Queen & Country THE SALTIRE Symbol of Scotland JOHN KNOX Is this Scotland’s most divisive figure? Heirs & GracesGraces Tracing ancestry Aberdeenshirein ANCESTRY • HISTORY • HERITAGE • TRAVEL The world’s leading Scottish-interest magazine How Her Majesty spends her time, both on and o duty ISSUE 124 Sept/Oct 2022 £4.95 COASTSMUGGLERS’ Uncover tales of illicit goings on in Berwickshire experienceaWINLuxuryScotland Myths & Legends Enduring folk tales woven into our favourite places
12 Scotland JOURNAL | Window into Scotland
Words by KATE FRANCIS
This issue our friend takes a treasured trip to the Northern Isles to discover a way of life distinct from her own
My three darling daughters took me on a birthday trip to Orkney recently; sadly, my son couldn’t attend because he was committed to a charity hike in the Becausesouth.of work schedules, we could only stay for two days and nights, but we managed to cram in a full programme. The highlight for me was The Italian Chapel, which has always been on my wish list. The story behind its creation is such an inspiring example of faith and community spirit. During the Second World War, several hundred Italian prisoners, captured during the North African campaign, were sent to Orkney to build the Churchill Barriers to seal off Scapa Flow from enemy invasion. Their quarters were a cluster of grim huts, and their hearts must have sunk on arrival: a permanent cold wind; miles of treeless pasture; almost Arctic winters; ice-cold sea; pasta replaced with haggis and neeps. But despite the daunting difference to their Mediterranean homeland, and contrary to the stories we hear today about the treatment of war prisoners in alien countries, these Italians discovered a community of affectionate people who wanted to make life as bearable as possible for their visitors. It didn’t take them long to settle in and start improving their temporary home. They made a garden with owers and paths, put up a recreation hut with a concrete billiard table
Notes from the Isles
ABOVE: Kate and Cronie, her BorderfaithfulTerrier BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT: The chapel was designed by artist, and prisoner of war, backbeenPalumbi,fellowwasrood-screenwrought-irontheChiocchetti;DomenicobeautifulinsidemadebyhisprisonerwhohadablacksmithhomeinItaly
A new commandant, Major Buckland, sensing their homesickness, conferred with their padre, Father Gioacchino Giacobazzi, and one of the prisoners, Domenico Chiocchetti, an extremely talented artist.
and staged theatrical performances. But they lacked the one thing that could bring them, if not ‘happiness’, at least spiritual ful lment: a chapel. Their strong Catholic faith didn’t blend easily with Orkney’s somewhat austere Presbyterianism. They yearned for the comfort of their own church – and their faith was rewarded.
Almost all the materials available were scraps from the land and from the many wartime shipwrecks that dotted Scapa Flow. They lined the interior of the hanger with plasterboard, which they adorned with ornate designs. The altar, altar-rail and holy water stoop were moulded in concrete and decorated. Lanterns were made from discarded tins of bully beef, candlesticks from rods salvaged from the wrecks and Giuseppe Palumbi, a smith, made a fantastic wrought-iron rood-screen. While all this was in production, Chiocchetti applied his unique talents to the artwork, transforming the chancel with a series of truly glorious wallThepaintings.exterior of the front entrance was given a Gothic-style façade, which screened the corrugated iron structure, all clad with painted cement. Now restored, it’s dif cult to believe this chapel evolved from a couple of Nissen huts. Such a strong bond was forged between the Italians and the hospitable Orcadians that, when Chiocchetti returned in 1960 to restore his masterpiece, he was entertained as a celebrity by all the islanders. On our visit, we stayed in a charming old mill, with parts of the original timber slicing through our two bedrooms. I asked our friendly hostess whether they considered themselves Scottish or Nordic and she almost exploded in horror: “We are Orcadians – we don’t like the Scots!”
S Scotland 13 Window into Scotland | JOURNAL MCARTHURVISITSCOTLAND/FIONN©
A combination of goodwill, pastoral concern and artistic genius resulted in the building of this chapel. They were given two Nissen huts, which they joined together end to end. Such an eyesore could have daunted the most optimistic of builders, but, with the commandant’s blessing, Chiocchetti took over, assisted by a team of fellow prisoners, who had previously been cement workers, electricians, smiths, builders, and joiners.
