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The Gazetteer for Scotland Guidebook Series

The Gazetteer for Scotland Guidebook Series

The Gazetteer for Guidebook Series:

Perth

Produced from Information Contained Within

The Gazetteer for Scotland. Tourist Guide of Perth

Index of Pages

Introduction to the settlement of Perth p.3

Features of interest in the Central zone of Perth p.5

Tourist attractions in the Central zone of Perth p.9 features and attractions in north Perth p.15 features and attractions in southeast Perth p.19 features and attractions in south Perth p.22 features and attractions in southwest Perth p.25 features and attractions in northwest Perth p.30

Famous people related to Perth p.33

Historical events related to Perth p.43

Further readings p.44

This tourist guide is produced from The Gazetteer for Scotland http://www.scottish-places.info It contains information centred on the settlement of Perth, including tourist attractions, features of interest, historical events and famous people associated with the settlement. Reproduction of this content is strictly prohibited without the consent of the authors ©The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland, 2011. Maps contain data provided by EDINA ©Crown Copyright and Database Right, 2011. Introduction to the city of Perth 3

The administrative centre of Perth and , Perth is situated at the heart of Scotland, 22 miles (35 km) west of and 45 miles (72 km) north of . Settlement Information The city owes its existence to its location at an important crossing of the at the highest point of the tidal water and was occupied by the Romans who Settlement Type: established a camp at Bertha to the north of the present city. Population: 43450 (2001) Tourist Rating: It is a river port as well as an agricultural market town and a rail and road hub. The River Tay is crossed by the National Grid: NO 115 235 concrete Queen's Bridge and the red sandstone which was built by John Smeaton in 1771. Perth Latitude: 56.40°N Longitude: -3.44°W Known as the 'Fair City' Perth, has two large parklands named the North and South Inch and is overlooked to Council Area Name: the east by Kinnoull Hill which rises to 222m (729 feet). It has been the winner of numerous accolades, carrying off trophies and awards for competitions and distinctions that include , Beautiful Scotland in Bloom, Scottish Tourism City of the Year, Best Quality of Life in Britain and Best Large Town. Amongst the city's main tourist attractions are the Fair Maid's House, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, the Regimental Museum, the Fergusson Gallery, St John's , the Lower City Mills on the Town Lade, Bell's Cherrybank Gardens and Branklyn Garden (National Trust for Scotland). Perth has numerous sporting facilities including a National Hunt Racecourse at Scone, Gannochy Sports Pavilion, Leisure Pool, Dewar's Ice Rink and Indoor Bowling Centre, McDiarmid Park football stadium (St. Johnstone FC), and four 18-hole golf courses.

Annual events include Perth Festival of the Arts in May, Perth Agricultural Show in July and Perth Games in August. Perth College provides a comprehensive training service to industry and commerce, while reference facilities are available at the A.K. Bell Library.

In addition to the St John's Shopping Centre in the heart of the city, there are parks to the west of Perth and industrial estates at Inveralmond and on the Shore Road. Agricultural chemicals, farm machinery, soft drinks, furniture, glassware, clothing and textiles are the chief manufactures in addition to distilling, insurance, civil engineering, and printing industries.

Perth was the birthplace of photography pioneer David Octavius Hill (1802-70) and of author and statesman John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir (1875 - 1940).

The River Tay at Perth Map of Central Perth 4

Features of Interest

1 St Leonard's Church (Former) 2 Perth Railway Station 3 St Leonards-in-the-Fields & Trinity Church 4 Queen's Bridge 7 5 Tay Viaduct 4 6 Pullar House 211 5 7 St Ninian's Cathedral 6 3 8 Caledonian Road Primary School 12 13 6 15 9 St John's Shopping Centre 9

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Metres Tourist Attractions

1 Fergusson Gallery 2 The Fair Maid's House 3 Perth Concert Hall 4 Smeaton's Bridge 5 Perth Museum and Art Gallery 6 Town Lade 7 A.K. Bell Library 8 Perth City Hall 9 Perth Theatre 10 Dewars Centre 11 Lord John Murray's Stables 12 Ramada Hotel 13 Lower City Mills 14 King Edward VII Monument 15 Hal o' the Wynd House Features of interest in central Perth 5

St Leonard's Church (Former) Now the showroom of family-run auctioneers Lindsay Burns & Company, the former St Leonard's Church lies on King Street in central Perth. The Neo-Classical edifice was built 1834-36 as a Chapel-of-Ease by local architect William MacDonald Mackenzie (1797 - 1856). Comprising a rectangular box with an Italian Renaissance facade executed in polished ashlar, with three tall narrow doors. Centrally placed above the middle door is circular tower modelled on the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates in Athens. The building was modified in 1891 with the addition of an apse to the west.

Inside, there are two levels; a gallery supported on narrow cast-iron columns has been extended into an upper floor, while the large open space is ideal for presentation of the auctioneers lots. There is fine stained glass including patterned glass from the 1830s and sacred scenes by Jones & Willis of .

The building is now surrounded by its car park.

Perth Railway Station Situated to the southwest of Perth town centre, on the northwest corner of the South Inch and a half-mile (1 km) west of the River Tay, Perth Station represents an important junction between lines leading to Dundee, , Edinburgh (via or ) and (via ). This rambling Tudor-Gothic edifice once boasted nine platforms and linked the Caledonian, Highland and North British Railways. However, with a much-reduced volume of traffic, and consequently a little down-trodden, the station is now reduced to seven platforms none of which could be described as busy, and a range of sidings which, for the most part, lie empty.

Originally known as Perth General Station, it was built to the designs of -based architect Sir William Tite in 1847-48. A public enquiry had been needed to persuade the different railway companies involved to choose a single location. The station was extended in 1885, with the station hotel built shortly thereafter. Its roof was altered in 1911 and again in the late 1960s. A utilitarian entrance foyer and booking office were added in 1967, rather degrading the architectural experience. Further alterations to the facade were executed in 1992.

In 1857 John Menzies opened one of his earliest bookstalls here and the station was visited by Queen Victoria in 1848 and 1851. The station is used by around 700,000 passengers per year.

Perth also has an important train cleaning and maintenance facility. Features of interest in central Perth 6

St Leonards-in-the-Fields & Trinity Church An ornate A-listed Neo-Gothic building in Marshall Place, on the southern edge of the grid-pattern of streets which forms of Perth, St Leonards-in-the-Fields & Trinity Church overlooks the South Inch. Built 1882-85 by Glasgow architect J. J. Stevenson (1831 - 1908), the building gives the impression of both a grand scale and considerable antiquity, with a tall nave, buttressed aisles and a crown-spire on a square tower modelled on that of St. Giles Kirk in Edinburgh. The semi-octagonal apse inspired by the 15th century apse of the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling.

The interior is Late Gothic with many Neo-Jacobean features. There is a Neo-Jacobean chimney-piece in the vestibule within the tower and a large oak pulpit is located at the western end. The organ is by Bryceson, Son & Ellis of London and dates from 1881. It was built for the former Morningside United Presbyterian Church (later North Morningside Parish St. Leonards-in-the-Fields & Trinity Church, Perth Church and now the Eric Liddell Centre), and moved here in 1985 and installed in a modern ash case.

Attached at a right-angle to the northwest corner of the church is the church hall and session-room - very Jacobean, with crow-stepped gables. There is also a modern kitchen and a well-equipped office staffed by a part-time secretary.

Queen's Bridge The Queen's Bridge links the centre of Perth with the left bank of the River Tay, extending South Street to Dundee Road. It lies midway between Smeaton's Bridge to the north and the railway viaduct to the south. Opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II on 10th October 1960, it cost £150,000 and was constructed by Whatlings Ltd., in conjunction with consulting engineers F.A. MacDonald and Partners. It is said to be the first long-span pre-stressed concrete structure in Scotland (Paxton and Shipway, 2007) and extends to 75m (246 feet).

The easternmost pier is a survivor of its predecessor, the Victoria Bridge, which was built between 1899 and 1902 but considered unsafe by the 1950s. To keep the crossing open during , the steel framework of the old bridge was jacked up by 1.8m (6 feet) and the new bridge built beneath. The original Victoria Bridge had proved controversial, at least with John Rollo - the gentleman who owned Rodney Lodge, a fine villa dating from 1800 that stood in its path. After prolonged litigation, the bridge was constructed and limited compensation offered, but Rollo left the gables of his demolished house - one on either side of the bridge - as his protest and they remained standing for many years.

Tay Viaduct Crossing the River Tay at Perth, the Tay Viaduct (or simply the 'railway bridge') was built 1862-64, at a cost of £27,000, to carry a branch of the to Dundee. One of the first examples of a large plate-girder bridges to be built in Scotland, at the time of its construction this was the lowest crossing of the river. It replaced a wooden railway bridge built fifteen years earlier.

