Rothesay Castle

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper           

The Royal Burgh of Rothesay, perhaps from the Gaelic Reogh-siudh, ‘King’s seat’; Rothesay is the home of the Stuart kings of Scotland. This is subtly woven through the fabric of the town, melded with the day-to -day life. High on the lampposts of the shoreline, watching us from the royal crests on the poles, Rothesay Castle is firmly rooted to the heart of the town. The pride of the Stuart Kings of Scotland still echoes here and I feel the people of Rothesay look out for each other now with a loyalty threaded through the years. 

Royal View (2)

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

The tenements that circle the castle; imbued with its history, they face inwards like outer sentries of the moat, caught in the spirals of time.

The Swans

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

From my living room window it goes like this. First there is the little road that circles the castle. There is a low, stone, moss-covered wall around the castle, then the lime grassy bank, which tumbles to the moat and rises again on the other side. On the castle side of the moat there is a low-hung bush. And under the protective branches of this bush, against the brown earth, are five large white swan eggs. When it is time for the family to travel to the sea, the castle gate is opened, the policeman is called to stop the traffic and the town comes out to wish them well on their journey.

Royal View

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

6 King Street, once called Royal View, tells many stories from its windows. There is time to walk together in the rain.

The Islander

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

There are 18 pubs in Rothesay and more licensed premises. They are central to the clockwork of the town. 

The Smoking Ban

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

The thick smoky air of the pubs let out one slow long last breath and drifted into the invisible past. Like a new painting on the palettes of Scotland’s streets, small groups now gather in pub doorways.

Guildford Square

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The shelter faces outwards for the buses and inwards to the square. It is somewhere to sit and amicably pass the time of day.

Rothesay Ramblers

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

A Monday and a Saturday, days when the ramblers take to the countryside, sink deep into its mossy hills and skim the pebbly shores. 

Doon the Watter

Silver gelatin print on fibre base paper

In the estuary of the River Clyde, The Isle of Bute evokes a feeling of isolation as it gazes north to the Cowal peninsula, and a feeling of connectedness in its proximity to Glasgow and the relationships it weaves within its pebbly shores. Held in by water, grounded in history and bound through the land, the sense of community is strong.