In time for the festive season, the team at ScottishLaird have decided to thank all those folk who follow us via Social Media – on twitter, on Facebook, on Linkedin, through our blogs, with a 10% discount on selected items at our online store.
Today we produced this iconic piece of graphic design (well, we think it is iconic), in the established house-style of ScottishLaird.com, to represent the work on the Bridge, as well as encapsulate our intention to restore the bridge during its bicentenary year. This is preparatory to further grant fund applications, as well as something very exciting we are working on at the moment. Suffice to say there’ll be more news shortly.
AOC’s laser survey has output some very interesting internal elevations of the castle. These will be used to begin the design work on the building over the next few months.
The featured image above is the preliminary specification for the clearance work which will have to be completed before detailed drawings are attempted.
We’re presently obtaining costs on this work, and will report back shortly on the revised programme.
This plan of the castle shows where the sections have been taken. The ends are squared off in the direction we’re looking at.Elevation 1: View Northwest from behind the front facade, notice the main turret on the left. Elevation 2: View Northeast through the main apartment towards the old house showing the level of the detritus remaining to be clearedThese multiple elevations, 3, 3A and 3B show the sort of detail we will need to specify the works. Also interesting here is the cross section of the main turret, on the right.This fourth elevation shows the remains of the wall behind the facade, looking South-east, much of which is visible from the front door of the castleThe full preliminary specification for clearance
We’ve finally managed to get our range of gorgeous lambswool items online and looking lovely. Find it here!
There’s a scarf, a stole, a blanket and a serape – all 100% pure New Wool in the Dunans Rising tartan – all in time for Christmas! But there’s limited stock!
This weekend the final survey at Dunans was completed – an accurate survey of the ground around the castle is absolutely key when planning drainage, access and outbuildings. Gregor from GM Geomatics spent the day with multiple yellow tripods and lasers, and we should see the results shortly!
Note the tripod and tallest tree leaning slightly to the right – more about the cameraman than the surveyor!
This is the area surveyed:
The final element of the detailed survey work is an interior dimensional survey of the castle – which requires clearance of the interior spaces.
We have had lots of great moments with Lairds and Ladies when they come to visit their plot of land. Often they will want to leave a marker, or tribute, or ‘development’: we’ve had the flags of most nationalities, we’ve had farmyard animals, we’ve even had a red Monopoly hotel – but today we had one of the most creative …
If you are a Laird or Lady and want to take the tour and visit your plot of land, please click here for more details!
Today we had a marvellous outing courtesy of Sadie. For my birthday last year my darling wife gave me a jaunt in the Loch Lomond Seaplane. Well, today we finally got to go. It was a truly brilliant day out, and the highlight was of course circling Dunans in the morning sunlight before going off for lunch at Loch Voil. We thoroughly recommend this as a great way of seeing Argyll and especially Cowal which on the right day is spectacular!
Approaching Dunans …
The castle and bridge …
Overhead
Leaving for lunch …
Our plane, and from left to right, Eric, the boatman, all my girls and Granny, and walking off, Scott the pilot…
For everyone who has entered our competition to vote for all the photos included in this gorgeous calendar, it is now for sale at the Scottish Laird website!
I’m really very proud of this – not least because it uses photographs from both myself and our redoubtable in-house professional photographer, Jean Donaldson (powan.co.uk). We do have one archive shot, not used before, to show what Dunans was like c. 1930. …. And we couldn’t resist a shot of the Scotties too, looking delightful in the frost this January.
I wonder if you can guess which are Jean’s and which are mine? Confirmation when you buy the calendar and look at the credits at the end!
It was bound to happen at some point: the two companies working so successfully side-by-side at Dunans would eventually get together and create a theatrical piece for our Lairds and Ladies.
Well, today marked the first performance of a specially commissioned play ‘The Drovers and the Laird’ by the The Walking Theatre Company, written by my lovely/their very own in-house play-wright, Sadie Dixon-Spain, and performed by Rebecca Bloom, Janis Marshall-Reilly and John Love.
The play begins in 1715 and tells the tale of the arrival at ‘Dounens’ of the first Fletcher. Rob Roy MacGregor makes an appearance as does the lovely Anne McNabb, however more than these snippets I will not reveal because next year we’re going to put on several performances of the play for our Lairds and Ladies.
Rebecca Bloom (front left) and Sadie Dixon-Spain (front right) with other members of The Walking Theatre Company a couple of years ago!
When you ask? Well the dates are not confirmed, but we think four or five weekends through the summer, and each will be available to our Lairds and Ladies well in advance to enable travel plans.
We’re also developing “command performances” for very special Lairds and Ladies – more on the website soon.
You may also be wondering why the picture of woodland at the top? Well, the party asked not to have photos taken on the day, so our only option was a long distance shot of the opening scene – on the bridge, in the sunshine. I can attest that there was lots of laughter, but the performers and audience are not really visible at all. Oh well. Next time we’ll get Jean Donaldson of Powan to take some crackers!