With a total length of 396m (1300 feet), the bridge curves steeply southwards as it crosses the river from the town centre, using the northern end of Moncrieffe Island as an intermediate landing stage. Ten masonry arches - each 8.6m (28.3 feet) - cross the island, which is accessible by a pedestrian walkway which was a later addition on the bridge's north side. The two sections of the bridge which pass over the river comprise wrought-iron girder spans each of 25m (82 feet), supported on pairs of masonry piers. There are five spans in the western section and seven to the east of the island. One of the western spans was designed to swing open to allow shipping to pass upriver, but long-unused it was permanently closed in the 1950s. Features of interest in central Perth 7

Pullar House Extending north along Kinnoull Street and east along Mill Street in central Perth, Pullar House is the largest of Perth and Kinross Council's office buildings, providing a work-place for 720 staff within the Revenue Department, Education & Children's Services, Environment Services and Housing & Community Care.

Completed in 2000, the offices were inserted into sizeable premises which were once the North British Dye Works, built for J. Pullar and Sons in 1865, retaining the facade of its south and west elevations. The original building was of two storeys, with substantial three-storey extensions added 1889-1901. The result was the largest dye-works in Scotland, which became the centre of a dyeing, cleaning and clothing repair network with hundreds of branches and thousands of agencies around the country, enabled by Perth's accessibility by rail. A stream still runs beneath the building which was once exploited by the works, augmented by water drawn through pipes from the River Tay.

The conversion was the work of Keppie Design and retained many original features including the cast iron roof-supports, while building to commendable environmental standards with the specification employing natural ventilation, high levels of insulation and reduced power requirements.

The Council procured the building through a Private Finance Initiative scheme from Kinnoull House Ltd; a consortium comprising of Morrison plc and the , who will manage the building during the term of a 25-year contract.

At the entrance there is a war memorial and a plaque to commemorate the 50th year of Sir Robert Pullar (1828 - 1912) as a partner in the company.

St Ninian's Cathedral Located on the corner of North Methven Street and Atholl Street in the NW of central Perth, St. Ninian's Cathedral provides a focus for the Scottish Episcopal community in the city. Built in 1849 on part of the site of the old Blackfriars Monastery, this modest cathedral has the distinction of being the first begun in Britain since the Reformation. Its sponsors were Walter Forbes (18th Lord Forbes; 1798 - 1868) and George Boyle, later the 6th Earl of Glasgow (1825-90), and the cathedral was consecrated on the 10th December 1850. The work of William Butterfield, a London architect, this A-listed church was not completed until much later. A Chapter House and aisles to the chancel were added c.1900, designed by another London architect, John L. Pearson (1817-97), and executed by his son, Frank. The Lady Chapel was planned at the same time, and its foundations laid, but the funds were not available to build it until 1908 and it was not completed until 1911. The interior is richly furnished and there is much stained glass. Bishop George Howard Wilkinson (1833 - 1907) lies buried between the chancel and the Lady Chapel.

The cathedral is noted for its music; its organ was originally the work of Robson of London. It was enlarged in the 1880s, rebuilt by John R. Miller of Dundee (1901) and restored by A.F. Edmonstone of in 1996. Now situated in the South Choir Aisle, it has a separate console located opposite. An active choir has been linked with Strathallan School through choral scholarships since 2005.

Caledonian Road Primary School A substantial building in W Central Perth, the Caledonian Road Primary School was constructed in red sandstone by local architect Andrew Heiton (1823-94) in 1890-92. Although only two storeys, these are each of a considerable height and the building features Dutch-style gables. The internal arrangement comprises a central void, containing a wide staircase, with classrooms around the periphery. The school is B-listed for its architectural merit but closed in 2009 when classes moved to a more modern building. It was then used as music practice rooms, but sold for development in 2011. Features of interest in central Perth 8

St John's Shopping Centre A modest retail mall in central Perth, St. John's Shopping Centre lies between South Street, King Edward Street, Scott Street and the pedestrianised , with entrances from each. Built 1985-87, this is Perth's only covered shopping centre, yet it undoubtedly benefits from being largely hidden behind pre-existing street frontages. The main entrance is on King Edward Street, opposite Perth City Hall, and here the centre presents a three-storey U-shaped buff ashlar-clad facade which forms a small square which contains the King Edward VII Monument. Tourist attractions in central Perth 9

Fergusson Gallery Devoted to the artistic work of the Scottish colourist painter Fergusson (1874 - 1961), the Fergusson Gallery is located in Marshall Place, Perth, opposite the South Inch. The gallery is home to the largest collection of his works in the world, including drawings, paintings and sculpture, which are displayed through a programme of changing exhibitions. The collection and an associated archive were gifted by his widow to Perth and Kinross Council in 1991, largely because they were one of few public bodies willing to put it on permanent display but also because Fergusson had family connections with nearby . The gallery continues to collect works by Fergusson and other artists associated with him.

Opened in 1992 by Sir Norman Macfarlane (b.1926), the gallery occupies an A-listed Neo-Classical former waterworks designed in 1832 in the style of a Roman Doric Temple by Adam Anderson (1780 - 1846), the Rector of Perth Academy. In order to supply the town, fresh water was pumped by steam engine from filter beds on Moncreiffe Island, in the River Tay, into the large domed cast-iron cistern which comprises the waterworks. This is thought to represent the earliest cast-iron building in the world, assembled from 192 panels which were cast by the Dundee Foundry Company, held together by bolts and mounted on a substantial masonry base. It had a capacity of 552,670 litres (146,000 gallons). Anderson inscribed the words Aquam Igne et Aqua Haurio - by fire and water I draw water - above the entrance. The building was almost demolished in the 1960s, but converted to a tourist information centre in 1972 before taking on its current purpose. The building was subject to a £1 million refurbishment in 2002-03, which involved the dismantling and conservation of the entire cast-iron structure.

The Fair Maid's House Dating at least in part from 1475, the iconic Fair Maid's House is regarded as the oldest secular building in Perth. Located in Curfew Row, behind the Perth Concert Hall, the two-storey B-listed building is much altered but still contains mediaeval sections. Restored and extended at the cost of £750,000 by Page & Park architects for the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2010-11, the Fair Maid's House is set to become an environmental education and exhibition centre adjacent to the Society's headquarters in Lord John Murray's Stables.

The house is most notably linked to Catherine Glover, the fictitious heroine of Sir Walter Scott's popular novel the Fair Maid of Perth (1828), which provides a romanticised account of the town in the late 14th century, intermixed with some genuine historical events. The Fair Maid also appears in Georges Bizet's four-act opera La Jolie Fille de Perth (1866). Her father, Simon Glover, was a senior member of the Glovers Fair Maid's House, Perth Incorporation who, according to Scott, lived here with his pious and chaste daughter. The Glovers Incorporation, one of the mediaeval guilds of Perth, bought the house in 1629 and used it as a meeting hall for the next 150 years. Their motto, Grace and Peace, is carved above the door. The building was sold by the Glovers to their neighbour Lord John Murray in 1758 and then leased back from him. By 1786 the Guild was able to buy back their premises and, in 1858, having built a replacement Meeting Room in George Street, the Old Hall passed to James Bell, a cabinet maker who used it as a workshop. The property returned to the Glovers some years later but was finally sold to a solicitor William Japp of in 1890. Japp set about a major restoration 1893-4, demolishing much of the house to remake it in his vision of where the Fair Maid would have lived. With the exception of a prayer niche and a fireplace on the first floor, which most-likely date from the 15th century, the wood-panelled interior is largely a fantasy. The 19th century recreation of the Glover's Hall moved it down to the ground floor, although the north wall of the building is an exposed relic, showing the position of two original mediaeval fireplaces and the original level of the first floor. A recess high on the outside wall is said to have contained a curfew bell. The house features in verse by the doggerel poet William Topaz McGonagall (1830 - 1902).

To the south lay the Skinners Yards which for centuries contained leatherworker's tanning pits. Tourist attractions in central Perth 10

Perth Concert Hall A strikingly modern building hidden between Mill Street and the North Port in the N of Perth town centre, the Perth Concert Hall opened in 2005 and is by far the largest entertainment venue in Perth & Kinross. As well as concerts, theatrical and other cultural events the hall caters for national and international conferences, meetings and other civic events.

Built as a millennium project on the site of the once bustling Horsecross market, the design of the £17-million building arose from an international architectural competition, which was won by BDP-Glasgow in 1998. Construction began in 2003 and was Perth Concert Hall completed in Summer 2005. HM Queen Elizabeth II attended the first performance in June of that year, three months before the hall opened to the public, and unveiled a plaque to commemorate her visit.

The 1200-seater Gannochy Auditorium lies at the heart of the building, which includes leading-edge audiovisual technology and through flexible seating can be extended to a capacity of 1600. A wood-panelled multi-purpose performance studio the Norie-Miller Studio is located on the ground floor. This can also serve as a meeting room and exhibition space, with a capacity of 150. Elsewhere in the building are a series of small meeting rooms are named after rivers; namely Almond, Dochart, Earn, Tay, Tilt and Tummel. The glass-fronted foyer of the building provides exhibition and circulation space, together with a restaurant and café bar. A particular feature of this area is the bank of twenty-two video screens that provide differing moods of interactive lighting and also serve as multimedia displays.

