2 October 2009

Media Releases

A squad of five hand-carved soldiers and fragments of two tiny wooden horses have been discovered during the major refurbishment work in the royal palace at Stirling Castle, due to re-open in 2011. Just 4.5cm high, the soldiers are dressed in red jackets and busbies, similar to those worn by some units of the British Army in the 19th century. A plasterer discovered them concealed beneath the floor on the first floor of the palace in an area which was used by the army for several centuries. Initial examination suggests that they could date from around 1830 to 1850, possibly later, and may have been children’s toys, or used by adults for gaming.

2 October 2009

Media Releases

There are two great days of family fun lined up at Stanley Mills especially for the October school holidays. At the same time Historic Scotland has announced that its visitor centre at the former cotton mill complex by the Tay is to stay open throughout the winter.

2 October 2009

Media Releases

Four leading experts on one of the great surviving masterpieces of Pictish art will be speaking at a special seminar. The event, which is part of Highland Archaeology Festival, focuses on the results of the latest research into the Hilton of Cadboll Stone, from the north of Scotland. It is being staged by Historic Scotland as a way of thanking people for their involvement and interest in the research projects.

24 September 2009

Media Releases

Melrose Abbey has been declared one of Scotland’s top-class visitor attractions. Independent quality assurance inspectors from VisitScotland have granted it the coveted five-star status after examining every aspect of the visitor experience. This means the three staffed Borders Abbeys cared for by Historic Scotland, and Smailholm Tower, are all now five-star attractions. Minister for Culture, External Affairs and the Constitution, Michael Russell, said: “You can’t get better than five star, so this is a brilliant achievement by the staff at Melrose. It now means that all Historic Scotland paid attractions in the Borders are of five star status. All the staff at the attractions have worked very hard to get and to keep this level of quality across the region. This is a great achievement for the staff locally, for the heritage agency overall and something we can be very proud of.”

23 September 2009

Media Releases

John Graham, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland has announced that he will retire at the end of this month. John has worked with the civil service for 37 years, the last 5 of which have been spent as heading up Historic Scotland - an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the nation’s historic environment and promoting its understanding and enjoyment on behalf of Scottish Ministers.