Scranalogue

Culture Heritage Learning

Views of North Berwick & Vicinity (1)

September 22, 2015 by Scran | 3 Comments

Scran will be working closely with the P5 class at  Law Primary School in North Berwick throughout next week. Together we will be examining lots of local content and weaving what we find into our learning journeys. Views of North Berwick

As well as being digital, weather permitting, we’ll be taking to the skies with our camera & K.A.P. kit. So please, fingers crossed for fair weather over East Lothian.

Many of the resources we will use in class come from  East Lothian Museums Service who are contributors to the collections on Scran. For example, this rather quaint souvenir is leather bound and originally contained 15 black & white photographs with tinted skies. It was published by Valentine of Dundee around 1895, so it gives us a clue as to how long people have been visiting the beautiful seaside at North Berwick.

What more will our Primary 5 digital detectives be able to discover about where they live? We’ll be looking at lots of aerial imagery, considering how the town has changed and expanded over time. We’ll think about traits & trades which may have remained the same and finally, when we reach the end of our collaborative investigations, we will share our findings – so tenterhooks until then.

Image © East Lothian Museums Service. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

To Infinity and Beyond

September 18, 2015 by User deactivated | 0 comments

Scran had a great time meeting the educators at Jupiter Artland on Wednesday, and we hope to work with them in the future on projects with schools and colleges.

An outdoor sculpture park hosting site-specific works by internationally-renowned artists including Cornelia Parker, Andy Goldsworthy, Marc Quinn and Antony Gormley, Jupiter Artland is set in the grounds of Bonnington House just on the western outskirts of Edinburgh, owned since 1999 by Robert and Nicky Wilson. Their ambition to open a sculpture park rather like Ian Hamilton Finlay‘s “Little Sparta” was realised in 2010, and each year since then, new artists have been invited to create sculptures that are inspire by, and relate to, the gardens and grounds of Bonnington House. There are now 24 permanent outdoor sculptures on display, and covered gallery spaces in the courtyard host temporary exhibitions each year.

We currently host images of many of the artworks at Jupiter Artland on Scran, ideal for study pre- or post-visit, and there is a possibility we may host more images in the future. In the meantime, the grounds of Jupiter Artland are open until the end of September 2015, and will reopen next May with new artworks.

Images of artworks at Jupiter Artland by Anish Kapoor, Ian Hamilton Finlay and Cornelia Parker © Andrew James  Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

kapoor

finlay

parker

Cypriot Lace

September 17, 2015 by Scran | 0 comments

You may have read our blog post last week Empowering Communities in Cyprus? Well look what we found at the back of the Scran linen cupboard! It’s a piece of Cypriot lace in the form of a table mat, from around 1935. This beautiful sample forms part of the National Museums of Scotland (NMS) collections shared via Scran.

The Needlework Development Scheme was set up in 1934 to encourage greater interest in embroidery and to raise the standard of design. Financed anonymously by J & P Coats, the intention was also to form a collection of British and foreign embroideries to which colleges of art and other institutions could have access. The aim was never to have a representative collection but rather to collect items purely on the quality of their design. A series of four embroidery experts were employed to oversee the collection and their international outlook is clearly represented in the collection.

In 1961 the Scheme was disbanded and its collection of over 3500 pieces of historic and contemporary needlework was dispersed to various museums and art colleges in Britain. The Royal Scottish Museum acquired 213 pieces and an exhibition was held in 1965 to show this magnificent gift.

Image © National Museums Scotland. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk.

On Show at the Colony of Artists

September 14, 2015 by User deactivated | 0 comments

Archive images from Scran were exhibited this weekend as part of the 10th annual Colony of Artists event at Abbeyhill in Edinburgh

Colony of Artists takes place every September when residents of Abbeyhill Colonies, a series of streets in the east of the city, open their doors to the public to show a varied collection of artworks that they have produced. More than 30 artists in 20 venues open their homes, to show painting, drawing, photography, mixed media and much more. In recent years this mix has grown to include music, storytelling, baking and street performance.