The concert hall is run by Horsecross, a company which grew out of Perth Theatre and which is backed by Perth and Kinross Council. The building has won several awards including the Regeneration Award from the British Construction Industry (2006), an RICS Regional Award (2007) and the Building Services Award for Project of the Year in the same year.

Smeaton's Bridge A majestic masonry bridge which carries West Bridge Street in Perth over the River Tay, the Smeaton Bridge (also known as the Perth Bridge) comprises nine arches in pink sandstone and was erected 1766-72 by noted English engineer John Smeaton (1724-84). At the time of its construction is was the longest bridge in Scotland at 272m (893 feet). Several previous bridges had been damaged by floods and, in 1621, the predecessor of the current bridge was swept away. Thereafter the town became reliant on ferries. In the mid-18th century, to boost the Perth economy and revitalise the town, Thomas Hay, 9th Earl of Kinnoull (1710-87), led a campaign to build a new bridge. The cost exceeded £20,000, half coming from the government, funded from the forfeited Jacobite estates, with the remainder raised from private investors. Thus, until 1883, a toll was charged to cross.

The bridge was carefully engineered to resist the inevitable floods and was soon tested when, in 1774 during a rapid thaw, ice became wedged under the bridge blocking the river. The town was flooded but the bridge stood firm. The river levels during subsequent floods are recorded on the north face of the bridge's westernmost pier.

In 1859 a horse-drawn tramway was laid over the bridge. The bridge was widened from its original 6.7m (22 feet) by Allan D. Stewart in 1869 to cope with increased traffic; the parapets were removed and footpaths built on iron brackets overhanging either side of the bridge. Distinctive cast-iron lamp standards were added at the same time. In 1905 the tram was electrified and it continued in use until 1929. Cattle were still herded over the bridge on their way to market until the 1920s.

Now the northernmost of Perth's four bridges, the Smeaton Bridge conveys the into the town centre. Tourist attractions in central Perth 11

Perth Museum and Art Gallery Situated near the site of a former Dominican friary, Perth Museum and Art Gallery dominates the north end of George Street in the City of Perth. Designed by David Morison in 1824, this Roman Pantheon style building was erected to the memory of Lord Thomas Marshall for the purpose of housing the collections of the city's Literary and Antiquarian Society.

More than 65,000 visitors per annum come to the museum to see its displays on the social history and archaeology of Perth and Kinross and the natural history of Perthshire, together with the items of furniture, silverware and glass on permanent exhibition. There are also substantial collections of costume, arms and armour, and coins, medals and postage stamps. The building also houses several galleries of art, including changing exhibitions, together with a lecture hall and small library. Perth Museum and Art Gallery Important paintings include Loch Katrine by Horatio McCulloch (1805-67) and The Wilds of Assynt by David Young Cameron (1865 - 1945), together with Italian and Flemish old masters from Perthshire collections and works of local interest by Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-73), John Everett Millais (1829-96) and Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943). A collection of international importance by Scottish Colourist John Duncan Fergusson (1874 - 1961) is housed at the nearby Fergusson Gallery.

A sizeable store in the basement of the building contains the bulk of the collection which cannot be shown at one time, and a substantial archive, including photographs and rare books, such as the William de Brailles Illuminated Bible dating from c.1240.

In 1903, the museum was gifted the substantial collections of the Perthshire Society of Natural Science (founded in 1867) and the Society still meets regularly in the museum lecture hall.

Town Lade Scotland's oldest canal which once served as a defensive moat for Perth while also providing its mills with power, the Town Lade begins as a diversion of the River Almond 3 miles (5 km) northwest of the town centre. Most-likely constructed c.1150, the lade leaves the right bank of the Almond between and the Huntingtower Hotel, above a weir called Low's Work (or Lowswark). It flows east to Tulloch, where it once supported a bleachfield, then southeast to Balhousie where it throws off the Balhousie Lade which once powered a mill to the east of Balhousie Castle. The main channel continues southeast to the edge of Perth town centre, at which point it splits into two main branches. The northern branch flows alongside present-day West Mill Street and then surges under Murray Street and Mill Street before it is again visible next to George Inn Lane, while the southern branch runs under Methven Street and Canal Street. In mediaeval times these branches formed a continuous moat running just outside the town walls, with the River Tay providing protection in the east. Within the modern town centre, the lade now largely flows underground in stone-lined culverts but is best observed where it makes a brief appearance in the vicinity of the Lower City Mills.

There were once corn and meal mills at Huntingtower, Ruthvenfield and Tulloch, together with the Upper and Lower City Mills in the town centre. The plentiful supply of water was also important for the wool, tanning and, later, dyeing industries which were all important to the economy of Perth.

The Town Lade finally falls into the River Tay, having completed a course of 4½ miles (7 km). A walkway runs alongside for much of its length.

A.K. Bell Library Located on Place in W Central Perth, the A.K. Bell Library is the headquarters and principal lending Tourist attractions in central Perth 12

and reference library of Perth and Kinross library service. Built as the Perth City and County Infirmary in 1836-38 by Perth City Architect, William Mackenzie, the building has a fine Classical facade in polished ashlar, extending over two storeys and eleven bays. Behind this is a modern core and extensions in a postmodern interpretation of Classicism dating from 1992-94, the work of the local authority architectural services department. The shallow-domed entrance-hall is original.

In addition to books for lending and reference material, the library holds a selection of newspapers, magazines, official publications, multimedia, music and films, together with local and family history resources and the John McEwen Archive of Land Reform in Scotland.

The library gets its name from Arthur K. Bell, of the dynasty, who founded the Gannochy Trust which supported the reconstruction of the building. The William Soutar lecture theatre in the W extension is named after the Perth poet and offers a programme of performances and talks for up to 120 people. The Sandeman Room provides space for meetings and exhibitions, with a capacity of 50. There is also a cafe.

The modest lodge-house to the northeast, part of the original construction, was converted to form offices for Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust in 2000.

Perth City Hall A fine rectangular Edwardian Beaux-Arts block in the town centre, Perth City Hall occupies an entire street block between Great Edward Street and St John's Kirk (Kirkside), bounded to the north by St. John's Place and the south by South St. John Place. This Category B-listed building was the work of H.E. Clifford & Lunan 1908-11 as the primary concert venue for Perth, replacing an earlier building constructed in 1845. Described as 'ruthlessly symmetrical' and constructed in Kingoodie sandstone, the principal front faces St. John's Shopping Centre and features four pairs of Ionic columns, a bold dentil moulding below a parapet, with two pairs of giant cherubs above, holding the ends of swags. There are pairs of supplementary entrances on the north and south elevations of the building. The interior is baroque and comprises two halls, the larger with gallery seating accessed from an upper level, choir seating and an organ, which was removed in 2006.

Disused since the opening of the Perth Concert Hall in 2005, proposals to convert the building into a shopping centre subsequently fell through, and its continued existence has proven a point of debate in Perth; with some suggesting the building should be demolished to create a civic square in front of St. John's Kirk, while others taking the view that it represents a distinctive and historic component of the townscape which must be retained and reused. Tourist attractions in central Perth 13

Perth Theatre Located on High Street in N Central Perth, Perth Theatre (originally Perth Repertory Theatre) was built 1898-1900, at a cost of £4500, deliberately hidden behind a red-sandstone street frontage. A canopied entrance (dating from 1967) leads to a glass-roofed foyer and then a charming Edwardian auditorium with roccoco decoration, which needed extensive restoration following a fire in 1924. The B-listed theatre was refurbished once again in 1981 and now has a capacity of 450; comprising 290 in the stalls and a further 160 in the circle above. The foyer includes a café bar.

Perth Theatre Perth Theatre traces its history back to the 16th century and was in private hands until 1966, when it passed to the Scottish Arts Council. Two years later it was purchased by Perth Town Council. Today, the venue is run by Horsecross, a company which is backed by Perth and Kinross Council.

The first repertory company in Scotland was established within the theatre in 1935. Actor Iain Cuthbertson (b.1930) was appointed artistic director in 1967 and Ewan McGregor (b.1971) began his career here in 1987.

The building also houses Perth Studio Theatre, which is home to Perth Youth Theatre and is used as rehearsal space, with the potential for use as a small venue for theatre, music and cabaret.

Dewars Centre Located on Glover Street in W Central Perth, the Dewars Centre is an ice rink and indoor bowling arena which lies next to the Perth Leisure Pool, a quarter-mile (0.5 km) northwest of Perth Railway Station. Opened in 1990, it replaced a former ice rink at Muirton, which was redeveloped into a retail park along with the adjacent former football stadium.

