The Falls of Clyde: the Spectacular Scenery Is Provided by the Emotion and Awe
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AtL\-l°' :,DOl~ ~IZ..< ... " (2.cOf'J-.. =~'--\ "lIJoND'53.l"S1o . 'Qe:, 'N>O\' '" 'Ct--A b~ . The Fall s of Clyde, up stream from the village of Isles. Writers and artists celebrated what became Scotl and. ThIS usually started at EdInburgh and show a concern to record parttcular fea tures very Royal RCAHMSBROADSHEETJ4 New Lanark, have been one ofScotIand's most know as the 'Picturesque ' - places with romantic we nt up through Fife and Kinross-shire to Perth shire exactly. Paul Sandby's wash draw ing of Bonnington Royal Commission on the celebrated tourist locations for over two centuries. associations or spectacu lar character wbich inspired before following Loch Tay to the west and returning Linn [I] demonstrates thi s approach. By contrast, Commission on the The Falls of Clyde: The spectacular scenery is provided by the emotion and awe. Sometimes the way in which such south , usua ll y to an end-point at the Fa ll s of Clyde. the Scotti sh landscape artist Jacob More represents Ancient and magnificent descent of the Clyde through a series experiences translated into art or writing conld be Wi th three dramatic waterfalls - Bonn ington, Corra the Falls in paintings of the same period in a style Ancient and Historical Artists and Monuments of spectacular gorges and waterfall s in the craggy highly dramatic, as writers and artists sought to and Stonebyres th e Falls (or ' Lirllls' in Scots) whi ch echoes th at of the great I 7lh-century painter Historical Monuments of but lush landscape to the south of th e hi storic Royal recreate the sense and feel of a place as much as became a key venue for seekers of the sublime; a Claude Lorraine, with a precise style allied to an Monuments of Burgh of Lanark. The Fall s of Clyde were visited by its specific features. Yet it was also a time when suitably spectacul ar destination in travel directed idealised scene of class ical perfection [4 and 6] . By Scotland some of the greatest artists and writers of their day, there was a strong drive to discover, analyse and toward s experiencing as ma ny places of romance the ti me of the visit of J M W Turner in the early Scotland and have been recorded in scores of pictures and record the topography of rural Britain - almost and in spiration as possibl e. \91h century, artisti c tastes had changed dramatically, books. The purpose of this broadsheet is to illustrate a sense that wild places were not only places of Due to the considerable costs in time and and his work s inspired by the Falls demonstrate a im ages in spired by the Fa ll s and to highli gh t man inspiration , but clucs to a greater understanding of moncy needed to go on a lengthy tour, many of highly rom anticiscd approach. In one watercolour The Royal Commission on the Ancient and made featu res which add to the hi storic interest of the natural world. The exotic could indeed begin these early tourists we re people of some affl uence. painti ng from about 1802 entitled 'Tbe Fall of Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) thi s spectacular location, part of which fa lls within at home. This was particularly the case during the At the Fa ll s of Clyde, it was norlllal to obtain the Clyde' [3], he shows th e river as a dramatic records and interprets the sites, monuments and New Lanark World Heritage Site. Much of the area wars with France at the end of the 181h centmy, permiss ion to visit from the local landowners and backdrop for bathing by naked young women. In an buildings of Scotland 's past, and promotes a around the Fall s is a designated Site of Special when limitations on travel abroad led large numbers to employ th e services of a guide. After 1855 , oi l painting of tIle 18308 [5], possibly derived from greater appreciation of their value through the Sc ientifi c Interest and an attractive route along of tourists to eschew the pleasures of France or when the Caledoni an Rai lway opened to Lanark, his earli er im age, the Fa ll s are represented in an maintenance of the National Monuments Record the east bank of the ri ver is provi ded by the Clyde Italy and to discover the richness and variety of the restrictions were made on access' In consequence of almost abstract style - an essay in li ght and colour of Scotl and (NMRS). Wa lkway. The natural , heritage and recreational British countryside. Areas such as Snowdonia, the the Improper Conduct of Parti es arriv ing by Cheap more than form - whi ch conveys Turner's profound The NMRS