| Cultural highs of the Scottish west |
|
|
|
Page 2 of 2 The old lady didn't throw much away and it is a stroke of luck that after her death her papers and possessions were not disposed of and the flat redecorated and sold. Today it is owned and managed by the NTS and so authentic are the rooms that it's as though Agnes might climb the stairs and walk through the door at any moment. Even the gas lighting is real. Pollok House, built in the middle of the 18th century for the Maxwell family, is on a grand country house scale, sitting in 361 acres not far from the city centre. Life here was certainly very different from that of ordinary folk in Glasgow's tenements. Today this imposing residence is a showcase for an outstanding collection of art. An army of servants once serviced the household, working out of over 40 rooms off a central basement corridor. The last owner of Pollok House was Sir John Stirling Maxwell, a founder member of the National Trust for Scotland. Burns an' a' that!If your visit to Glasgow allows time to tour Ayrshire and Arran, what a wealth of scenery, history and architecture awaits you. For a start, this is Burns Country and devotees of Scotland's beloved poet - who was born into a farming family and who wrote (and loved!) prodigiously before dying aged only 37 - will find more than enough to occupy them.Burns National Heritage Park hosts festivals and events throughout the year and it is in the small nearby village of Alloway that you find the humble cottage the poet's father built in 1757, restored and open to the public alongside a little museum. Family graves are in the nearby kirkyard, setting of Burns' famous Tam O'Shanter and a short walk away is the 'Brig' o'Doon' (bridge over the Doon) immortalised in that poem. In Tarbolton is the Bachelors Club, a 17th-century thatched house where Robert Burns and his men friends formed a debating club in 1780 while in Kirkoswald is another Burns landmark - Souter ('shoemaker') Johnnie's Cottage. Both are owned by the NTS and open to the public from 1 April until 30 September. At Culzean (pronounced Coolayn) Castle, perched dramatically on the cliff edge overlooking the sea, the Burns faithful gather in early June for the high point of the Burns Festival, the gala concert held in the castle grounds. The turrets and towers are floodlit to provide a spectacular backdrop to the event where the cream of Scottish singers and musicians entertain a vast crowd. Converted by Robert Adam from a fortified tower into the fabulous Italianate castle that it is today, and restored to its 18th century grandeur thanks to the NTS, Culzean Castle and its Country Park are a must for any visitor to the area. By the way, the top floor apartments which were given to General Eisenhower in recognition of his role during the Second World War are now run as a small country house hotel, a magnificent setting for a special weekend, with the chance you may even sit down to dinner with a visiting celebrity or two. Arran boundOne hour by Caledonian MacBrayne ferry across the Firth of Clyde brings you to 'Scotland in miniature', the Isle of Arran. Flying above it in a helicopter shows just how true that description is, with the highlands and Goatfell to the north and lush lowlands to the south where you will find yet another unmissable castle, Brodick.This has a more intimate feel than Culzean and in fact it was lived in by the Duke and Duchess of Montrose and their family until 1957. When the Duchess died the Inland Revenue accepted the castle and its contents in lieu of death duties and handed it over to the NTS. Somehow, despite the austere exterior, the grandeur of the reception rooms and splendid furnishings, it has a homely feel, with framed family photos and personal possessions still on show. Brodick's gardens are a botanical 'grand tour' of several continents yet, like the castle, they are on a human scale. The Duchess's walled garden shelters exotic trees and plants which thrive in the mild micro-climate and affords visitors a glorious view to the sea and mainland beyond. Further informationPenny Kitchen flew to Glasgow from Heathrow with BMI. Fares from £28 one way through www.flybmi.comFor more information about the National Trust for Scotland - tel: 0131 243 9300 or visit www.nts.org.uk Members of the National Trust for England, Wales and Northern Ireland are granted free admission to NTS properties. Glasgow tourist information - tel: 0141 204 4400 or visit www.seeglasgow.com Scotland tourist information - tel: 0845 225 5121 or visit www.visitscotland.com*. |
