Name
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Description
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Bairds of Auchmedden, Recumbent Figure Tomb
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A fine recumbent figure tomb set in a gabled enclosure, the Medieval meets the Renaissance in a particularly Scots idiom. There is an interesting central motif below the figure of corn springing from bones. The wild boar in the crest is extremely rotund and has something almost oriental in its design. Inscriptions: (motto at top) Dominus fecit. (main plaque) An. Dom. 1636. Positum a Georgio Baird de Aucbmedden praeposito Burgi de Bamff in honors Dei & in memorii praedicessoru quorum corpora in die resurrectionis . hic sepulta jacent.(underneath with memento mori) G. B. Mors sceptra ligonibus aequans. Spes altera vitae. Coelum non solvm quaero.
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Banff Museum and Library
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Stained glass window, incorporating Banff town coat of arms. With its insignia of the Virgin Mary and plant motifs in the art nouveau style.
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Bennachie typewriter sculpture
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A sculpture composed of three carved wooden elements (spruce wood). Set under large conifers Making a visual pun between the letter keys of a qwerty keyboard and the seed cones of conifers. It comments on the commercial use of the trees to produce wood pulp for paper and the subsequent use of that paper.
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Burns garden, second Burns bust and Laura Anne memorial stone
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A small civic garden near the Cowie River crossing on the north side of the town centre.
The steel fabricated railings were created by 'The Stonehaven Horizon' a team volunteers when the garden was revamped in 2006. Various themes from Burns's poems are used in this garden, as well as the 'moosie' and the Thistle, along with the 'sun' logo of the Horizon Project Group. The plants in the garden are also those with Burns associations. The 'sun' logo is used throughout the town on various improvements that the group have been involved with.
The Laura Anne memorial a small sandstone memorial relief carved with a rose, inset with a granite plaque bearing the dedication (artist unknown) late 1990s.
The pre eminent raison d'être of the garden is the sandstone Bust of Scotland's most famous poet Robert Burns (b. 25 Jan 1759 Alloway d. 21st July 1796 Dumfries, at the age of 37). The entire piece is covered with references to Burns's poems - each of the four sides of the pedestal has a grotesque mask of one of his many characters along with an associated text. It was carved by Robert Taylor 'Ghosty Bob' - a local monumental mason and sculptor (his nickname a result of his work carving many gravestones).
This is the mark 2 version. Both works ultimately derive from the 1787 portrait by Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). This seems to be regarded as the definitive image of Burns and has been used as a source for most of the huge number of later representations, it is certainly more flattering than the portrait painted by Peter Taylor in 1786.
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Carved Stones, Fetternear House
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Photo 1:Carved sandstone, fragmented, set in the front of Fetternear House which was destroyed by fire in 1919.
Text of top fragment Reads abbr, Jesu Maria with a Greek Cross and another symbol, lower fragment shows the letters PEL, M and I, an outline holly leaf and the date1691.
Photo 2: Carved sandstone set in the front of Fetternear House shows the Coat of arms of the Count Patrick Leslie 1693.
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Church of the Immaculate Conception , various architectural decoration, windows and, soup kitchen,
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The Church of the Immaculate Conception is the last remaining place of worship in Stonehaven's Old Town. It boasts details recognised as deriving from Notre-Dame-le-Grand, Poitiers and Chartres and despite the loss of some original glazing is nevertheless an important quiet place on its island site surrounded by roads and behind the High Street. The building date varies from 1875 to 1879 depending upon the source, but it is a certainty that funds for this fine church and the nearby Rickarton Cottages were provided by Mrs Eliza Maria Hepburn of Rickarton, as a memorial to her daughter. A sketch in Christie's 'Haven Under The Hill', entitled 'Church of St Mary' shows decorative ridge detail and a ship weathervane, neither of which are evident today (2004). He also mentions an American organ which was installed in April 1880. The priest´s house is located at the nearby (separately listed) Rickarton Cottages and is accessible from the church grounds. The nearby soup kitchen was presented to the church by George Blackie in 1905.
GENERAL: Architect J. Russell Mackenzie, 1877. Small, elaborately-detailed gothic church with 3-bay aisles nave, traceried and arcaded front, shallow gabled transepts, semicircular apse, polygonal baptistery and 4-stage buttressed tower with belfry and octagonal pinnacled spire. Coursed, squared and snecked rubble with ashlar dressings. Deep base and eaves courses. Traceried circular openings, cusped lancets. 2-stage, sawtooth-coped and pinnacled buttresses. Voussoirs; chamfered reveals and raked cills. Timber doors with decorative ironwork.