Best known for curling, said to be the best ice in Scotland, the Dewar Centre regularly holds national and international competitions within its eight-rink hall. The eight-lane indoor lawn bowling arena also attracts major competitions. The ice rink is also available for public skating, and provides a training facility for the Perth Figure Skating Club.

The centre can also provide facilities for conferences, exhibitions and other events, with two 1300-seater halls, two suites with capacities of 100 and 250, together with smaller meeting rooms. There is parking for 300 cars underneath the centre.

The centre is operated by Perth Ice Rink (1988) Ltd., in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council. Tourist attractions in central Perth 14

Lord John Murray's Stables A B-listed late-18th century construction, located in Curfew Row in the North Port of Perth, Lord John Murray's Stables lie next to the Fair Maid's House and opposite the Perth Concert Hall. The much-altered building, which now comprises two rubble storeys, an attic and slate roof with small dormer windows, had once served as the stables of Lord John Murray's townhouse which lay nearby. The arcaded-frontage, which is in-filled by modern windows, may be a rare survival from a mediaeval merchant's house. It lay derelict for many years, but was restored in the 1980s, subsequently served variously as offices for companies, lawyers and local politicians and then became the headquarters Lord John Murray's House, Perth of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 2008. Ramada Hotel A 76-bedroom hotel in West Mill Street, Perth, the Ramada Hotel occupies the historic former Upper City Mills, a rubble-built collection of buildings dating from the 18th century. The first grain mill is said to have been constructed here in the 15th century, but the oldest range of the current U-shaped structure dates from c.1750, with a granary built to the north in 1771. The south and east ranges were added to the mill in 1788. The mill was converted into a hotel in 1971 by Glasgow-based architects T.M. Miller and Partners and the granary connected as part of the complex ten years later. The mill race still flows below the buildings linking to the Lower Mills, which lie a short distance to the east.

Lower City Mills Located on the south side of West Mill Street in the centre of Perth, the Lower City Mills comprise a former oatmeal mill which has been reused as the Perth tourist information office. Rebuilt following a fire in 1803, there was probably a mill on this site for many years before this. The building comprises three rubble-built storeys with a pyramid-roofed kiln at the southeast corner.

The Town Lade continues to flow below the building and still drives the millstones via an internal water-wheel as a tourist attraction. Regular demonstrations augment an interpretative exhibition. The Upper City Mills lie opposite and have been converted into hotel.

King Edward VII Monument A revival of Perth in King Edward Street in central Perth, the King Edward VII Monument lies outside the E entrance of St. John's Shopping Centre, opposite Perth City Hall. This Gothic-inspired monument was built in 1913 by Alexander Beaton and comprises an drum-shaped base supporting a platform from which rises a pillar topped by a unicorn. The platform is accessible from a door in the base. A granite plaque bears and inscription and portrait of Edward VII in bronze. The monument also incorporates the arms of the trade incorporations of Perth.

The original Mercat Cross at Perth was erected in 1669 and demolished 1765.

Hal o' the Wynd House Facing west onto a car park in Mill Wynd in Perth, Hal o' the Wynd House is modest harled mansion of five bays and three storeys which dates from the early 18th century. It was restored 1980-1 and incorporated into the rear of the adjacent Clydesdale Bank. It features in the novel The Fair Maid of Perth by Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) and a plaque on the front of the building records this fact. Tourist attractions in central Perth 15 Map of north Perth 16

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1 Black Watch Regimental Museum 2 Balhousie Castle 3 North Inch Tourist attractions in north Perth 17

Black Watch Regimental Museum Located in Balhousie Castle, Hay Street, Perth, the Black Watch Regimental Museum is part of the Regimental Headquarters of the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) which originated as one of the Independent Companies of Highlanders created in the 1720s to police the in the aftermath of the first Jacobite Rising. The original six companies were amalgamated in 1739 to form The Highland Regiment of Foot. Traditionally drawn from Angus, Fife, Dundee, Perth and Perthshire, the soldier wear a distinctive red hackle in their headgear. More than 50,000 officers and men served in the regiment during the First World War and over half died or were wounded.

The museum is arranged chronologically within seven rooms and Black Watch Tartan includes paintings, weapons, uniforms, medals and other memorabilia associated with the regiment.

Balhousie Castle A sizeable mansion overlooking the North Inch, a half-mile north of Perth city centre, Balhousie Castle has at its core an L-plan tower house built in 1631. By 1862, the tower had become somewhat dilapidated but was restored and recast by local architect David Smart (1824 - 1914) for Thomas Hay-Drummond, the 11th Earl of Kinnoull (1785 - 1866), to form the present three-storey mansion, which was itself extended in 1910. Its style is very much Scots Baronial, featuring crow-stepped gables, bartizans and pepper-pot turrets.

In its early years, the new building was let to a succession of successful citizens of Perth, although the Kinnoulls did occupy the property between 1912 and 1926. Balhousie was subsequently a convent until the early years of World War II, when it was occupied by officers of the Auxiliary Training Service. Thereafter it continued to be used by the army, becoming the headquarters and museum of the Black Watch regiment in 1962.

The lands here had been the property of the Eviot family until 1476, when they were sold to the Mercers. Ownership passed to the Earls of Kinnoull in 1625.

North Inch The North Inch is a substantial low-lying area of parkland which forms part of the flood-plain of the River Tay immediately to the north of the centre of Perth. The North and South Inches were granted to the royal of Perth in 1374 by King Robert II (1316-90). The Battle of the North Inch was fought here in 1396, between Clan Chattan and Clan Kay, with only twelve men left standing from sixty combatants.

The North Inch is notable for its sporting connections. Both the Bell's Sports Centre and Gannochy Pavilion are now located here, and cricket is regularly played. However, it is with the game of golf that the North Inch is particularly associated. The North Inch is one of the oldest golf courses in the world. Golf has been played here since at least the 15th century; King James II banned the game here c.1450, encouraging the people of Perth instead to practice archery, in order to better defend their country.

James IV may have played here in 1502 - he is known to have played in Perth, becoming the world's first recorded player of the game. In 1599, four men were chastised by the Kirk Session for playing on the Sabbath. James VI is also thought to have played here.

Today, the 18-hole North Inch Golf Course occupies the northern section of the Inch. Map of northeast Perth 18

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Features of Interest

1 Moncreiffe Island 2 1

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1 Branklyn Garden Features of interest in southeast Perth 21

Moncreiffe Island An island which divides the River Tay into two channels as it flows through Perth. Lying opposite the South Inch, Moncreiffe Island (also known as Friarton Island) is today predominantly occupied by the King James VI Golf Course, with allotments managed by the Perth Working Men's Garden Association situated towards the north of the island. The railway bridge, which conveys the line east through the Carse of to Dundee, crosses the river via the northern tip of the island. Also at the northern tip was a filter bed which was part of a scheme designed by local school-teacher Adam Anderson (1780 - 1846) to take water from the Tay and deliver drinking water to the town via the waterworks in Marshall Place.

Friarton Bridge A high-level cantilever four-lane road bridge which crossed the River Tay 1½ miles (2.5 km) southeast of Perth, the Friarton Bridge represents the northeastern end of the . It allows traffic to bypass Perth to the east linking with the A90 which forges east across the . The bridge was constructed in 1978 and represents the first road crossing upstream of the .

Friarton Bridge, Perth Tourist attractions in southeast Perth 22

Branklyn Garden A small garden in the eastern outskirts of the city of Perth, Branklyn garden is located on the Dundee road to the east of the River Tay. Described as "the finest two acres of private garden in the country", it was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1967 by chartered land agent John T Renton CBE who, with his wife, began planting on the site of a former orchard in 1922. The garden contains an outstanding collection of rhododendrons, alpines, herbaceous and peat-garden plants. Map of south Perth 23

Features of Interest

1 HM Prison Perth

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1 King James VI Golf Course Features of interest in south Perth 24

HM Prison Perth Located on two sites a half-mile (1 km) apart in SE Perth, HM Prison Perth houses short term adult male prisoners (those prisoners serving under 4 years), mainly fine defaulters and those on remand from the courts of Angus, City of Dundee, Perth & Kinross and the northern part of Fife. There is also a secure unit for Category-A prisoners who are serving sentences of up to life imprisonment. The prison has a national unit that houses disruptive prisoners, where intensive staff/prisoner interaction occurs.

