Mark Mechan
Hello!
Welcome to the news that Mark Mechan, author of TUMSHIE has a lovely new book published today.
Entitled 'Welly Boot Broth', Mark's new book is about what Elliot's family do when there is only one tin of soup left in the cupboard for lunch. Elliot's dad thinks it is time for Elliot and Dad to venture forth into their garden with their welly boots on, and see what they can do in the vegetable plot and grow for future lunches. Elliot gets a surprise when Elliot sees it is not just vegetables in their garden but also wildlife.
Elliot gets distracted from digging, planting, growing and sustainable gardening, by his imagination. Things go further awry and Elliot is learning that life - and growing things - does not always go to plan. However, having a good neighbour and friend can help out and save the day in an unexpected way.
Mark wrote and illustrated a book about Halloween in Scotland last autumn, called Tumshie.
Please see more here: https://www.waverley-books.co.uk/store/product/7_childrens/227_welly-boot-broth/
Thanks for reading!
#halloween #broth #gardening #humour #dinosaurs #family #friends #weeds #snails #wildlife
Glasgow's Grand Central Hotel Light Show begins tonight at 9.10pm to celebrate its reopening and becoming a voco hotel after multimillion pound rebrand
voco Grand Central Hotel projects a bright future
Historic images will be projected onto Glasgow’s iconic voco Grand Central Hotel in a stunning light show ahead of hospitality reopening
CITY CENTRE LIGHT SHOW
The light show will run for seven nights from Friday 23 April 2021 from 9.10pm, illuminating the hotel’s clock tower on Hope Street. With spectacular archive imagery documenting the vibrant history of the hotel; from the building of the station in 1870s, through the golden age of travel when Hollywood stars including Gene Kelly, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra stayed as guests, right up to the present day and celebrating the future as a voco hotel.
Following a call out for contributions, memories and pictures have been contributed by many Glaswegians, guests and former staff members. These have been captured in the projection alongside the words of Glaswegian playwright Laurie Motherwell in audio poetry which celebrates Grand Central’s cherished place at the beating heart of Glasgow for almost 140 years
GLASGOW'S MOST LOVED HOTEL BECOMES A VOCO HOTEL
The show marks the reopening of ‘Glasgow’s most loved hotel’ on April 26 following a multi-million refurbishment to become one of Scotland’s first voco branded hotels, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, after more than a year of closure owing to Covid-19.
Paul Bray, Area Manager for IHG Hotels & Resorts UK North and General Manager of voco Grand Central Hotel said:
“Thank you to the Herald and Glasgow Times, the Caledonian Railway Association and RCAHMS, who gave us access to their brilliant archive for the projection which honours the heritage of our building as a British Railway Hotel and a landmark in Glasgow’s story for the past 130 years. We’d also really like to thank Jill Scott and Bill Hicks, historians and writers of Grand Central, Glasgow’s Most Loved Hotel published by Waverley Books, whose research has been invaluable to us and we are grateful to have them as advocates for our unique story.”
Kate Pierce née Powell was a staff member at the hotel during the 1970s, starting as a bookkeeper in 1971 and later becoming Head Cashier. She responded to the hotel’s call for photos, submitting images and memories which have been included in the projection.
CELEBRATED MEMORIES
“At the time being British Transport Hotel trained carried great prestige, it was a privileged position and I have wonderful memories of my time living and working in the hotel, including the many interesting and famous guests. It’s lovely to have our memories featured in this special projection. We’re glad to see the hotel and its stories being preserved for generations to come by the voco brand and I look forward to visiting.”
The
light show will run from Saturday April 24 – Thursday April 29. voco Grand
Central Hotel requests visitors to the projection and passers-by respect social
distancing throughout.
BACKGROUND HISTORY OF THE GRAND CENTRAL HOTEL:
From its opening in 1883 as a British Railway Hotel, The Central Hotel as it was known for many years has long been a place where people would come together to spend special times. Connecting the second city of the empire to London, the evolution of the railway and its hotel offered increasing numbers of Victorians who could afford it the opportunity to take holidays in Glasgow, perhaps on their way to the Highlands and Trossachs. Leisure time was more freely available than it had ever been and many new pastimes evolved, including the enjoyment of tearooms, for which the palatial interiors of the hotel suited greatly.
