May 2021 Advertiser Article

The above image is a brief animation showing the Haigh Park area today, courtesy Google Maps, OS Maps and the Fowler drawing from 1823. The images loop through the same location over two hundred year period.

One of the benefits of writing an article for a magazine is that occasionally someone responds to the essay with a new piece of information, which adds more to the understanding of the subject.… Read the full article

December 2020 Advertiser Article

Approaching Christmas 2020, with many uncertainties abounding, due to the ongoing national crisis. It is interesting from a curiosity perspective to look at some information from the housekeeper accounts at Parlington to give an insight into the family activities at Christmas in a Victorian household. Writing this article at the beginning of November shortly after the announcement by Government of a second “lockdown”, it is unclear what kind of Christmas we can expect this year.… Read the full article

July 2020 Advertiser Article

Following the outbreak of the pandemic due to Covid-19 the distribution of the Advertiser magazine was suspended. I put previous articles on the site here for people to re-visit the information I had written about Parlington and also for those who are outside the circulation area of the magazines.

From July the Advertiser is re-commencing its normal circulation so I have decided to put the articles on here, but with a delay over the printed version to prevent these articles from eclipsing the paper version.… Read the full article

Advertiser Mag :: 2019 #14

Craignish Castle, Argyleshire

The focus of this column is about the history of Parlington, and to a lesser extent the families who inhabited the hall. However in the spirit of offering a wider perspective of activities, we shall uncover a story of the Gascoigne seafaring during the nineteenth century. I first came across a reference to a sea going vessel some years back in a short newspaper article about the launch in August 1866 into the Clyde of a steam yacht ‘Ibis’ from the yard of Partick shipbuilders Tod & MacGregor, built for Frederick Charles Trench-Gascoigne of Craignish and Parlington.… Read the full article

Boxing Day Hunt

hunting

Given the mild weather over Christmas it was a good fine occasion for the Boxing Day Hunt at Parlington, the above shot was taken as the riders were passing along Parlington Lane, to the west of the Dark Arch. There were no incidents, in fact a farmer friend of mine could not recall the hunt ever having made a kill, I do recall a few years ago a fleet footed specimen tearing across the old deer park near to a small clump of chestnut trees.… Read the full article