This is of a piece with HES’s heavy handed work which leaves many of our nationally important historic sites inaccessible or surrounded by ugly temporary fences. The Radical Road and the entire area Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park, Dirleton, Tantallon, Hailes, Jedburgh Abbey, Arbroath Abbey, Craigneathan, Caelaverock, and many others all closed or partly closed apparently indefinitely for vague reasons that keep changing.
Also closed: Dallas Dhu distillery, Deer Abbey, Glenbuchat Castle, thè top floor of Huntly Castle, Inverlochy Castle, Kisimul Castle, the upper floors of St Clements Church, the ground floor at Midhowe stalled cairn on Rousay, Argyll’s Lodging, much of Marr’s Wark (full of heras fencing), Clackmannan Tower (you can look at the outside), Lochmaben, Orchardton Tower, St Ninian’s Cave, Glenluce Abbey, Kilchurn Castle, Westquarter Doocote (you can look at the outside), Dunfermline Palace (though HES’s website doesn’t say so), parts of Ravenscraig Castle, Scotstarvit Tower, Balvaird Castle (you can see the outside), Claypotts Castle, Dunkeld Cathedral, Lindsay Burial Aisle (you can see the outside, which is hardly the point), Cadzow, thè chapterhouse and choir at Crossraguel Abbey, parts of Dundonald castle, Foulden Tithe Barn. Scalloway Castle
They’re very cagey about the closures on the HES website. See also Melrose Abbey interior closed, Crichton castle closed (HES say the grounds are open, which is dishonest, since there are no grounds in the sense of a garden it means you can look at the outside of the castle), St Rules Tower in St Andrews is closed and so is the cathedral museum. Cardoness and Threave also remain closed or partially closed. Kelso Abbey remains closed Greenknowe Tower is closed. Maclellans Castle in Kirkudbright is closed. I’ve been to the Meigle museum twice during opening hours in the last few years and it’s been closed without any explanation on HES’s website.
Yes I thought it was closed the last time I was there, but the HES website says dishonestly that the grounds are open - so you can’t tell that the priory is still closed
Add to that HES’s bizarre decision across many of its properties to close at lunchtime (and throw out visitors at that time), you get the impression of an organisation run for the benefit of its staff, without regard to its role in engaging Scots in the culture and history of their country
I’m very much with you in terms of sentiment, but just to say this isn’t the Aberlemno Battle Stone, which is still upright (as far as I know!) - it’s the equally important Aberlemno III roadside cross-slab. I hope it will be repaired speedily and returned to Aberlemno where it belongs.
This sounds ridiculous, has anyone covered the Ring of Brodgar to protect it from the weather, I don’t think so? Or Calanais, or Stonehenge, or Avebury. Maybe our ancestors had a few more answers than we have nowadays?
This is of a piece with HES’s heavy handed work which leaves many of our nationally important historic sites inaccessible or surrounded by ugly temporary fences. The Radical Road and the entire area Salisbury Crags in Holyrood Park, Dirleton, Tantallon, Hailes, Jedburgh Abbey, Arbroath Abbey, Craigneathan, Caelaverock, and many others all closed or partly closed apparently indefinitely for vague reasons that keep changing.
And the mine and countermine in St Andrews Castle is closed
And most of these closures started with the pandemic, so it’s been years
Also closed: Dallas Dhu distillery, Deer Abbey, Glenbuchat Castle, thè top floor of Huntly Castle, Inverlochy Castle, Kisimul Castle, the upper floors of St Clements Church, the ground floor at Midhowe stalled cairn on Rousay, Argyll’s Lodging, much of Marr’s Wark (full of heras fencing), Clackmannan Tower (you can look at the outside), Lochmaben, Orchardton Tower, St Ninian’s Cave, Glenluce Abbey, Kilchurn Castle, Westquarter Doocote (you can look at the outside), Dunfermline Palace (though HES’s website doesn’t say so), parts of Ravenscraig Castle, Scotstarvit Tower, Balvaird Castle (you can see the outside), Claypotts Castle, Dunkeld Cathedral, Lindsay Burial Aisle (you can see the outside, which is hardly the point), Cadzow, thè chapterhouse and choir at Crossraguel Abbey, parts of Dundonald castle, Foulden Tithe Barn. Scalloway Castle
They’re very cagey about the closures on the HES website. See also Melrose Abbey interior closed, Crichton castle closed (HES say the grounds are open, which is dishonest, since there are no grounds in the sense of a garden it means you can look at the outside of the castle), St Rules Tower in St Andrews is closed and so is the cathedral museum. Cardoness and Threave also remain closed or partially closed. Kelso Abbey remains closed Greenknowe Tower is closed. Maclellans Castle in Kirkudbright is closed. I’ve been to the Meigle museum twice during opening hours in the last few years and it’s been closed without any explanation on HES’s website.
Beauly Priory
Yes I thought it was closed the last time I was there, but the HES website says dishonestly that the grounds are open - so you can’t tell that the priory is still closed
I didn’t know about all of these. I’ll ask them. Used to enjoy going to Hailes Castle. I know - it feels like they’re using their power
Add to that HES’s bizarre decision across many of its properties to close at lunchtime (and throw out visitors at that time), you get the impression of an organisation run for the benefit of its staff, without regard to its role in engaging Scots in the culture and history of their country
“It became necessary to break the stone in order to preserve it.”
(With apologies to Peter Arnett’s reported quote of a US major after the battle of Ben Tre, south of Saigon. New York Times, 8 February 1968, p14.)
That’s about the size of if
I’m very much with you in terms of sentiment, but just to say this isn’t the Aberlemno Battle Stone, which is still upright (as far as I know!) - it’s the equally important Aberlemno III roadside cross-slab. I hope it will be repaired speedily and returned to Aberlemno where it belongs.
Ok. What number do you think the Battle Stime is? None of the other HES numbers correspond - google says lll is the Battle Stone
Battle Stone is Aberlemno 2 (aka Aberlemno Kirkyard). This is Aberlemno 3, the roadside cross-slab.
Google says 3 is thr battle stone but I hope you’re right
The numbering and naming systems for Pictish stones are a right old mess. But this is 2, the Battle Stone: https://canmore.org.uk/site/34806/aberlemno-2, and this is 3, the roadside cross-slab that has needlessly blown over: https://canmore.org.uk/site/34863/aberlemno-3
This sounds ridiculous, has anyone covered the Ring of Brodgar to protect it from the weather, I don’t think so? Or Calanais, or Stonehenge, or Avebury. Maybe our ancestors had a few more answers than we have nowadays?
We were there yesterday (28 Feb) - a sea of boxes!