The main building, a half-mile (1 km) south of the town centre beyond the South Inch, was constructed by architect Robert Reid (1774 - 1856) in the early 19th Century to hold French prisoners captured during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1842, the building began service as a civilian prison and today represents Scotland's oldest prison still in use. It comprises five halls (labelled A to E) and has a capacity of 504 prisoners. HM Prison Perth

A second building, Friarton Hall, which was until 1999 a separate institution known as HM Prison Friarton, lies opposite the southern end of Moncrieffe Island, 1¼ miles (2 km) south southeast of the town centre. This modern building serves to prepare prisoners for open conditions and has a capacity of 89. Tourist attractions in south Perth 25

King James VI Golf Course The King James VI Golf Club was formed in Perth in 1858 and the course moved from its first location on the North Inch to Moncreiffe Island in 1897, where it remains today. Named in honour of the Scottish monarch who encouraged the game of golf, the 6038 yard (5521m) course was designed by Old Tom Morris (1821 - 1906) and is one of a very few in the world occupying a riverine island. Map of southwest Perth 26

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Aviva Offices The Aviva Pitheavlis site comprises a ziggurat-like office complex, off Necessity Brae, 1½ miles (2.5 km) southwest of the centre of Perth. Designed by Dundee-based architects James Parr and Partners, this immense building consists of a series of levels landscaped into Craigie Hill and was built between 1979 and 1983 as the world headquarters of the General Accident Fire and Life Assurance Corporation. The board-room is panelled in rosewood.

General Accident was founded in Perth in 1885, and grew into one of the largest insurance companies in Britain, with a multi-national presence. In 1998, General Accident merged with Commercial Union to form CGU. Two years later, this company merged with Union to form CGNU, which was renamed Aviva in 2002.

By 2009, the Aviva Group was the world's fifth-largest insurance group and the largest in the UK, with £364 billion of funds under management, 57,000 employees and more than 45 million customers.

The Pitheavlis office continues as a divisional headquarters, responsible for corporate partnerships which comprise a considerable proportion of the group's UK income, together with broker business in the Scotland and the north of , group pensions and underwriter training.

Craigie Hill A modest summit lying 1¼ miles (2 km) southwest of the centre of Perth, Craigie Hill rises to 124m (406 feet) and lies towards the eastern end of the Gask Ridge, which is located between Strath Earn and Strath Almond.

Pitheavlis Castle A substantial white-harled L-plan laird's house of three storeys, Pitheavlis Castle lies on Needless Road, a mile (1.5 km) southwest of the centre of Perth. Built in the late 16th century, with a two storey wing added to the rear in the 17th century, Pitheavlis is described as "of considerable sophistication" in the Illustrated Architectural Guide to Perth and Kinross (2000). The main block has a round stair-turret to the rear, with another stair within a square jamb to the front (southwest corner) which features corbelled-out pepperpot turrets. There are crow-stepped gables and a massive wallhead chimney at the front.

Pitheavlis was the home of the Oliphant family until the 17th century and later became the property of the Murrays. MacGibbon and Ross, writing in the 1890s, noted that the house was partially inhabited as a farmhouse, but did not appear to be well cared for. In the early 20th century, it was bought by Whisky Baron Sir Robert Usher who owned it until 1920. It is now divided into flats.

Pitheavlis A small district of SW Perth, Pitheavlis lies to the south of Cherrybank, a mile (1.5 km) southwest of the town centre. The area developed on the policies of the 16th century Pitheavlis Castle, now divided into flats, but is now better known for the remarkable offices of the Aviva insurance company (previously General Accident) together with the offices of United Distillers (previously Arthur Bell & Sons), both on Necessity Brae and both built in the 1980s as international headquarters of companies which were subsequently taken-over. Pitheavlis Cottages on Low Road were built for Lord Forteviot in the early 20th C. With their half-timbered porches, use of brick, mansard gables and tiled roofs, these give the impression of English almshouses. Forteviot owned John Dewar & Sons, another whisky blender, which eventually also became part of United Distillers in 1987. Craigie Hill Golf Course is situated to the southeast and Bell's Cherrybank Centre lies to the west. Features of interest in southwest Perth 28 Tourist attractions in southwest Perth 29

Bell's Cherrybank Centre A 2.8 ha (7 acre) garden on the western edge of Perth, Bell's Cherrybank Gardens is home to the Bell's National Heather Collection comprising over 900 varieties of heather, the largest collection of its kind in the UK. In addition, visitors can see the Pride of Perth Exhibition, which illustrates the story of Perth from mediaeval times to the present day. The garden also includes a visitor centre, several sculptures, water features, tubular bells, a children's play area and the Bell's putting green.

The garden was created in 1984 by Bell's whisky distilling company, whose headquarters once lay adjacent and is now owned by Scotland's Garden Trust. In 2002, the garden was gifted to the trust by Diageo plc, the multi-national company created following the merger of Bell's owners, United Distillers (and their parent, drinks group Guinness), with International Distillers and Vintners (and their parent, hotel group Grand Metropolitan).

Cherrybank provides a headquarters for Scotland's Garden Trust, which in March 2004 announced their intention to develop an adjacent site into a £30 million National Garden for Scotland named The Calyx. Disappointment followed in 2007 when the project failed to gain the required lottery funding. Map of west Perth 30

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Features of Interest

1 Perth College UHI

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Perth College UHI Located on a modest campus on Road, 1¼ miles (2 km) west northwest of the town centre, Perth College UHI is a higher education institution which was established in 1961 to offer courses in building trades.

Originally known as Perth College of Further Education, it is now part of the developing University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and runs a wide range degrees, work-based learning and vocational training courses in subjects including business and management, child care, computing, construction, hairdressing, health and beauty, hospitality, tourism and leisure, motor vehicle engineering, mountain studies, music and sound engineering. It boasts Scotland's first popular music course and there is also an English language training school. Since 1996, the College has been responsible for Air Service Training (AST), which is based at Perth Airport and has been delivering aeronautical engineering courses since 1934.

The College began in the old Perth Academy building on Rose Terrace before expanding into new premises in Nelson Street. It now comprises two principal buildings on the site of the former mansion of industrialist Sir Robert Pullar (1828 - 1912). The purpose-built red-brick Brahan Building cost £1.25 million and was opened on 16th October 1971 by Gordon Campbell, Secretary of State for Scotland (1921 - 2005). This building includes a modern library and study centre. Adjacent is the Goodlyburn Building, which was built as the Goodlyburn Junior Secondary School in 1957.

In 1971, the College had 24 full-time lecturers teaching 700 students. By 2009, it employed 500 staff and had more than 7000 students undertaking full and part-time courses on campus and at learning centres in Blairgowrie, Crieff, Kinross and Pitlochry, and by distance learning.

Once run by the local authority, the College is now self-governing with a Board of Management including the Principal, staff and student representatives, together with members of the local community. Famous People related to Perth 33

Francis Jeffrey (1773 - 1850) Lord Jeffrey Lawyer, critic and co-founder of theEdinburgh Review. Born in Charles Street, Edinburgh, the son of a Depute-Clerk of the Court of Session, Jeffrey was educated at the High School in the city, followed by the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and . He was admitted to the Bar in 1794.

Jeffrey's first wife died in 1805. While in the USA to marry his second, Charlotte Wilkes, he dined with President Madison during the British-American War of 1812.

In 1802, Jeffrey established theEdinburgh Review, a quarterly magazine, along with Henry Brougham (1778 - 1868), Francis Horner (1778 - 1817) and Sydney (1771 - 1845). The magazine was founded in Jeffrey's flat at No.18 Buccleuch Place. It was immediately popular, setting the standard for all the literary magazines which followed. Sydney Smith edited the first few issues then Jeffrey took over in 1803 continuing until 1829. Under his editorship, the circulation of the Review grew to a remarkable 13,500 in 1818. Despite his undoubted brilliance, Jeffrey was renowned as a ruthless and considerably biased editor. He did not endear himself to the likes of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats and Byron by panning their work. The latter responded with a satirical poem entitled "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers". The magazine supported political reform, liberalism and the Whig party and this brought conflicts; Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832), an early contributor, refused to submit further articles because he disagreed with its politics.

Jeffrey was elected Rector of the (1820 and 1823) and Dean of the Faculty of Advocates in 1829. The return of the Whigs to power brought its rewards for Jeffrey. He was elected Member of Parliament for Perth and appointed Lord Advocate in 1830. He served as MP for Edinburgh between 1832 and 1834, when he was appointed a Law Lord in the Court of Session.

He was buried in . TheEdinburgh Review ceased publication in 1929.

Robert Mylne (1633 - 1710)

Architect and builder. Born into a family of noted architects and builders. He was the eldest son of architectural sculptor Alexander Mylne (d.1643) and grandson of John Mylne (d. 1657). Mylne was appointed Master Mason to the Crown in 1668, succeeding his Uncle John (1611-67). He rebuilt under the direction of Sir William Bruce (1630 - 1710). The reconstruction had been ordered by King Charles II (1630-85), but it is to Mylne more than any other that the Palace owes its current form.

Mylne made much money through the speculative building of houses in Edinburgh, often with no regard for the building codes. He purchased derelict property around the and erected courtyard buildings which were more spacious than the tall 'lands' built around narrow entries which had existed previously. The scheme proved popular and was much copied. Examples were Mylne's Court, which now comprises student residences for the University of Edinburgh, and Mylne's Square, later demolished to make way for North Bridge. The Bank of Scotland set up in Mylnes Square in 1695, before moving to Parliament Close and eventually the Mound. This was also where the ill-fated Darien Scheme was planned and the Articles of Union were signed and sealed in 1707.