GLASS: Coloured glass to NE traceried window depicting St Margarita (St Margaret Queen of Scotland, Saint Margaret (c. 1045 – 16 November 1093, canonised in 1251 by Pope Innocent IV); leaded diamond pattern glazing to apse and baptistry; some openings reglazed; figurative coloured glass lancet to SE transept (see Interior). Grey slates. Ashlar-coped skews. Cast-iron downpipes with polygonal rainwater hoppers.
INTERIOR: fine plain interior with moulded cornice, hammerbeam roof and decorative timber braces, timber pews and boarded dadoes; transept with double arch springing from low column with moulded capital. Apsidal chancel with elegant braced timber roof on stone corbels. Lancet to SE transept 'Come Holy Spirit' by Edinburgh Stained Glass House, 2003.
SOUP KITCHEN: Single storey, slated, rubble cottage known as 'soup kitchen'.The Soup Kitchen is now used as a meeting room. Work began on the Kitchen on 24th December 1904 on three days weekly, and closed on 18th March 1905.
The Kitchen was used in the 1940s but is thought to have ceased work in 1946. The building was then used for various purposes, and the Mearns Leader reported a visit by an interested townsperson in 1983 to the wood store.
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Cowie Chapel Headstone with Finger Pointing Up
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Lees family headstone of Gothic arch shape decorated with a hand pointing to heaven and flower scroll and cordage motifs.
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Duff House Mausoleum
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Rectangular Gothic Mausoleum and re-sited late 17th Century tomb. Fine cast and wrought iron gate incorporating complex designs of foliage, anthemion, rosettes, Earl of Fife's coronet and monogram JF. Deep stone frieze below eaves, 2 Coade stone crocketed pinnacles survive. Re-sited against centre of S elevation is a round headed figure tomb, decorated with symbols of mortality and rebirth. The tomb was supposed to be that of Robert the Bruce and was taken to give spurious antiquity to the new Earldom of Fife, however it was actually the tomb of Provost Douglas of Banff, with the inscription covered until in 1990 when it slipped uncovering the true identity. House open to the public. See their website for details.
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Duff House Pediment
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Substantial Baroque mansion 3 story on raised basement fluted Corinthian pilasters to tower heads, pediment to principal floor. The South (principal) elevation has the pedimented centre piece with exuberant armorial carving Duff Arms and Motto. The original lead statues are preserved in the house and have been replaced by fibre glass copies which stand above the pediment, representing Mars, Apollo and Minerva. On the north elevation Bacchus, Mercury and Diana.
House open to the public. See their website for details.
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Duff House, the Fife Gates
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Pair of polished ashlar octagonal gate piers with moulded stepped caps supporting fine carved stone urns. Decorated with acanthus and swags of fruit and flowers. Gates probably made by the Banff Foundry (James Fraser) a firm which provided similar to other local country house estates, including Castle Fraser. House open to the public. See their website for details.
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Dunnottar Cemetery Stonehaven, Headstone of Town Bellman
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Upright stone of a typical Victorian 'Gothic revival' pointed arch shape for James Kemlo, town’s officer and bellman for sixteen years, died 1889 the stone also commemorates an Elizabeth Edward who died in 1868 aged 88. (the lichen makes athe inscrition hard to read but I think it says she was James Kemlo's mother). The stone is relief carved with a hand bell resting on a shelf flanked by stylised thistles.
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Dunnottar School, schoolhouse decoration
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A rather dour late Victorian piece of public architecture in sandstone with some nice decorative details.
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Fetteresso Castle Gates
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Modern painted ironwork gates, with a relief cast flower motif.
These gates lead into a private house on the site of the castle gatehouse. It is an unusual building, smallish, with an octagonal plan and roof.
The original Castle has been 'renovated' as a number of 'town houses' but most of the character of the original single building has been lost.
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Fordyce Millennium Sculpture (Fordyce, Fuar Deas, The Cold South)
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A sculpture based on a leaf and branch motif in welded metal surrounded by a bench with an inscription "Fordyce, Fuar Deas, The Cold South". The wooden seat has been replaced in metal by the original artist as it did not stand the exposure to the weather.
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Fordyce Primary School Murals
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Brightly coloured naive paintings of the local landscape with rampant flora and fauna (some of the butterfly species are a bit optimistic).