The islands were taken over, probably from the Picts, by Vikings from Norway at the end of the 8th century, but in 1468 they were ‘pawned’ by Christian I of Norway, who couldn’t nd the money for his daughter Margaret’s dowry on her marriage to James III of Scotland. The dowry was never paid, so Scotland kept Orkney and the incoming lairds treated the islanders like serfs – hence their antipathy to Scots today. Of the many treasures we visited, Skara Brae stands out next to the chapel in my memory. A cluster of Stone Age houses, it was completely buried during a storm and forgotten for 4,000 years, until another storm uncovered the ruins in 1850. Because there are no trees in Orkney, everything was built of stone – not just the structures, but all the furniture and ttings. The settlement is now below ground level, so you walk round the dunes looking down into the rooms and passageways and marvel at how little the essentials of domestic life – dressers to store food, box beds, basins – have changed. During the Mesolithic period, more than 8,000 years ago, God decided to make some geological adjustments to our world. He sent a massive tsunami to cut off a peninsula from Europe’s western coast and Britain was formed, surrounded byAimingarchipelagos.atdiversity, He varied the scenery in each island group, and the characters of the inhabitants. With our strong Hebridean roots we were conscious of the distinct difference between the Outer Hebrides in the west and Orkney to the northeast. Going clockwise round the top of mainland Britain, the Hebrides in the west are completely different to the Orkney Islands to the northeast, despite being only 100 miles apart as the crow ies, and their people are different too. The Western Isles are noted for their steep, rocky hills carpeted in heather, with cascading burns, sh- lled lochs, and miles of sandy beaches below acres of fertile machair. Sheep predominate, with few cattle. Their people are Celtic, Gaelic-speaking, gentle and bardic. In contrast, Orkney has attish, treeless, green pastureland, almost entirely given to cattle, with few sheep and little sign of arable elds. Their people are down to earth, extrovert, and friendly, with an ironic sense of humour. With Orkney ticked off my wish list, Shetland here I come. two
The Mull of Galloway Lighthouse, built by Robert Stevenson in 1830, tops the high headland amid the gulls, puf ns, and a stylish café. This is as far south as you can drive in Scotland. But it is worth it. Of all the parts of Scotland we write about, it is Galloway that is the real hidden gem. Tucked into the southwest corner of the mainland and off the main road and rail network, it takes a conscious decision to get here. But the rewards for making the effort are great. From gloriously green forests in the north to the beaches and cliffs of the long, rugged coastline, through rich farmland and wild moorland, Galloway is layered in history. Its fans come to escape the bustle of modern-day life, but once you unwind it’s easy to become caught up getting under its skin. Galloway is the western part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council area and is made up of the traditional counties of Kirkcudbrightshire and Wigtownshire. The Solway Firth lies to the south and the North Channel of the Irish Sea is to the west, with Northern Ireland just 22 miles away. Stranraer on the west coast is 85 miles from Glasgow, so although it seems far off the tourist trail, it’s really no distance at all. I’m exploring a small portion of the South West Coastal 300 (SWC300) driving route, a route that takes in the coast, hills, and forests of southwest ©
18 Scotland TRAVEL | South West Coastal 300
HILLAMICHAEL©ILLUSTRATION:
SHIELDS/VISITSCOTLANDRUTHERFORD/ALAMY/DAMIANIAN
PREVIOUS PAGE: An aerial view of the Isle of Whithorn and its harbour THIS PAGE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Belted Galloway cattle adaptedhaveto living on the harsh upland pastures and southerlyScotland’sofregion;moorswindsweptofthetheMullGallowayismostpoint
The wind could atten you – it certainly takes your breath away as you gaze out across the sea. Here on the edge of Scotland, an engineering masterpiece guards the seafarers and tempts countless modern tourists along a single-track road.
Its fans come to escape the bustle of modern-day life, but once you unwind it’s easy to become caught up getting under its skin
Words by MARK ROWE
discovered
of the best preserved
settlements in the world, in its grounds
SKAILL Orkney’s oldest house, whose former owner Skara Brae, one Neolithic
BACK We visit
Don’t make that mistake: instead, step through Skaill’s formidable front door, still protected by the original medieval drawbar, a defensive implement that was remarkably adept – as was necessary – at preventing violent entry. ‘Skaill’ is an old Norse word for a hall, and from the outside this looks every inch a stage set from a Hammer House of Horror movie: the façade appears to have been forged from smooth grey stone, with parapet walls, and bolted together with buttresses and turrets. It stands severe and isolated amid
LEFT: Skaill House lies just a short distance from Skara Brae, which was unearthed by the 7th Laird of Breckness in 1850 BELOW: Skara Brae
LAMVISITSCOTLAND/KENNY©
Skara Brae, the best-preserved Neolithic village in northern Europe, is set within a magni cently elemental location. To the west, relentless Atlantic Ocean waves muscle up against the modern-day defences that provide shelter between the sea and the wind-battered ensemble of 5,000-year-old houses. The serrated, undulating liminal edges of Orkney pull away to the north and south, less a coastline, more an elemental jawline.
Glowering over Skara Brae to the east stands Skaill House, home for the past 400 years to a magni cently larger-thanlife bishop, powerful lairds and to this day said to be thoroughly haunted.
Skaill House | STATELYHOMES
Entrance to the house is included in your ticket to Skara Brae, yet, while the latter is indisputably the headline act, surprisingly few take up the option.
I knew that seven of my grandmother’s siblings had emigrated to Canada and America at the turn of the last century, that my great-grandfather had died relatively young at the age of 56, leaving Granny Watson to look after ve children ranging in ages from 16 (my grandmother Agnes) to the youngest, Micky, aged seven. All this in a time when there was no NHS or social security – life must have been tough, yet letters and photos from the time show a happy family who kept in touch, despite the distance. The Watson family came from farming stock, living, and working on various farms around New Pitsligo and New Deer. According to the census of 1851, my great, great grandparents lived at Buchan BEYOND&
Even the names – Maud, New Deer, Cowbog, Brucklay Castle – were intriguing. But it took the sorting out of old photos and letters to create the spark that prompted me to head ‘up north’, hoping to meet up with relatives, explore the places I had heard about and ll in some missing pieces of the jigsaw in the family tree.
Alison Hughes goes on a journey of discovery in rural Aberdeenshire, connecting the dots of her family’s story
MCGOWAN/ALAMYTOMKINS/BRUCEVISITSCOTLAND/PAUL©
FROMCLOCKWISETOPLEFT: harbour;Gardenstown’s Katie’s Wuddie by FarmingAberdeenshireDonaldson;JohnMuseumatAdenCountryPark;themainroomatHareshowe;Agnes(Alison’sgrandmother)andKate(Ellen’sMother);Hareshowehouse
For many years I have been fascinated by my Scottish roots, fuelled by tales my grandmother used to tell me of her childhood growing up in rural Aberdeenshire.
46 Scotland FAMILYHISTORY | Tracing ancestry
Tracing ancestry | FAMILYHISTORY