His other works included an improved water supply for Edinburgh, Wood's Hospital at Largo, Leslie House for the Earl of Rothes, the new Cross of Perth, a single arched bridge over the at Romellweill Crags (a few miles S of Roberton) and the Mylne Battery at Edinburgh Castle.

Mylne served on the Town Council of Edinburgh for a time and owned the estate of Balfarg (or Balfargie) in Fife. According to his memorial in Greyfriars churchyard, he had eight sons and six daughters. His eldest daughter married another architect James Smith (c.1645 - 1731), with whom Mylne worked on Drumlanrig Castle. With his death the office of Master Mason to the Crown came to an end, being replaced by a government department. Famous People related to Perth 34

James Jardine (1776 - 1858)

Civil Engineer. Born in Applegarth (Dumfriesshire), the son of a farmer, Jardine was educated at Dumfries Academy and the University of Edinburgh, where he was taught by (1748 - 1819) who encouraged Jardine to become an engineer. He was the first to determine mean sea level from observations made in the of Tay. On the recommendation of Thomas Telford (1757 - 1834), who was to become a good friend, Jardine began planning an improved water supply for Edinburgh. He was appointed Engineer to the Edinburgh Water Company in 1819 and built the reservoirs at Glencorse (1824), Threipmuir and Harlaw (1843-48). He helped design water-supply schemes for Perth (1828), Dumfries (1833) and Glasgow (1834), oversaw the lowering of Loch Leven in the 1830s and a scheme which supplied water to mills on the River Leven. He helped build the Union Canal and was responsible for Cobbinshaw Reservoir which supplied the canal with water.

In 1826 Jardine was appointed Engineer to the 'Innocent Railway', and designed both the remarkable tunnel at St. Leonard's and the Glenesk Viaduct. The following year he became engineer to the Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway. He surveyed routes of other railways, was involved in several road-building projects and built bridges including Threave (1825) and Inveralmond (1827). Many projects were in conjunction with Telford, for whom he calculated the strengths of the chains for the famous Menai Straits bridge in . Jardine also built harbours including Saltcoats (1811), Perth (1831), Leith (1835) and Eyemouth (1837).

Jardine also supported several of W.H. Playfair's architectural projects. He was interested in science, working in weights and measures, astronomy and studied the temperatures of Lochs Lomond and Katrine.

Jardine was created a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1812 and his bust can be seen in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery. He died in his home at 18 Queen Street in Edinburgh's New Town.

Prof. Adam Anderson (1780 - 1846)

Educationalist and pioneering engineer, who modernised the utility infrastructure of Perth. Born the son of a ships-master in Kincardine (Fife), Anderson was educated at the University of alongside Thomas Chalmers (1780 - 1847), who became a close friend. He began his career as a private tutor at Fern (Angus), and in Edinburgh, but was appointed Rector of Perth Academy in 1809, serving in this role for 28 years. He built the reputation of the school and advocated the inclusion of science, and particularly chemistry, in the curriculum. In 1822, Anderson became involved with a scheme to bring gas lighting to Perth. He gave a series of lectures on the benefits, was appointed to the Board of the Perth Gas Light Company and designed a gasworks for the town. So successful was the project that he asked to supervise similar schemes in and Montrose. Anderson went on to improve the inadequate public water supply in Perth, designing a new system which pumped water from the River Tay. He was the architect of the Water Works (or Round House), which now houses the Fergusson Gallery. Completed in 1832, this is said to be the first cast-iron building in the world. Anderson was also involved in improving Perth's port at Friarton and bringing the railway from Dundee.

In 1837, his appointment to the Chair of Natural Philosophy at St. Andrews University attracted some controversy. Initially supported by Sir David Brewster (1781 - 1868), their relationship deteriorated owing to Brewster's cantankerous nature. Anderson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1820 and wrote numerous scientific papers on a diversity of topics including dyeing, fermentation, gas lighting, meteorology, navigation, physical geography and the measurement of the height of mountains using a barometer.

He died suddenly in St Andrews, but his body was returned to Perth where he was buried in Greyfriars Cemetery following a grand civic funeral. Famous People related to Perth 35

Patrick Adamson (c.1543 - 1591)

Archbishop of St Andrews. Born in Perth, Adamson was educated at the St. Andrews University. By the age of twenty he was minister in Ceres (Fife), with considerable responsibilities, reflecting the shortage of ministers in the new Protestant church. By 1565, he had left for Paris to study law. He had become closely associated with the Scottish Court and published a patriotic poem which proposed that Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87), was the rightful monarch of not just Scotland, but England and too. This caused a minor political storm and resulted in six months in prison for Adamson. It would have been longer had it not been for the personal intervention of Mary. Having returned to the study of law and theology at Bourges, Adamson narrowly escaped the Massacre of St Bartholomew, which was a reaction against Protestantism.

He returned to Scotland somewhat of a hero and entered into a controversy over the appointment of the . This post was an anachronism, given the Episcopal nature of the church at that time, but was politically motivated to ensure a jealous nobility, principally the Earl of Morton (c.1516-81), had access to the money and land owned by the church. He became minister at Paisley and Commissioner of Galloway, the latter post having the duties of Bishop in the new church without the status.

Morton, who was now Regent, continued to enrich himself and set about bringing the Scottish and English churches together on the Episcopal model, as part of a process to allow the young James VI to accede to the English throne. Adamson persuaded Morton to appoint him Archbishop of St Andrews. Adamson endeared himself to the young James VI, who appointed him an ambassador to England. Adamson again pushed for the Episcopal system of church government to be retained. Despite his loyalty, his fickle king did not support him and, despite a humble 'recantation', he was excommunicated from the church. Famous People related to Perth 36

Archbishop John Spottiswoode (1565 - 1639)

Archbishop and church historian. Born in Mid Calder, the son of another John Spottiswoode (1510-85) who was Rector of the Kirk of Calder and invited (c.1513 - 72) to celebrate the first Protestant communion in the village. Spottiswoode was educated at the University of Glasgow and married at South Leith in 1589. When King James VI succeeded to the English throne in 1603, Spottiswoode was one of the entourage who accompanied his King to London. He was appointed a member of the Privy Council of Scotland (1605), Archbishop of Glasgow (1610) and then Primate of Scotland and Archbishop of St. Andrews (1615). He lived close to St Andrews at Dairsie Castle, building a church there in 1621. He crowned King Charles I in 1633 at the Palace of Holyrood House, Edinburgh, and was appointed Chancellor of Scotland in 1635.

He was Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church Archbishop Spottiswood, Lord High at Perth (1618) which had been rigged to ensure acceptance of James Chancellor VI's unpopular reforms, known as the Articles of Perth, which were intended to unify church practices between Scotland and England under an Episcopal system of church government . He was appointed Chancellor of Scotland by King Charles I (1635), but Spottiswoode found himself caught between a monarch intent on introducing an unpopular prayer book, which resulted in riots in St. Giles Kirk in Edinburgh, and the people. Thus in 1638, while the people signed the National Covenant, the King dismissed Spottiswoode from the Chancellorship for having failed to enforce the Episcopacy, yet the General Assembly in Glasgow reintroduced Presbyterianism, deposing him as Archbishop and excommunicated him.

He wrote a"History of the " which examined the Church from 203AD until the close of the reign of James VI (1625). Spottiswoode dedicated this work to King Charles I, but it was not published until 1655.

He died in London and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Rev. (1774 - 1857)

Author, clergyman, philosopher and astronomer. Born in Dundee, the son of a linen weaver, he was inspired by the sight of a meteor at the age of nine to study the heavens and he developed a passion for astronomy. Initially he followed his father's occupation but, at the age of sixteen, he became an assistant in a local school. From 1794, he studied at the University of Edinburgh and then set up a school of his own. He obtained his licence to preach in 1801 and officiated as a probationer for the United Presbyterian Church in Stirling and elsewhere. He was invited to become a teacher at the Secession School at Methven (1807-17) and thereafter in Perth.

Following the success of his bookThe Christian Philosopher (1823, with a number of subsequent editions), he gave up teaching to concentrate on writing and, in 1827, built a small cottage with an observatory and library on a hill overlooking the at . Dick attempted to reconcile science and religion, and believed that the greatness of God could best be appreciated by the study of astronomy. His work included a range of philosophical, scientific and religious books such as The Philosophy of Religion(1825), On the Mental Illumination and Moral Improvement of Mankind (1835), Celestial Scenery(1838), The Sidereal Heavens (1840), The Practical Astronomer (1845), containing a remarkable prediction of the benefits of celestial photography,The Solar System (1846), The Telescope and Microscope (1851). Despite the success of his books he was reduced to poverty, which was only alleviated when he was awarded a pension of £50 per annum by the government in 1847.