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Gordon Highlanders Memorial
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The regimental crest of a Hart's head with ivy wreath on top of the motto 'BYDAND' mounted on a plinth of undressed pink granite.
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Heraldic Panel, Drum
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Carved stone panel on the exterior of the castle with the arms of the Irvines of Drum Family The crest is a banded sheaf of nine holly leaves. The motto is "Sub sole sub umbra virens" Increasing both in sunshine and in shade
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Innes plaque, Banff
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A small carved stone armorial plaque embellished with gilding. Plaque dated 1780. The plaque pre-dates the building it is affixed to. It shows the monogram JJ, the motto, of the Innes family,"ORNATUR RADIX FRONDE, The root is adorned by the foliage" with the palm frond crest of the Innes family. I believe the plaque may relate to John Innes, 8th of Edingight, Provost of Banff (b 22.02.1721, d 07.06.1790).
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Interior of Banff town hall, Coffered Ceiling Supported by 6 Pairs of Female Figures Clasping Laurel Leaf
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Listed Category A. Italianante building by Thomas Mackenzie, Elgin 1851-4 , with unusual queen-head capitals and Corinthian pilastered triparte with shell motif over centre light. Linked at south by tall round headed archway incorporating carved bearded head. The interior has 1st floor hall which takes up the entire frontage, the ceiling being supported by 6 pairs of draped female figures clasping laurel wreaths. The Town Hall was originally built as the St. Andrew's Lodge of Masons Hall.
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Inverallochy War Memorial
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An art Deco style polished granite war memorial, with two stepped-back side blocks which bear the inscriptions of the names, the left for World War I and the right for World War II. The central larger panel is plain, apart from a small decorative panel near the top and the words 'In remembrance' below it. The symmetry shows it is obviously post world war two resulting in (to my mind) a more aesthetically pleasing monument than many originating from before WWII that have the dead of that conflict added later. The war memorial at Inverallochy commemorates the dead from both World War I & II from both Inverallochy and Cairnbulg.
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Johnshaven War Memorial
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The war memorial of Benholm and Johnshaven stands on New Road near the square and commemorate the dead from the parish of Benholm from both World War I & II. It is a tapering rectangular column surmounted by a cross decorated with celtic knotwork on a small base decorated with thistles (between the cross and the main column). It stands on a solid rectangular stepped base. The base bears the makers name 'A Robertson & son Hardgate Aberdeen. Erected March 18, 1923.
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Kirkside House Gatepiers
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Probably early 19th century. Four ashlar piers, inner piers with eagle finials, outer pair with acorns (according to LBR but they look more like cones to me). category c listed. piers also bear armorial decorations.
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Livestock Limo Cattle Truck
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Scania tractor cab and articulated livestock trailer painted in green with pale yellow lining and red shaded yellow lettering, on panels and side windows. Motifs of thistles, tartan and cartoon cattle.
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New Pitsligo War Memorial
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A village war memorial of cenotaph type constructed from granite ashlar blocks with appliqued bronze palm leaf and etc. The village and town war memorials of Scotland have distressingly long lists of remembered dead in proportion to the populations of the communities.
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Newbigging house sign
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Newbigging (std. Eng. new building) House sign in wrought iron, with scroll work and leaf decoration.
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Ogilvy Family Armorial Panels and Carvings
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Five carved 17th and early 18th century monogrammed pediments and armorial panels reset in the South return gable of the Royal Bank. The panels were removed from the house of Thomas Ogilvy which formerly occupied the site. The property later became the town house of the Baird of Auchmedden, later being demolished and reset into The National Commercial Bank (now Royal Bank) in 1937. The Royal Bank, 1937 by James McCallum, Architect and Master of works, Commercial Bank of Scotland. The panel in the fourth photograph has the Ogilvy motto "secundat vera fides" (true faith prospers).
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play group mural at Inverbervie
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A simply painted mural in the orthodox 'for children' style.
