Inschfield Recumbant Stone Circle, visited 13 February 2021

I always think that a stone circle in a snowy landscape is hugely evocative.  Today I was able to take the chance to visit the remnants of the Inschfield stone circle in just such a landscape and I am rather pleased with my photos.  After a week of heavy snow, the only footprints around the …

Kirkton of Premnay Parish Church visited 23 June 2020

Built in 1792 and enlarged in the 1820s, the church has been a private dwelling for many years.  Built of granite it has a simple bellcote and is typical of Aberdeenshire post-reformation churches of this era i.e., unremarkable. On the opposite side of the road and downhill from the church is a large 19th century …

Essay – The Significance Of The Tomb In The Medieval Cathedral

Lincoln Cathedral West Front Medieval cathedrals were invariably surrounded by graveyards.  To be buried within the Cathedral, one had to be at the top of the social hierarchy, just as the buildings themselves were at the pinnacle of a hierarchy of church buildings[i]. Tombs within cathedrals were therefore reserved for the senior clergy such as …

Old Rayne Village and Stone Circle

Old Rayne today is a small sleepy village some 5 km east of Insch just north of the main A96 Aberdeen to Inverness trunk road.  Now small, it was once an important church and market centre.  The lands of Rayne were granted to the bishopric of Aberdeen in 1137.  There was once a residence of …

Upper Ord and Wheedlemont Stone Circles, visited 19 July 2020

Wheedlemont remoins of Stone Circle On Sunday's club ride we took the minor road between Ryhnie (a centre of Pictish power until the 6th century) and Wheedlemont. This road passes 2 stone circles. The 1st of these is Upper Ord. Upper Ord - remaining Stones When Coles visited Upper Ord in 1902 there were 5 …

St Andrew’s Parish Church Gartly visited 30 May 2020

Gartly Parish Church is a small rural church, located on the east side of a small river valley and surrounded by large arable fields. Apart from the former manse which stands a short distance uphill to the east, the Church is somewhat isolated and almost 3km north of the Village of Gartly as the crow …

Mill of Noth Stone Circle (possible remains) – visited 30 May 2020

I have been living in the North East of Scotland for over 20 years now and must have passed the Mill of Noth Stone Circle just outside Rhynie hundreds, if not thousands of times, without ever noticing it.  It was only whilst looking at an OS map of the area, a couple of weeks ago …

St Mary’s Auchindoir, visited 20 April 2020

Aberdeenshire Council’s website has a rather fine set of pages dedicated to the archeology of the area and this includes the following with recommendations of sites to visit: https://www.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/leisure-sport-and-culture/archaeology/sites-to-visit/ As we all know during the COvid-19 Lockdown our trips are going to be limited to those sites that can be reached during our permitted daily …

Leslie’s former parish Kirk – visited 18 April 2020

After leaving Clatt I turned to home via Leslie and Auchleven (known locally as Premnay).  Two miles either side of Auchleven are 2 Kirks that have been turned into private dwellings, but at Leslie the Old Parish Church, though sold to a private buyer in 2012, remains pretty much as it was when under Church …

Clatt Auld Kirk – visited 18 April 2020

In these days of Lockdown we are allowed to exercise locally and this has had at least one beneficial effect of making one pay more attention to that which is close by but not visited.  In the case of Clatt’s Auld Kirk, I have passed this hundreds of times without stopping, though always admiring its …