Our winter season of six monthly talks, held on the third Friday of each month with the exception of December when we don’t present a talk, began in September and ran through to March. With the exception of the January and February talks which were presented on Zoom only, all of our other talks were held in the Breadalbane Community Campus in Aberfeldy, starting at 7.30 p.m.
Friday, 20th September 2024: ‘Taymouth Castle Restoration Works and Heraldic Significance’, presented by Interior Decorators John and Mark Nevin and Heraldry and Genealogy expert, Gordon MacGregor.
From the recent extensive refurbishment of Taymouth Castle, John and Mark explain and illustrated the meticulous and tough work they carried out to return the Castle to its former glory.
Creating an accurate account of the Breadalbane Campbell’s genealogy, Gordon MacGregor, Heraldry and Genealogy expert, then explained how the family’s history has shaped the interior symbolism and artwork and described in particular the significance of details within the public rooms.
This talk was not recorded.
Friday, 18th October 2024: ‘The Military Bridges of Wade and Caulfeild’, presented by Colin Liddell.
Bridge at Dalnamein
Colin illustrated bridges built between 1728 and 1767 by Major-General George Wade MP, Commander of Forces in North Britain, and Major William Caulfeild, Chief Engineer and later Inspector of Roads in Scotland, including those still in use, some restored, others discovered, and some now lost, culminating in the famous Wade Bridge itself in Aberfeldy.
This talk was recorded and you can view it here: ‘The Military Bridges of Wade and Caulfeild’
Friday, 15th November 2024: ‘Ardtrasgairt: A portrait of a highland community in the 19th century’, presented by Keith Myers.
In his talk, Keith examined how the working class community in Ardtrasgairt, lying at the foot of Glen Lyon, changed in the mid to late 19th century, illustrating who lived there and the dramatic changes as industrialisation progressed.
This talk was recorded and you can view it here: ‘Ardtrasgairt: A portrait of a highland community in the 19th century’
Friday, 17th January 2025: ‘Abbeys and Castles in Dumfries and Galloway’, presented by Stefan Sagrott, Historic Environment Scotland Cultural Resources Advisor.
Dundrennan Abbey
Stefan has worked with Historic Environment Scotland for over 8 years and, since September 2021, he is the Senior Cultural Resources Advisors (South). His work contributes towards developing greater understanding of, and the management and conservation of, the HES estate and its cultural significance. He is a member of the HES Cultural Resources Team , and of the Cultural Assets Directorate.
His job necessitates him having a broad range of research interests across many periods and he provides specialist heritage advice relating to the Properties in Care (PIC).
This talk was recorded and you can view it here: ‘Abbeys and Castles in Dumfries and Galloway’
Friday, 21st February 2025: ‘Rock Art from Loch Tay to the Atlantic Façade’ presented by Dr. Joana Valdez-Tullett.
Balmacnaughton Rock Art
Prehistoric rock art in Scotland is mostly known for its cupmarks, cup-and-rings and other circular imagery. These motifs were typically carved on boulders and outcrops in the open landscape. Although we may not know what each of these symbols meant, recent research has suggested that this rock art tradition had a very important role in people’s lives during the Neolithic and Early Bronze Age periods.
Dr. Joana Valdez-Tullett is a Technical Specialist at Wessex Archaeology and a part-time teacher at Durham University. She was a Post-doctoral Research Assistant for almost five years with Historic Environment Scotland’s Scottish Rock Art Project and has wide experience in rock art research of various periods, including Palaeolithic Art. She has been studying and investigating rock art from a number of western European countries (Portugal, Spain, Britain and Ireland) since 2003.
In this talk Joana discussed results of Scotland’s Rock Art Project research in Loch Tay, and how carvings in this region relate to other areas in Scotland and the wider Atlantic façade.
This talk was recorded and you can view it here: ‘From Loch Tay to the Atlantic Façade‘
Friday, 21st March: ‘Springtime in Cluny’ presented by owner John Mattingley.
Spring is a glorious time at Cluny with carpets of North American bulbs and tubers in April while May brings colourful Candelabra primulas and wonderful blue Himalayan poppies.
John presented a short introduction on the history of Cluny, how it has developed, and his future aims, whilst illustrating and describing the vast collection of plants and trees which can be found in the garden.
This talk was recorded and you can view it here: ‘Cluny Gardens in the Spring’
2025 Programme of Summer Excursions
In association with the programme of winter talks, we also ran a short season of half and full-day excursions from late May to mid-July, ideally to locations referred to in some of the winter talks.
21st May, 2025: Cluny Gardens, Aberfeldy
18 members and 6 visitors visited Cluny Gardens for guided tours by John and Wendy Mattingley.
4th June, 2025: Glenlyon Tweed Mill, Aberfeldy
13 members and 3 visitors visited the Glenlyon Tweed Mill in Aberfeldy for a guided tour.
18th June, 2025: Murthly Castle and Chapel
Murthly Castle and Garden
Murthly Castle Chapel
13 members and 4 visitors visited Murthly Castle and Chapel for a guided tour by Thomas Steuart Fothringham.
August, 2025: Dumfries and Galloway 4-day visit
Tuesday, 26th August: Travelling from the Aberfeldy area stopping at Wanlockhead and later at the Lincluden Collegiate Church in Dumfries.
Wednesday, 27th August: Whithorn peninsula area visiting Whithorn Priory, Whithorn Trust Museum, St, Ninian’s Chapel and the Cairn Holy Chambered Cairns.
Thursday, 28th August: Dundrennan Abbey, Greyfriars Scottish Episcopal Church, and Broughton House and Gardens.
Friday, 29th August: Drumcoltran Tower and Ruthwell Kirk and Cross.
Breadalbane Heritage Society 
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