JOHN F KENNEDY and the ATHENIA
The hotel was at the heart of innovation and global history including the first ever long distance television broadcast by John Logie Baird, from London to a room on the Hotel’s fourth floor. It was also where a young John F Kennedy met the survivors of the Clyde Built liner The Athenia, sunk by a U-boat in 1939 with many Americans on board. It was his first visit to the UK, having been sent by his father the US ambassador to support the survivors.
GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD AND GOLDEN AGE OF A GREAT BRITISH RAILWAY HOTEL
In the hotel’s golden age many of Hollywood greatest stars walked through its doors on the corner of Hope Street and Gordon Street, including Gene Kelly, Sammy Davis Junior, JFK, Vivien Leigh and Frank Sinatra. Since then it has continued to occupy a place at the heart of many Glaswegians who chose to celebrate weddings, Christmas and birthdays there; home to the city’s awards ceremonies and charity events, it’s greatly revered as Glasgow’s most loved hotel.
ABOUT VOCO®
GRAND CENTRAL, GLASGOW - 230 BEDROOMS
The recently refurbished voco Grand Central Hotel opened in March 2021 following a multi-million rebrand to become one of Scotland’s first voco™ hotels, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The expansive refurbishment updated 230 bedrooms, meeting rooms and reception areas enhancing the historic charm and existing grandeur of the Grand Central Hotel with bold branding. A contemporary fresh palette of blues and voco signature yellow compliments the original Victorian architecture throughout the 19thcentury great British railway hotel, preserving memories of the hotel’s golden age, the stories of which are much loved by visitors to the hotel and Glaswegians alike. Guests can enjoy a new gallery wall featuring artworks which remembers many of its celebrity guests including John F Kennedy, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra.
CHAMPAGNE CENTRAL
The hotel bar Champagne Central, overlooks Central Station and evokes the golden age of travel. Serving champagne, cocktails, afternoon tea and a new tapas menu celebrating the best of Scottish produce, guests can enjoy an afternoon or evening surrounded in glamour.
ABOUT VOCO™ HOTELS
voco™ Hotels combines the reassurance of a big brand with the informality and charm of an individual hotel, providing guests with a dependably upscale experience. The name, voco™, means ‘to invite’ and ‘call together'. For more information and to book, visit www.vocohotels.com, and stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/vocohotels, and Instagram www.instagram.com/vocohotels.
Waverley Scotland’s Grand Tour – Part One: Holyrood and the Palace
Waverley Scotland’s Grand Tour – Part One: Holyrood and the Palace
We would like to begin a series of history and place to promote our notebooks and our books. This first blog is about our tour that starts in Edinburgh – at Holyrood and the story behind the Holyrood tartan.
Today Holyrood is an area in Edinburgh, to the east of the city at the foot of the Royal Mile. It is at the edge of an open space called Holyrood Park, and has the dramatic volcanic rock Arthur’s Seat dominating the skyline.
With a palace, an abbey, a parliament and a park, it is easy to spend a full day exploring Holyrood. This quarter contains a diverse range of architecture, and it is an open space where you can climb the dormant volcano to enjoy 360-degree views of Edinburgh.
Holyrood Palace, Holyrood Abbey, Holyrood Park and Arthur’s Seat, as well as the Scottish Parliament building sit here. The view from the top of Arthur’s Seat also gives a sense of how the land once looked when the only building for miles was the Abbey.
Holyrood Abbey, Caledonia (i.e. Scotland)
When Holyrood Abbey was established in 1128 ‘Edinburgh’ did not exist. In fact, Edinburgh only became established in the middle of the 15th century. Today Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland. Before that, the royal family was more itinerant and had a palace at Stirling and Perth. Scone was the capital of Scotland and for centuries the only local landmark in the area was Holyrood Abbey.