Dick advocated that every city should have public parks, a public library and a public observatory. Famous People related to Perth 37

John Buchan (1875 - 1940) 1st Baron Tweedsmuir Author, biographer and politician. Born at 20 York Place in Perth, the son of a clergyman, Buchan was raised in Pathhead (Fife) and educated in , at Hutcheson's Grammar School, Glasgow, and the University of Glasgow. Buchan also had strong connections with the , where his family maintained a home. He completed his education in law at Oxford and qualified as a barrister, but entered the Colonial Service in 1901 as Private Secretary to Lord Milner, High Commissioner to South Africa, becoming a member of the so-calledMilner's Kindergarten who were to have a prominent influence on British foreign policy in Africa. Buchan became friendly with another member of the group, Philip Kerr (1882 - 1940), later Lord Lothian. During , Buchan worked for the Propaganda Bureau in the Foreign Office, was attached to the British Army in France writing newspaper articles and eventually became Director of Information for the War Office (1917-18). John Buchan His first book was published by Thomas Nelson & Co. in 1895 and this was the beginning of a long relationship which saw Buchan becoming a Director in 1903. He is perhaps best known forThe Thirty-Nine Steps (1915), but other works include Greenmantle (1916) and Huntingtower (1922). He also wrote a four-volume history of World War I (1922) and biographies including Sir Walter Scott (1932) and Oliver Cromwell (1934). Buchan became the Unionist Member of Parliament for the old constituency of theScottish Universities (1927-35), Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh (1937-40) and a popular Governor-General of Canada (1935), dying in post.

The 'John Buchan Centre' in the Borders town of Broughton celebrates his life.

Thomas Mackenzie (1814 - 1854)

Architect. Born at St. Martin's (Perth and Kinross), the son of Alexander Mackenzie, a builder and architect. Three of Mackenzie's brothers were also architects; William in Perth, David in Dundee and James in , and it was with his eldest brother William MacDonald Mackenzie (1797 - 1856) that he trained. He is also known to have worked with David in the early 1830s. In 1835, he moved to to work with John Smith (1781 - 1852) and then with his great rival Archibald Simpson (1790 - 1847). Mackenzie moved to Elgin () in 1839, at first working with William Robertson, but within two years he had set up his own practice there. He was commissioned to design Elgin Museum in 1842, going on to build Forres Market Cross (1844). In the same year, he formed a partnership with James Matthews (1819-98), who had become a friend when Mackenzie was working with Archibald Simpson. Mackenzie did much of the design work in Elgin while Matthews managed their office in Aberdeen. Together they were responsible for Drummuir Castle (1845), Poorhouses in Aberdeen and Ellon (1847 and 1849 respectively), Ballindalloch Castle (1847), St. John's Episcopal Church (1850), Aldourie Castle (1853) and Dall House (1854), together with various churches, schools and banks and work on Cawdor Castle (1854).

Despite his early death from 'brain fever', said to have been brought on by an accident, Mackenzie had gained a reputation as an accomplished architect of the Classical and Italianate styles. He lies buried in the graveyard surrounding Elgin Cathedral, beneath a monument designed by Matthews.

Thomas's son was A. Marshall Mackenzie (1848 - 1933) who became a noted architect in Aberdeen. Famous People related to Perth 38

Major General Sir Archibald Campbell (1769 - 1843)

Heroic soldier and Governor of New Brunswick. Campbell was born into a military family and joined the British army in 1787. He was promoted following successful campaigns in India but, owing to ill health, was forced to return to Britain in 1801. In 1808, he embarked for , where he took part in the Battles of Rolica and Vimeira. He was also involved in the disastrous campaign in under Sir John Moore (1761 - 1809), which ended at the Battle of Corunna.

In 1809, he assisted in the organising and disciplining the Portuguese army who he took into the further battles of the Peninsular war. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General (1811) and Major-General (1813) in the Portuguese Army. With the revolution in Portugal of 1820, Campbell returned to Britain, but was soon to return to India. He proceeded to Burma and captured its capital, Rangoon defeating a Burmese army ten times the size of his own. This brought Campbell much glory, together with a gold medal, property and a pension of £1000 per year for life. Tired and ill, he returned to Britain in 1829. Yet, by 1831, Campbell had accepted an appointment as Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick (Canada). He was well-regarded for his handling this role and served until 1837. In 1839, he accepted the appointment as Commander-in-Chief in Bombay (India) but, due to further illness and his age, he was quickly forced to resign and return home.

Campbell was knighted in 1814 and gained the freedom of the City of Perth. Through marriage, he acquired Garth House in .

He died in Edinburgh.

James Croll (1821 - 1890)

Unsung scientist. Born into modest surroundings on the farm of Little Whitefield, near (Perth and Kinross), Croll was largely self-educated through a passion for reading. He became an apprentice millwright at and then a joiner, but gave that up due to ill-health. Thereafter he was, successively, a tea merchant in Perth then in Elgin, manager of a temperance hotel in Blairgowrie and an insurance agent in Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh, before moving to Paisley and being appointed as a janitor in the museum at Anderson's Institution (Glasgow) in 1859.

Croll corresponded with Sir Charles Lyell (1797 - 1875), sending him his ideas of links between ice ages and variations in the earth's orbit. This gained Croll a clerical position in the Geological Survey of Scotland (1867-81), where he was encouraged by Archibald Geikie (1835 - 1924). Later, Charles Darwin also corresponded with Croll and benefited from his ideas.

Croll's many works includedThe Philosophy of Theism (1857), Climate and Time, in their Geological Relations(1875), Climate and Cosmology (1885) and The Philosophic Basis of Evolution (1890). His work which linked climate to orbital variations was well ahead of its time. Now called "Milankovitch Cycles", credit went to a Serbian scientist born four years after Croll's book was published and more than fifteen years after he began developing these ideas.

Croll was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1876 and awarded an honorary degree by the University of St. Andrews in the same year.

He died in Perth. Famous People related to Perth 39

Thomas Grainger (1794 - 1852)

Pioneering railway engineer. Born at Green (), the son of a farmer, Grainger was educated at the University of Edinburgh. At sixteen he obtained a position with John Leslie, a notable Edinburgh land surveyor. From 1823, he became a prominent advocate for the introduction of railways and began surveying and designing lines, taking on (1805-83) as an assistant. Grainger & Miller were responsible for many important railway projects in Scotland and Northern England, including the Edinburgh and Glasgow line, with Grainger's work including the Paisley and Renfrew Railway (1834), the Arbroath and line (1835), the Glasgow and line (1836), the Edinburgh, Leith and Newhaven Railway (1836), and the Edinburgh and Bathgate line (1846).

His partnership with Miller was maintained until 1845. Grainger went on to design the world's first rail ferry, theLeviathan, which crossed the between Granton and from 1850. In this venture he was assisted by Thomas Bouch (1822-80), who designed the loading mechanism. Grainger was also responsible for harbours at Broughty Ferry and (Ferryport-on-Craig) to allow a railway connection across the Firth of Tay, again for the Edinburgh, Perth and Dundee Railway.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1850 and served as President of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts. Grainger died in Stockton-on-Tees (England) following a rail collision, and lies buried in Gogar kirkyard.

James Connolly (1868 - 1916)

Irish nationalist and socialist. Born in the Cowgate district of Edinburgh to Irish parents. Connolly left school at 11 and joined the British army at 14, having lied about his age, and was stationed in the Curragh in Dublin. Having left the army in 1889, he settled in Dundee where he joined the Socialist League. The following year he married in Perth and returned to Edinburgh. Regarded as one of the most enlightened socialist thinkers of his day, he spoke in Edinburgh and Dublin, linking the themes of socialism, Roman Catholicism and Irish nationalism. He set up a newspaper and toured the USA (1902-10) promoting his ideas. He organised the labour movement in Dublin, founding the Irish Socialist Republican Party. By 1916 Connolly was an influential union leader, strongly opposed to the First World War. In the same year, he James Connolly was a leader of the Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland, which was quickly suppressed. Especially given its timing during the First World War which was costing Britain dearly, this rebellion was considered treasonous by the authorities. Despite being badly wounded Connolly was arrested and executed. He was sufficiently weak that he could not stand and was therefore shot while sitting in a chair, becoming a martyr for the Republican movement.

His socialist legacy was influential in Scotland, and those with Irish-Republican sympathies still hold an annual march in Edinburgh in Connolly's memory. There is a memorial under George IV Bridge in Edinburgh's Cowgate.

