Saturday 26th October – Tour of Dumfries House, Cumnock, Ayrshire

The visit to Dumfries House at the end of September was a day to remember, with perfect autumn weather to augment a truly outstanding example of 18th century architecture and furniture. The journey by mini bus was easy and comfortable and, while costing a little more, saved the carbon emissions of four or five separate car journeys.  We were lucky to have an erudite and amusing guide who explained that the 5th Earl of Dumfries inherited the title in 1742 and, returning home after a distinguished military career, was determined to find himself a wife and to sire an heir.  To add to his ageing attractions, he commissioned a new and extremely elegant residence on the family estate, designed by the Adams brothers and built between 1754 - 1759.  Together with an outstanding and unique collection of furniture commissioned specially for the house from Thomas Chippendale this provides a fascinating snapshot of the best of design of the middle of the 18th Century.  There is also the largest collection of artefacts designed by the 18th Century Edinburgh furniture makers in existence.

Sadly, although the house and its accoutrements gained him a wife, the 5th earl died in 1768 with no son and heir.  Six hundred items of beautiful furnishings remain in a remarkable state of preservation in their original settings.  This is due to the fact that the house became largely redundant on the acquisition by marriage in 1814 of the title and lands of the Bute estate and for nearly 200 years the house has been kept with a full staff, but only used as an occasional summer residence.  For me, this makes the house very special and sets it aside from other historic houses where alterations and the march of fashion have added layers of change to the original vision.

The house and its unique collection of furniture and fittings were dramatically rescued at the very last minute by a Trust put together by H.R.H. Prince Charles in 2007.  The house is now open to the public by arrangement for the second year.  For those who missed this visit, I can heartily recommend making the trip in the future – booking via the website to make sure of a tour slot.  The catering arrangements are a bit eccentric, but one thoughtful touch is the provision of portable seats, gratefully adopted by those of us who find standing a bit tiring these days and adding greatly to our enjoyment of the tour.

Monday 12th October – Talk - Railways Around Linlithgow – 7:30 pm at the Canal Tearoom

Dr John McGregor, lecturer with the Open University, addressed members on railways around Linlithgow. John researches 19th century railway politics, is a trustee of the Glenfinnan Railway Museum and published ‘The West Highland Railway: Plans, Politics and People’ in 2005.  Part of "Celebrate Linlithgow" 2009

Saturday 29 August - Conducted tour of Holy Rude Church, Stirling

19 LCT Members enjoyed an interesting guided tour of the historic Holy Rude Church, Stirling accompanied by the Rev. Ian Paterson and local guides.

Begun in the early 15th century and still with its original oak roof beams, this is one of Scotland's finest medieval parish churches and it has Scotlands largest romantic organ, which was played for us by the organist and a number of excellent stained glass windows.

After going round the church we visited the graveyard, which has recently been restored at a cost of over £1m.

Sunday 14 June -  2:00pm Conducted Tour of Newbattle Abbey

Located a mile south of Dalkeith, Newbattle Abbey College is a 16th century house which occupies the site of a 12th century abbey, founded by King David I. Members were treated to a fascinating tour of the building which included the drawing room, considered to be one of Scotland's greatest rooms, and the chapel created in a vaulted undercroft that may have dated from the original abbey buildings. It contains a font reputed to have come from Linlithgow. Members were free to explore the gardens to the rear of the house which included a pair of large octagonal 17th century sundials.

Thursday 21 May - Visit to Wemyss Castle Garden

Members enjoyed looking at Wemyss Castle and its recently restored walled gardens, followed by pub lunch a private group visit to the excellent gardens at the Murrel, Aberdour.

Saturday 9 May - Fun Dog Show on the Peel

Historic Scotland and Burgh Beautiful hosted their annual afternoon of fun and games involving dogs. This fun day included displays, participatory games, face painting and show competitions such as sit and stay, the dog with the waggiest tail and dog-and-owner look alike.

Saturday 18 April - LCT Annual General Meeting

The Trust's AGM was held in the Dalyell Suite of the County Buildings, Linlithgow. Our honorary President, Tam Dalyell, gave us an introduction and a short history of his family's association with the town.  This was followed by the business, a raffle and a buffet supper with wine.

Talk by Sybil Cavanagh - Adam Room, Cross House, Monday 16 March

 Members were treated to a well illustrated talk by Sybil Cavanagh at the annual LCT lecture. The subject matter was “West Lothian’s mansions – and what’s become of them". Sybil has been Local History Librarian with West Lothian Libraries since 1990 and is based at the Local History Library, West Lothian Library HQ, Hopefield Road in Blackburn. Sybil organised the excellent West Lothian History and Heritage Fair held on 20 September 2008 at Linlithgow Academy

The Annet Lecture - Linlithgow Academy, 19 February

The Annet Lecture 2009, organised by Linlithgow Heritage Trust, was given by Dr Jenny Wormold, Fellow (Scottish History) at the University of Edinburgh.  The subject of the lecture was “The Palace, James V and Mary, Queen of Scots; the Impressive Father and the Lamentable Daughter.”