coloneyofartistsScran’s images were first used in last year’s event when Neil Gregory of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), joined forces with Abbeyhill resident Hilary Burwell to produce a pop-up exhibition about the history of buildings in the area. This showcased some of the area’s now defunct industries, churches and former school buildings. Many of the photographs in this exhibition came from the archives of RCAHMS and were taken as part of the organisation’s remit to survey and record Scotland’s built environment, particularly sites under threat from demolition or radical alteration. Scran was able to offer a social historical perspective to the show, as Neil Gregory pointed out: ‘The images on Scran, especially pictures from the Scotsman archive, were perfect for adding social context to the pictures of local buildings that we were showing, and it triggered so many memories for residents.’

abbeyhillThis year saw Hilary scale-up the exhibition, moving venue from her own home in the Colonies to the nearby Artisan Bar. Moving images, oral histories and portraits of local residents also formed part of the show and residents were encouraged to contribute their own archive material to the event.

A favourite Scran image on show featured a lorry crashing into the Artisan pub building on London Road. ‘This really got the stories going,’ commented Neil Gregory, ‘A lot of people remembered this event from 1969 and the near catastrophe that could have happened if the driver hadn’t had his wits about him as his vehicle careered down Montrose Terrace!’

Images © N Gregory, The Scotsman Publications Ltd. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

Feast Your Eyes on Scran

September 10, 2015 by Scran | 0 comments

jackies2_03410392jackies2_110400005jackies2_09330005jackies2_09310593jackies2_3359_20355_005-000-010-205-R_2011-09-09_10-54-44jackies2_canmore_1366450jackies2_07150087jackies2_09310035Whether you simply enjoy looking at art, perusing design classics, studying the visual arts at school or university – or you just need a picture of an elephant for a project – Scran can be of assistance. Intended to whet your appetite, the above gallery post is a just a tiny sample of the fabulous Art & Design content we have available.

Remember if you are using imagery or information you find on Scran for school work, portfolio preparation or even SQA coursework, it is vital that you attribute the usage correctly. You can get advice on our © is for Copyright page and we are happy to answer any questions if you want to contact us. We are here to help and appreciate it can be a tricky subject.

For any Blogging Bootcamp schools out there working on a Glow Blog, which is public, it is best to follow the example set in this post. When using Scran content in this manner, it is permitted to insert the thumbnail sized images, then hyper link them back to Scran & of course, attribute the copyright holder – see below. Meanwhile happy blogging!

Images © Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Lothian Health Services Archive, Tain & District Museum Trust, The Sangsters, Zhao Xie and The British Museum. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

Empowering Communities in Cyprus

September 9, 2015 by Scran | 0 comments

Thanks to Archnetwork, Scran will be participating in one of their wonderful learning programmes.  We will be finding out about European diversity in cultural & natural heritage in Cyprus!

Scran, Tunnock's & Tartan

Scran, Tunnock’s & Tartan – a selection of Scottish favours for our Cypriot hosts

Kato Drys, is a traditional Greek Cypriot Village at 650 metres in the foothills of the Troodos mountains. The village is a centre for teaching about sustainable rural development. It was a partner in the ‘Leonardo da Vinci – Development of Innovation’ project 2010-13 and is entitled a ‘Green Village’. During that project the Community Council, led by the Muhktari (Mayor) Nikos Vasiliou and European Officer Panayiota Demetriou, worked on the themes Empowering Communities, Rural Food and Wood Products.

Now in 2015, Kato Drys Community Council in partnership with Archnetwork (within the framework ‘Erasmus Plus’) offer placements for education staff. Each placement revolves around a structured training course. The themes of the course follow two basic strands, culture or nature.Flag of Cyprus

Culture – that’s where Scran fits in.  So we’ll be bringing you updates from our overseas expedition in the coming weeks. We’ll share what we learn here on #Scranalogue and via Twitter @Scranlife, keeping you posted on the finer things in life, such as pottery firings and lace making. Along with our colleagues from The National Trust for Scotland, Strathnaver Museum & Caithness Horizons we’ll be visiting the Turkish Cypriot State, in Northern Cyprus and revealing some poignant Scran records related to the 1974 conflict.

So, follow us & find out what we get up. We are hoping our Tartan & Tunnock’s favours survive the journey and our hosts enjoy a wee taste of Scotland.

Images ©  Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

#clickhear Celebrating the Borders Railway

September 8, 2015 by User deactivated | 0 comments

Scran is marking two important events this month with a new audio Twitter campaign #clickhear.