Alan Gorrie (1946 - )

Vocalist and musician. Born in Perth, Gorrie formed the rhythm and blues groupAverage White Band in 1972 in London (England). Gorrie was the lead vocalist and played bass. He was joined in the group by fellow Scots (b.1944), Malcolm "Mollie" Duncan (b.1945), Robbie McIntosh (1950-74) and Owen "Onnie" McIntyre (b.1945), together with Canadian Mike Rosen, although he was soon replaced by (b.1949). After developing a cult following in the UK with their first release Show Your Hand (1973), the band quickly moved to the USA where they entered the charts in 1974 withAWB, their Famous People related to Perth 40

so-calledWhite , widely regarded as a masterpiece. Other hits includedCut the Cake (1975), Soul Searching(1976), Person to Person (1976), (1979) and Cupid's in Fashion (1982). The band split up in 1983, only to re-group in 1989 with a new line-up which still included Gorrie, Ball and McIntyre, going on to further success withAftershock (1989), which included fellow Scot and Santana vocalist (b.1946),Live on the Test (1995), Soul Tattoo (1996), Face To Face - Live at the Fillmore (1997),Tonight (2002), Living In Colour (2003), Greatest and Latest (2005) and Soul & The City - Live at B.B. King's (2007). Based in New York, they continue to tour extensively across three continents, including regular visits to Scotland.

William Soutar (1898 - 1943)

Poet and diarist. Born in Perth, the son of a craftsman joiner, and educated at Perth Academy. Soutar was drafted into the in 1916 but after the war he completed his education at the University of Edinburgh. Encouraged by the work of Hugh MacDiarmid, Soutar began writing poems in the Scots language. Having grown up hearing and using the language, Soutar's work was rather more natural than MacDiarmid's formality. His first work Gleanings of an Undergraduate was published anonymously in 1923. This was followed byConflict (1931), by which time Soutar was bed-ridden following a failed operation to cure spondylitis contracted during his war-service. Other works followed: Seeds in the wind:

Poems in Scots (1933), written specifically for children to encourage the use of the William Soutar language,Poems in Scots (1935) and Riddles in Scots (1937). One of his most popular works wasThe Tryst, which has been set to music several times, most recently by James MacMillan (b.1959). Soutar also wrote in English, for example,In the time of Tyrants (1939) and The Expectant Silence (1944).

Soutar remained an invalid until his early death. HisDiaries of a Dying Man (1954) are considered remarkable. His name is remembered in the lecture theatre of the A.K. Bell Library in Perth, while an archive of his poems, together with his diaries (1917-53) and journals, are held in the National Library of Scotland.

Rhod Sharp (1953 - )

Broadcaster. Raised in Perth and educated at Perth Academy and the University of Aberdeen, Sharp completed his studies at Princeton (New Jersey, USA). He began his career as a trainee journalist with the BBC in 1976. He went on to work forIndependent Radio News in London, for in Dundee and forChannel Four television news before returning to the BBC. Based in San Francisco, he served as news editor for BBC radio and television on the West Coast of the USA during the 1980s. He also was a regular correspondent for Reuters,The Australian and The Glasgow Herald. In 1994, he proposed a format to the BBC for a late-night programme on their new radio stationRadio Five Live, which would include a mix of world news, sport, talk and topical discussion.

He has subsequently regularly presented this show,Up All Night, which has won four Sony awards, including Gold Awards in 1998 and 1999. In 2001, he tookUp All Night to Cuba for a pioneering week of broadcasting. He made return visits to the USA to bring British listeners the first-hand views of the American people in the wake of the fall of the Twin Towers in New York in 2001 and the invasion of Iraq in 2003. His work also includesCaught in the Web, an early documentary series charting the rise of the Internet andI'll Be Watching You which examined workplace surveillance in Britain.

Sharp now lives in London. Famous People related to Perth 41

James Hamilton (1516 - 1575) 2nd Earl of Arran; Duke of Châtelherault Regent of Scotland and soldier. Hamilton was the son of James, the 1st Earl of Arran (1475 - 1529) and, through his mother, great-grandson of King James II (1430-60). This gave rise to Hamilton's claim to the throne of Scotland. His half-brother Sir James Hamilton of Finnart (d.1540) acted as his guardian, following the death of their father.

Hamilton became Regent on the death of King James V (1512 - 1542) and gained his French Duchy for negotiating the marriage of the young Mary, Queen of Scots (1542 - 1587) to the Dauphin of France (1549). He demitted the Regency in favour of Mary of Lorraine (1515-60) in 1554 on condition that he would get the Crown if the young Mary died childless, however his claim seemed lost when it became clear that the succession was promised to France. However this planned succession did not take place when Mary's husband, by then King Francis II of France, died. Hamilton then tried unsuccessfully to arrange a marriage between Mary and his son, another James (c.1537 - 1609).

Hamilton's sympathies swayed between support for Queen Mary and the Protestant nobles who wished to see her removed, undoubtedly because he still hoped to fall heir to the throne. He withdrew to his French estates in 1565, returned in 1569, was arrested by Regent Moray (1531-70) and finally signed the Pacification of Perth (1572) in which he acknowledged the succession of King James VI (1566 - 1625).

Dr. Gillian McKeith (1959 - )

Controversial nutritionist, broadcaster and author. Born in Perth, the daughter of a civil servant, and later moving to (Fife), McKeith read languages at the University of Edinburgh followed by business at the University of (USA). Her later qualifications have been a matter of newspaper speculation.

Stimulated by her own ill-health she studied holistic nutrition and began a crusade against junk food, showing how a good diet can improve health. She advocates the use of raw food and supplements but deprecates dairy products, processed foods and red meat. In the USA, McKeith hosted the popular Healthline Across America on radio and became health expert on theJoan Rivers Show. She came to prominence in Britain presenting a health segment on Independent Television'sThis Morning and her own seriesYou Are What You Eat for Channel 4, which gave rise to a best-selling book. Her other books include The Miracle Superfood: Wild Blue-Green Algae(1996) and Living Food For Health (2000), and she writes columns for a number of magazines. However, despite her popular success, her science and nutritional claims have been severely criticised.

McKeith now lives in London, where she runs McKeith Research, launched in 1998 to promote organic food supplements, and the McKeith Clinic. Famous People related to Perth 42

Sir (1954 - )

Entrepreneur. Born in Perth, Souter took a diploma in Commerce at Dundee College of Technology. In 1980, he established the Stagecoach bus company in Perth with his sister, Ann Gloag (b.1942), using their father's £25,000 redundancy payment. The company grew rapidly, encouraged by government deregulation of public transportation in Britain and Souter has become Scotland's richest man, with a fortune estimated at over £565 million (2000).

Sometimes criticised for his ruthless business methods, Souter has piloted Brian Souter Stagecoach to become the one of world's largest bus companies, with an annual turnover of some £1.34 billion (1998). With interests around the world, including Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa and Scandinavia, the company has diversified into railway and was at one stage the owner of Scotland's Prestwick Airport.

Souter is also an evangelical Christian and lay preacher. He became involved in political controversy in 2000, following his support for a campaign to prevent the frank discussion of sexual relationships in schools. He has given generously to support various projects engaged in the relief of human suffering through his charitable foundation and has given substantial donations to the . Souter was knighted in 2011.

Sir David Clive Wilson (1935 - ) Lord Wilson of Tillyorn Diplomat and captain of industry. Born in Scotland, the son of a clergyman, Wilson was educated at Glenalmond and Keble College (Oxford). He entered the Foreign Service in 1958 after completing his national service. He spent the majority of his career in the Far East and rose to become the penultimate British Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Hong Kong (1987-92).

Wilson served as Chairman of the Perth-based utility company Scottish Hydro Electric plc (which became Scottish and Southern Energy) between 1993 and 2000. He was appointed Chairman of the Trustees of the National Museums of Scotland (2002) and Master of Peterhouse () in the same year.

Wilson was created a life peer in 1992 and a Knight of the Thistle in 2000. He gained honorary degrees from the University of Aberdeen (1990), the University of Sydney (1991), University of Abertay (1994) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (1996). He was appointed a Vice President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (1996) and Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen (1997). Wilson was also appointed a Board Member of the British Council (1993) and Member of Committee of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Wilson maintains houses in Cambridge, Edinburgh and his family home at Tillyorn (W ). Famous Events related to Perth 43

Battle of Methven A battle of the Scottish Wars of Independence, the Battle of Methven was fought on the 19th June 1306 between and an English army under Aymer de Valence (later the Earl of Pembroke). De Valence was the brother-in-law of John Comyn, who Bruce had killed at Greyfriars Church in Dumfries, and succeeded Comyn as King Edward I's man in Scotland. Bruce had crowned himself King of Scots on 25th March and Edward was determined to destroy him. Bruce and his army were surprised at Methven (to the west of Perth) and routed. Bruce barely escaped with his life and fled, taking refuge at St. Fillan's Priory. Further Reading 44

Gifford, John. 2007. The Buildings of Scotland: Perth and Kinross Haynes, Nick. 2000. Perth & Kinross: An Illustrated Architectural Guide Marshall, T.H.. 1849. History of Perth Penny, George. 1836. Traditions of Perth Smith, Robin. 2001. The Making of Scotland Stavert, Marion L.. 1992. Perth: A Short History Tranter, Nigel. 1971. The Queen's Scotland: The Heartland - , Perthshire and Stirlingshire. Walker, Bruce. 1996. Exploring Scotland's Heritage: Fife, Perthshire and Angus

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