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St James the Great, Episcopal Church Stonehaven, pulpit
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Decoratively carved Caen stone pulpit designed by Arthur Clyne, built under the supervision of sculptor James Bremner of Broughty Ferry, incorporating quatrefoil panels with carved heads of (according to the Listed Building Record): St. James, King David of Scotland 1124-1153, Bishop Forbes, Bishop Keith and Bishop Jolly bishop of Moray 1798-1838. This above information is contradicted by the information given in the church and Booklet on the history of St. James Church, available in the church, this lists the heads on the pulpit as: St Ninian (of Candidacasa aka Whitehouse) 397-432, St David King of Scotland 1124-1153, John Sinclair bishop of Brechin 1565-66, Alexander Jolly bishop of Moray 1798-1838, and Alexander Penrose Forbes bishop of Brechin 1847-75 (my own view based on the clothing/facial hair, much more like a Victorian interpretation of Middle Eastern clothing than Brythonic Celtic, is that the LBR is right about the first head being intended as St. James). Carved with the quote "heaven and earth shall pass away but my words will not pass away". The green marble balls at the angle of the panels above and below come from Egypt and the red from Victoria in South Africa.
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St James the Great, Episcopal Church Stonehaven, stained glass
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STAINED GLASS: some fine coloured glass, including apsidal window depicting 'Christ crucified' by Clayton & Bell of London, flanked by windows depicting on left, the carrying of the cross and the flagellation, and on right the descent from the cross; West window is a memorial to Dean Christie showing 'Christ's Baptism' and 'Baptism from the Tolbooth window' (this illustrates the Rev. Alexander Greig baptising infants from the Tolbooth window while imprisoned in 1748 by the Hanoverian authorities for holding a service attended by more than 5 persons); memorial windows to nave including 'The Good Samaritan' commemorating Leslie Thomson and family of Invercowie House, 'St James' memorial to the Adams Family (1832-1955), and 'Angel' in memory of Alexander Innes of Raemoor, died 1882. Sir Ninian Comper's baptistery windows commemorate David MacDonald, headmaster of Episcopal school.
The contemporary window is a memorial to Alice Moira Christie 1932-1999 beloved wife of Jack Emslie it was designed and made by her daughters Elaine and Gillian Emslie in 2000
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St. Ciarán's Kirk Stonehaven, various Victorian stones
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Stones of 1860s-70s in various styles derived from Victorian neo-gothic and neo-classical.
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St. Ciarán's Kirk Stonehaven, watchmaker's stone
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An elegant Victorian stone dedicated to a watchmaker, Robert Edwards, decorated with foliage, a flower motif and scrolls.
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The 1597 Ceiling, Delgatie
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One of the most important surviving 16th century painted ceilings in Scotland The iconography has interesting comparisons to the much earlier Aberdeen Bestiary and even earlier Pictish sculpture.
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The First Burns Bust
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Sandstone bust of the poet Robert Burns (b. 25 Jan 1759 d. 21st July 1796, at the age of 37) on a columnar pedestal by Robert Taylor 'Ghosty Bob' a local monumental mason and sculptor (his nickname a result of his work carving many gravestones). This was the first statue of Burns that the artist did. Both works ultimately derive from the 1787 portrait by Alexander Nasmyth (1758-1840). This seems to be regarded as the definitive image and has been used as a source for most of the huge number of later representations, it is certainly more flattering than the portrait painted by Peter Taylor in 1786.
This bust is in a much more classical style than his Burns Statue in the Burns Garden at David Street (see related artefact) which was created as a result of a commision resulting from this one, but was never collected.
The characters Souter Johnie and Tam 'o Shanter look down on you as you view the Master, from the garden wall.
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The Port Arch, Port Elphinstone
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The two arches of this bronze symbolise the bridges over the River Don and the Aberdeenshire Canal since it is because of these that Port Elphinstone (that part of the settlement on the South bank of the Don) came into being. The plinth section represents standing stones, The spaces between the three sections of the granite base represent the river and the canal. The symbols in the top surface were designed and executed together with children from Port Elphinstone school and represent episodes from the history of the town.
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Thistle decorated corbels
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Corbels with deeply carved thistle decorations left entrance to legal offices as described below.
James McCallum, 1937. Scottish 17th century details. Asymmetrical 2-storey, 5-bay bank with return 3-bay gable to Strait Path. Varied materials; deep black polished granite basecourse below tooled ashlar sandstone 1st floor with some coursed rubble; elsewhere harled with generous use of tooled and polished ashlar dressings. Slightly advanced outer bays, at right with main bank entrance, at left with doorway to legal offices above bank. Moulded doorpieces to both entrances with carved crest of National Commercial Bank above main bank entrance, which has flanking side lights.
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Thistle Garden Gates
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Painted welded steel decorative garden gates incorporating large Scottish thistle emblems.
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Wrought Iron Sunflower
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An exuberant wrought iron sunflower
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