is open to th e public (09.30-16.30 in tere st of the Fall s of Clyde reserve is managed by Lake District and th c Hi ghl ands of Scotland bccamc Tra in s'. sense of th e drama and awe-inspiring power of such Monday to Friday) at the address below. th e Scottish Wildlife Trust. celebrated destinations. The responses of different artists to the Fall s of a magnificent series of cascades. CANMORE, thc NMRS databasc, can be 1h The later 181h century saw unprecedented One of the principal routes for the late 18 _ Clyde vary enormously. Some of th e earliest images As far as man-made stt'uctures are concernecl, consulted on the RCAHMS website fa scination with th e landscape of the British century tourist was th e so-called ' petit tour' of of the Falls date from the later 18 1h century and the dramatic landscape around the Fa lls of Clyde www. rcahms.gov.uk. Royal COlllmission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland John Sinclair House 16 Bern ard Terrace New Lanark Conservation Trust (NLCT) Edinburgh is an independent charity dedicated to the EH89NX restoration and development of the historic village of New Lanark, which was inscribed 'Iel: 0131-662 1456 as a Worl d Heritage Site in 200 I. The Trust Web Site: www.rcahms.gov.uk aims to preserve New Lanark as a sustainable co mmunity, with a resident popu1ation and Acknowledgements new opportuni ties for employment. The New Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Lanark Visitor Centre and New Lanark Mill Friends of New Lanark Hotel are open all year round. For detail s of National Galleries of Scotland events and activities, call 01555 -66 1345 or National Museums Liverpool visit the website www.newlan ark.org. New Lanark Conservation Trust Peter McGowan Associates The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) is Sarah-Jane Brazil, World Heritage Site Co-ordinator Scotland's leading charity devoted to the Scottish Wildlife Trust conservation of all of Scotland's wildlife. Its South Lanarkshire Counci I Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve is the most popular of all its 124 properties and has been a reserve, in conjunction with Corehouse Estate and Scottish Power, since 1969. The Visitor Centre, the Dyeworks, New Lanark, Friends of New Lanark is the home of the reserve's ranger service, shop and displays of natural and cultural Tllis publication has been made possible by a heritage. For details of events and activities, generous grant from the Friends of New Lanark please telephone 01555-665262 or email and New Lanark Conservation Trust. [email protected]. 3 J M W Turner (1775- 1851 ): The Fall oj,he Clyde. Lallarkshire: NoolI- Vide Akellsides Hymll '0 'he Naiads. 1802. National Museums 5 J M W Turner (1775-185 1): Th e Falls of'he Clyde. c. I 840-50. National Museums Liverpool (Lady Lever Art Gall ery). Crown Copyright: RCAHMS 2004 Li verpool (Wa lker Art Gallery). ISBN 1-902419-40-5 was exploited in the middle ages for its defensive building erected princi pally for the enjoyment of the enabl e visi tors to descend to the side of tbe great Various changes have taken place around the potenti al with th e building ofCorra Castle surrounding landscape. The BOlmington Pavi li on pool below Corra Linn [ 15]. Her patronage is Fa ll s of Clyde over the ]last century, onc of the most (sometimes known as Corehouse although thi s is [19-21], a two-storeycd stone-built structure recorded on an inscribed stone panel dated 1829 sct notable being the creation of a hyd ro-electri c scheme al so the name of a later mansion situated nearby) which was accessibl e from the now-demol is hed beside the steps. She also had a fountain in stalled in the 1920s. A short di stance downstream from on a promontory a short distance upstream from Bonnington House, is dated 1708 on an inscribed beside the path between Con'a Linn and BOllJlington Corra Linll is the Bonnington Power Station [17], Corra Lil1n on the west bank of the river [9-1 2]. panel above the main doorway. Although it was said Linn, on ly th e lower part ofwhicb now su rvives. a hydro-electric generating station built of ferro Built in the 15 1h century and now much overgrown to have been ruinous in 1772, it is shown in good Nearby, and adding to the enh ancement of the area's concrete designed by engi neers Messrs Buchan & and decayecl, its ex posed situation made it highl y condition in a draw ing by Alexander Archer dated romantic associations, is 'Wall ace's Cave' [1 8]. A Partners of Edinburgh and built by Sir Willi am Arrol defen sibl e and the entrance was protected by a IS37 [191.