Working with our partners, Scottish Borders Council Archive Service, we are currently uploading highlights from a newly hosted oral history collection – The Ian Landles Archive – onto our website. And to celebrate this and the historic reopening of the Borders Railway we are Tweeting out free soundbites with a railway flavour this month, offering a taster of some of the fascinating testimonies from Borders folk now available as Scran records.

Memories of working as drivers and firemen on the old Waverley Route, the sadness of seeing old engines go off for scrap, remembering the steam from the trains dirtying washing drying on the line.  These are just a few titbits from our soundbites which began on 6th September and will be Tweeted daily until 15th September.

Morningside Memories at The Open Door

September 4, 2015 by User deactivated | 0 comments

Scran shares its images with the Good Neighbour Club at The Open Door in Edinburgh

The Open Door, is a vibrant social centre in the capital’s Morningside. It runs a successful cafe and offers day services and art and creative writing groups for older people, people with mental health issues and other vulnerable people. The Good Neighbours Club meets here every Tuesday.

Morningside Road Station

Scran was invited to join the group to present a slideshow showcasing local content from the Scran website. Eighteenth-century maps and early photographs from our RCAHMS collections took us back to a time when Morningside was simply described as ‘a row of thatched cottages, a line of trees and a blacksmith’s forge’. Photographs from our Scotsman collections led us through 20th-century Morningside where we encountered steam trains and trams and the sad demise of Morningside Road Station. Shops on Morningside Road, schools, cinemas and public houses all featured. The session stirred some interesting chat about school days, wartime evacuation and local dance halls.

It was exciting to discover that The Open Door’s premises are situated adjacent to the former site of the railway station and exiting the building via a side door brought us bang up to date as we were privy to views of the deserted old station platform and the former ticket office, now the home of a chartered accountants and a newsagents.

Scran is a rich source of material for reminiscence practice. Our 20th century social history collections include The Scotsman Publications Ltd, Hulton Getty and the Scottish Life Archive. There’s also audio and video material available. Reminiscence Kits on Scran offer curated collections of images on themes such as Tenement Life, Stars of the Movies and Man on the Moon.

For more images of Morningside through history have a look at our Pathfinder: Looking Back at Morningside, Edinburgh.

Image © The Scotsman Publications Ltd, Station Master and Head Driver tend flower beds at Morningside Road Station, Edinburgh. Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

Democracy, Migration & Nationalism

September 2, 2015 by Scran | 0 comments

It’s all happening in Highland this week at Culloden Academy.  Scran has been invited to work with senior pupils studying the SQA Higher History syllabus. The focus will 'SS Marloch' setting sail for Canada 1924 be on accessing resources and records related to the three main topics for the year;

  • Migration & Empire 1830-1939
  • Growth of Democracy 1850-1950    inc. the Suffragettes 
  • Growth of Nationalism, Germany 1815-1939

Besides learning how to use Scran as a research tool, the Culloden students will also be thinking about digital assets, copyright how to attribute their sources appropriately.

This “Good Luck” image is a firm favourite in the Scran office and you can find it amongst our records on emigration. It shows five well-dressed ladies posing with the Captain on board ‘SS Marloch’, before setting sail for Canada in 1924.

After school, the Social Subjects & RMPS staff will have to knuckle down too. The twilight session is part of our ongoing schools CPD and CLPL offer.

Image © Newsquest (Herald & Times), Setting Sail for Canada, 1924.  Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

From Dunbar to Durham

September 2, 2015 by Scran | 0 comments

With the recent archaeological discoveries in Durham of Scottish soldiers in a mass grave, you might be curious to learn more about what happened at the Battle of Dunbar in 1650.

Today Dunbar is affectionately known as Sunny Dunny by locals, however it has a much bloodier past. Cromwell invaded Scotland in July 1650, after the Scots had ignored his appeal for support and had proclaimed Charles II King. Cromwell crossed the border and attempted to meet up with his fleet at Leith and again at Queensferry, but without success.

He retreated to Dunbar where, in September of 1650, he was faced with a Covenanting army of over 20,000, led by David Leslie. To find out more see our dedicated Pathfinder: The Battle of Dunbar, it includes this medal, re-enactment imagery and an illustrated map of the event too.

Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, Military Award for the Battle of Dunbar, featuring Cromwell.  Licensor www.scran.ac.uk

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