The name behind Holyrood
The naming of ‘Holyrood’ is shrouded in myth and its origins are told in many forms of a story around it making it a blend of mystery and legend. Here goes:
At Holyrood King David I of Scotland founded his abbey.
King David I is reputed to be one of Scotland’s best kings. He was known as an excellent organiser and used Norman principles to guide his rule. He was deeply religious and founded many abbeys and churches, Holyrood being one of them.
One story is that King David was out hunting, in what is now called Holyrood Park. He startled a stag, and as he was attacked by the horns of the animal, a holy cross appeared and he used it to defend himself from the animal. King David 1 called the cross a ‘Haly Rude’ i.e. Holy Rood – or ‘Holy Cross’. The stag ran off, or retreated and disappeared. King David built an abbey to mark the religious experience. He called the Abbey ‘Holy Rood’ to mark the message from God. While there is no evidence that the story is true, we do know that more monastic buildings were added around 1195. The buildings included cloisters, a chapter house, guest houses and a refectory.
The enlarged abbey prospered, and from an early date contained royal chambers for use by the sovereign.
It was during the 1400s that the Abbey guesthouse was
changed into a royal residence. After 1560 The Palace of Holyroodhouse was
expanded during the Scottish Reformation.
Holyrood Palace - 14 state apartments
Today the Palace of Holyrood is run by the Royal Collection Trust. There are 14 state apartments that are open to the public (when the Palace is open to the public). Queen Elizabeth II uses Holyrood Palace for her stays in Edinburgh. Royalty has used Holyrood Palace for over 500 years. In current times, when not occupied by the Royal family, or locked down in the pandemic, you can visit The State Apartments of the Palace itself, and see displays of stories of its most famous residents from the past and the present. Possibly one of the most exciting periods and stories is that of Mary Queen of Scots at Holyrood. See below <Mary Queen of Scots at Holyrood Palace>
Margaret Tudor - sister of Henry VIII and James IV
Another notable story is that of Margaret Tudor, who was Henry VIII’s sister. “Meg” is often overlooked by historians. At 13 years old Margaret Tudor travelled to Scotland to marry James IV. By then, James IV had seven illegitimate children. Margaret’s father Henry VII was determined to rule over a harmonious relationship between Scotland and England. Margaret was not happy with her three-week journey north. However she received a warm welcome. Wearing stunning dresses and jewels on her early appearances when she arrived in Scotland, Margaret was met with a welcome in Scotland. The ever-charming James IV was kind to Margaret Tudor. Despite his womanizing nature and keeping the relationship with his mistress with whom he had three children, James IV was consistent in his treatment to Margaret. She gave birth in 1512 to James V. Later, Margaret would become great grandmother to James VI and I, who in 1603 united the crowns of Scotland and England.
The Reformation
However, in the Reformation, Margaret’s tomb was desecrated and her skeleton was burned. She has no monument, like her first husband James IV. This period, of course, was the beginning of the Reformation, which began in Germany in 1517 with Martin Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses. While Luther wished to reform, rather than split the church, his Theses led to the Reformation that swept through Europe. In England it built on unhappiness that had been building since the 14th century.
The Reformation swept through Europe and affected England in a slightly different way, partly because of the Henry VIII issue over the king’s unhappiness with his wife Catherine of Aragon.
In 1503 James IV converted the royal chambers into a palace. Nothing remains of the early Palace buildings. On the first floor there were royal lodgings and a chapel, and James added a tower on the south side. The Palace gardens were begun and a loch next to the Abbey was drained in 1507.
James V and new royal lodgings, and a new tower
In
1528 construction began in the north-west corner of the Palace, and a huge
tower was built with round corners. The tower had a drawbridge and probably a
moat. The tower provided security. Today the tower is the oldest part of the
Palace that survives. The tower is now the Mary Queen of Scots’ Chambers.
Additional reception rooms were added on the west side as well as a gateway
built from two towers, parapets and large windows. More work was done to the
south, and a new chapel was built.
