Recordings of a backlog of past BHS Winter Talks have now been edited and added to this website

My apologies for not being able to edit and upload the following talks until now, but we are now up to date – until our January Zoom talk comes along in eleven days!

Lying at the foot of Glen Lyon, the talk about the small community in Ardtrasgairt covers the changes in this working class community who lived there in the mid to late 19th century, and examines the effect of dramatic changes as industrialisation progressed. Watch here: ‘Ardtrasgairt – A potrait of a small Highland Community in the 19th Century’

Prehistoric rock art in Scotland is mostly known for its cupmarks, cup-and-rings and other circular imagery.  In this talk Dr. Joana Valdez-Tullett discussed the 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. Watch here: From Loch Tay to the Atlantic Façade

Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) are a significant threat to our environments, native wildlife, economy, and in some cases to our health. The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) is a project set up to tackle invasive non-native species, and Mark from SISI, will talk about the work he has done within the Esk & Tay catchment area and how invasive plants, particularly Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed have been controlled. Watch here: ‘Strategic Control of Invasive Non-Native Species in a River System’

The transformation of Aberfeldy from a few hovels to the smart town we know today, took place during the industrial revolution and was profoundly influenced by it.  Alan Fisher, whose family has a history in the town spanning over 200 years, discussed Aberfeldy’s development with particular focus on the history of its wool, whisky and laundry industries. Watch here: ‘Aberfeldy’s Industrial Revolution’

You can view these talks by using the links above for each one, but you can also access these by using the website “Recorded Winter Talks” page at https://breadalbane-heritage.org.uk/recorded-winter-talks/, which has links to all of the 28 recorded talks since September 2020. We were not permitted to record a few talks within this period which explains why there are some gaps in the winter season dates.

Kilmartin and Glenlyon Winter talks

The February talk by Dr. Sharon Webb on ‘Kilmartin Glen’s Prehistoric Archaeology’ and the April talk by Donald Riddell on ‘Glenlyon: Myths, Legends, Amazing People and Places’ were recorded and can now be viewed below.

Kilmartin Glen is one of Scotland’s most important Prehistoric landscapes with many important burial and ritual sites.  Many artefacts of international significance have been found here, and this talk will give an outline of the archaeology and some insights into its meaning and importance. Dr. Sharon Webb came to Kilmartin Museum as Curator in 2003 and has served as Director from 2004. She instigated plans for redeveloping the Museum in 2012 and led the team that raised over £7 million to bring those plans to fruition, with the museum reopening in September 2023.n Watch here:  ‘Kilmartin Glen’s Prehistoric Archaeology

Having lived and worked in and around Glenlyon for over 50 years, Donald has a deep passion for its nature and history.  Around every turn is a story, myth or legend in this the longest Glen in Scotland.  Sit down and join Donald on a virtual safari to explore its secrets. Watch here:  ‘Glenlyon: Myths, Legends, Amazing People and Places

You will also be able to find the recordings of these two talks along with all previous recorded talks on the ‘Recorded Winter Talks’ page in this website: https://breadalbane-heritage.org.uk/recorded-winter-talks/

Final winter season talk on Friday

The final talk of our 2023-24 winter season takes place this Friday, 19th April at 7.30pm in the Assembly Hall at the Breadalbane Community Campus, Aberfeldy.  Donald Riddell will be presenting an illustrated talk on “The Mysteries, Folklore, and History of Glen Lyon

Our 2024-25 winter season of talks will start on Friday, 20th September 2024 with a talk on the restoration work being carried out at Taymouth Castle near Kenmore. Other topics throughout the season will include talks on Wade’s Road (from Crieff to Dalnacardoch), 19th century Ardtrasgairt Social History, and Cluny Gardens.

Rescheduling of the Glen Lyon Talk

In mid-October, and taking into account the possible damage that might be caused by Storm Babet, Perth & Kinross Council closed a number of their public buildings including the Breadalbane Community Campus in Aberfeldy where we hold our ‘in-person’ talks. This resulted in us having to cancel our talk on ‘The Mysteries, Folklore and History of Glen Lyon’ on Friday, 20th October. We have now rescheduled this talk to take place in the Breadalbane Community Campus on Friday, 19th April, 2024 at 7.30 p.m.

This evening’s talk CANCELLED

‘THE MYSTERIES, FOLKLORE AND HISTORY OF GLEN LYON’: A talk to be presented by Donald Riddell.

It is with regret that we have had to cancel tonight’s talk (on Friday, 20th Ocober, at 7.30 p.m.).  While we were still considering whether or not to go ahead, at lunchtime the question was taken out of our hands as Perth & Kinross Council has taken the decision to close the Community Campus, the venue for the talk, due to weather conditions.

Our proposal now is that we will reorganise a date for this talk, possibly adding it on to the end of our winter season of talks in April, but with the final date still to be considered.

October Talk

The next BHS Winter Talk takes place at 7.30pm in the Assembly Hall at the Breadalbane Community Campus on Friday 20th October, when Donald Riddell will be talking about “The Mysteries, Folklore and History of Glen Lyon”. 

Looking forward to seeing many of you at the meeting on Friday, 20th October, for what should be a very interesting talk.