Mary,
Queen of Scots at Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace is perhaps most famously known as the home of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 – 1587). The Palace was used as a location for the 2019 Universal Pictures film ‘Mary, Queen of Scots’. Mary, Queen of Scots and daughter of King James V, lived at Holyrood Palace from 1561-1567. We have much detail about Mary because she wrote many letters.
The north-west tower is still reputed to show the blood of Rizzoli on the floor. The chambers here display items themed around Mary. We will do a feature on Mary in more detail in the future but here will mention the importance of her years at the Palace in Holyrood. Mary married her second husband, Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley (1545-67), in the chapel at the Palace in July 1565. They had not been married long when Darnley became jealous of Rizzio. Darnley murdered Mary’s private secretary David Rizzio (1533-66) in Mary’s private apartments in March 1566. Mary was dining with Rizzio and her assistant, when Darnley burst in. Apparently Rizzio died at Mary's feet. He was allegedly stabbed 57 times, with Darnley assisted by a small group of men. (NB in history, Rizzio is sometimes spelled 'Riccio'.) Mary took flight immediately. A few months later she gave birth to her son James at Edinburgh Castle. Today there is a small plaque marking the point of the murder in the Audience Chamber, and a red mark on the floor.
James VI
James VI was crowned in 1567. By now much improvement work was needed and the Holyrood Palace was repaired. The Palace gardens were enlarged. James VI of Scotland became James I of England, and he returned to Edinburgh in 1617.
Charles I
Charles
I succeeded his father James I and his Scottish coronation took place in
Holyrood Abbey in 1622. However, a fire broke out in the east side of the
Palace in 1650 when Oliver Cromwell and his soldiers visited and much of the
Palace became abandoned afterwards. The Palace that remained was used as a barracks.
Charles II
Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. By 1671 Holyroodhouse had
become a royal palace again. An eight-year period of restoration work began,
overseen by King Charles II. The work was paid for by the Scottish Privy Council.
Ceilings were redone in plaster, and the walls with detailed woodwork. The
Great Gallery was hung with 111 portraits of the kings of Scotland – all of
them painted by the Dutch artist Jacob Jacobsz de Wet II. The designer Sir
William Bruce added a tower to the south-west of the Palace to balance that of
the north-west, and he retained the existing plan of the Palace Edinburgh’s
royal and government role was celebrated in the rebuilt Palace. By 1679 the
Palace looked like it does today.
Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria visited in 1850 and the Palace was renovated for her visit. A new fountain was added and Prince Albert took interest in the changes to the Palace grounds. At this time they added a new garden.
George V 1910 and modernisation
Central heating was added in George V's reign, and the kitchens were modernised along with new bathrooms and a lift. With many more additions, the Palace became the official residence of the Queen in Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth II
Today, Holyrood is also the home of the modern Scottish Parliament Building.
The original Parliament of Scotland was the national law maker of the independent Kingdom of Scotland, from the early 13th century until 1707, when the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Parliament of Scotland was closed and a Parliament of Great Britain was created, at Westminster in London.
In 1997 the Scottish people voted for Scotland to have a Parliament once more. The Parliament was established by the Scotland Act 1998. The first meeting was on 12 May 1999.
Ten minutes' walk northwards from Holyrood brings us to the Burns Monument and the old High School, to the Calton Hill, with its Observatory, its Nelson Column, and its abortive National Monument in memory of Waterloo. The notorious Bothwell, it is said, first attracted Queen Mary's attention by launching his steed down the steep north face of the crag.
From here we are but a short step from Princes Street, the Royal Mile and the rest of Scotland.
CREDITS:
- Royal Collection Trust
- 'Kings and Queens of Scotland' Mackie (Geddes and Grosset)
- 'Crown of Thistles: The Fatal Inheritance of Mary Queen of Scots' by Linda Porter (Macmillan)
- 'A History of Scotland' (Geddes & Grosset)
- 'Scotland History of a Nation' by David Ross, Waverley Books
- Images: Last image of Holyrood Palace - David Ionut, Shutterstock; all other images Liz Small
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