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The Herald Scotland
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
He is Scotland's greatest novelist but no-one reads him now. Why?
With originality and verve, he illuminated the turbulent past, mainly of Scotland, but also England and France. Scott's phenomenal productivity was in part the result of finding himself almost bankrupt in 1825. Yet he had been drawn to stories of the great events that shaped Scotland since he was a boy. Despite the demands of his roles as Sheriff-Depute of Selkirkshire and Clerk of the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scott turned to fiction with such energy it was as if he were an uncorked bottle of champagne. Read more In the space of 18 years, 27 novels fizzed out of him in a seemingly unstoppable stream, intoxicating readers worldwide and changing forever the face of his homeland. The more vivid the period, the livelier his imagination: Waverley was about the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion; Woodstock about the Cavaliers and Roundheads; Ivanhoe took place in England after the Norman Conquest, while Old Mortality was about the Covenanters. The Heart of Midlothian is based on the Porteous Riots of 1736; Kenilworth was set in Elizabethan England, Quentin Durward in 15th-century France and The Talisman in Palestine during the Crusades. In tribute to his continuing influence, the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction was founded 16 years ago by the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, with the winners announced at the Borders Book Festival in Melrose in June. Previous winners include Hilary Mantel, Robert Harris, Robin Robertson and Tan Twan Eng, and this year's shortlist features novels set in Sicily in 412 BC, the 19th-century American frontier and England in the winter of 1962–3. As a genre, the historical novel appears to be thriving, its perennial success directly attributable to the Laird of Abbotsford. Scott's literary career had begun first as a collector of Border Ballads – Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border – and then with epic poems such as Marmion and The Lady of the Lake. Only in his forties did he turn to fiction. Learning of his change of direction, Jane Austen wrote: "Walter Scott has no business to write novels, especially good ones. "It is not fair. "He has fame and profit enough as a poet, and should not be taking the bread out of other people's mouths. Sir Walter Scott's home in Abbotsford (Image: free) "I do not like him, and do not mean to like Waverley if I can help it – but I fear I must." Scott's fame crossed continents. Eager to see the locations he so vividly described, tourists flocked to Scotland to visit the scenes of his stories and explore his stately home, which was opened to the public in 1833, the year after his death. His evocation of bygone times turned a country once deemed primitive and inhospitable into the alluring backdrop for drama, intrigue and heroism. Thanks to the appeal of his swashbuckling plots and unforgettable characters, and to the romance surrounding the author himself, Scott put Scotland on the map. A natural storyteller, whose grasp of social and political history was profound and enlightened, Scott's impact on literature was transformational. Across Europe and America, writers took their cue from him, notably Balzac, Alessandro Manzoni, Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, James Fennimore Cooper, Theodor Fontane, Pushkin, Tolstoy and Turgenev, all of whom acknowledged their debt. Not everyone, however, was a fan. Mark Twain believed his novels exerted a "malign" influence on "the character of the Southerner". By diverting Southerners' attention from the present and future to an idealised past, wrote a frothing Twain, he helped foment the American Civil War. Until the present era, familiarity with Scott's novels was essential for anyone who wished to be considered well-read. To admit never having broached The Heart of Midlothian or Ivanhoe (Tony Blair's desert island book) was to invite derision. Today, sadly, Scott is barely read in his home country. Whereas there have been recent translations of his work in Croatia, Albania, Bosnia and Catalonia, here he has become the Great Unread. Read more People wouldn't thank you for a set of his novels; I doubt if even charity shops would accept them. But although his stories are consigned to library bookshelves, where they gather dust, his legacy endures. The rocket-like Scott Monument in Princes Street is within earshot of the tannoy system at Waverley Station. What other city has named its main railway station after a novel? And all across the UK streets, houses and pubs are called after his books or characters: Marmion Road, Durward Avenue, Waverley Place, Ivanhoe Avenue, Woodstock Road, Peveril Street, Kenilworth Terrace... It is one of literature's great injustices that a writer whose purpose was to bring history alive for as wide an audience as possible is now deemed dry and dull. Neither accusation is fair. Scott has fallen from favour not because of changing taste, although that plays a part; nor because he is now as historic as his subjects, although that too is true. It is not because of his rich, occasionally antique language, or his love of dialect, or his leisurely digressions. The biggest enemy of Scott is time itself—not its passing but readers' lack of it. Modern bestsellers are written to catch the attention quickly and not overstay their welcome. It's a brave writer who produces a novel as long as Peveril of the Peak. But for some of us, the heft of Scott's stories is part of their appeal. In fact, right now I'm off to continue Rob Roy, which had me hooked from the opening page. I may be some time. The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction shortlist: The Heart in Winter, Kevin Barry; The Mare, Angharad Hampshire; The Book of Days, Francesca Kay; Glorious Exploits, Ferdia Lennon; The Land in Winter, Andrew Miller; The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden. The winner will be announced on Thursday 12 May at 5pm. For details and tickets go to:
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- Daily Record
One of UK's 'prettiest' villages has population smaller than most streets
It's easy to see why when you look at the pictures A picturesque village, home to fewer than 130 residents, has been hailed as one of the UK's 'prettiest' by globe-trotting travel enthusiasts. The village didn't just make it onto a list of the best in the area, but was also declared one of the most beautiful in the country. The village that caught the attention of Jonny and Hannah, the founders of the popular travel blog Finding our launching their website in 2017, Jonny and Hannah have travelled the world, recommending places of interest. But they were particularly impressed with Blanchland, which made it onto their 'most beautiful in Northumberland' list. They wrote: "Blanchland is arguably one of the prettiest villages in north England. "The quaint village houses, Abbey, shops, tea room and pub are surrounded by scenic Northumbrian countryside." Nestled by the River Derwent and within the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Blanchland straddles the border of Northumberland and County Durham, even boasting a DH postcode. Interestingly, according to the 2021 census, the village only has 124 confirmed residents, reports Chronicle Live. Often hailed as 'picture perfect', Blanchland's architecture and breathtaking landscape could easily grace a postcard. The historic and eye-catching Lord Crewe Arms, known for its top-rated cuisine, is often considered the village's crowning glory and is popular among staycationers looking for a relaxing UK break. However, the village also hosts the White Monk Refectory and Tea Room, which has garnered high praise for its unique location in an old school and its exceptional food. The Visit Northumberland website describes the village as being located "beneath a woodland cloak in a fairytale setting amongst the fells". It adds: "Built from the stones of Blanchland Abbey in 1165, it seemingly hasn't changed since, and murmurings of its fascinating history echo in the moors." Visit Northumberland adds: "Step back in time in Blanchland, the postcard-perfect, honey-stone village with the rightful reputation as one of the prettiest villages in the north of England. "Stones, cobbles, hanging baskets and winding lanes are everywhere in Blanchland, and there isn't a modern-day chainstore in sight. "!The village owes its name to the French canons who lived and worked in Blanchland Abbey and were distinguished by their white habits. 'Blanche' is French for white, and so the name 'Blanchland' was born. "A local shop with an unusual, white-washed postbox, The White Monk Tea Room, which used to be the village school, Blanchland Abbey and the magnificent Lord Crewe Arms Hotel which was originally built as the Abbot's Lodge are all that you'll find in this small village in Northumberland." The atmospheric Lord Crewe Arms Hotel is recognised as one of the oldest hostelries in the country, dating back to the 12th century. It was here that the Jacobite Rebellion leader, General Tom Foster, hid behind the inn's great fireplace in 1715.
Daily Record
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Idyllic Scottish island where Prince William and Harry spent holidays with their 'other' gran
Prince William is poised to celebrate his wedding anniversary on the Scottish island of Mull later this week, marking 14 years of marriage with Kate Middleton. The Prince of Wales' younger brother, Harry, stood by his side back in 2011 as a young Kate and William exchanged vows at Westminster Abbey. However, it seems unlikely that Harry will be sending a card this year, given the growing rift between the two brothers since the duke's Royal Family exit in 2020. Even if he did, it's likely that William would tear up his peace offering. Yet, the stunning Argyll and Bute coastline might just soften the future king's stance towards his brother as it was in this region that the two siblings used to spend their holidays together while visiting their other grandmother, Frances Shand Kydd, who was the mother of Princess Diana. The late Princess of Wales mum spent considerable time on the picturesque island of Seil, just a stone's throw from the mainland, the Scottish Daily Express reports. Indeed, the sea channel separating the mainland and Seil is so narrow, it's bridged by the 21.3 metre, 18th Century humpback Clachan Bridge - also dubbed the 'bridge over the Atlantic' - eliminating the need for a boat to trace the royal's footsteps. Come early summer, the bridge, constructed between 1792 and 1793, is adorned with fairy foxgloves. Seil, one of the Slate Islands, features a nine-hole golf course and the An Cala gardens, home to azaleas and Japanese flowering cherries. The village of Ellenabeich is recognised for its striking white workers cottages. Ellenabeich, once a hub for the slate mining industry, has evolved into a sanctuary for artists. The largest settlement on the island is Balvicar, home to a golf course, village shop and yacht harbour. The island's pub, Tigh an Truish, is situated just across the bridge from the mainland. Its Gaelic name translates to 'house of the trousers', a nod to the local lore that islanders would switch from kilts to trousers here following the ban on Highland dress in the wake of the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. Seil boasts a rich tapestry of history and folklore, with its surrounding treacherous waters notorious for shipwrecks. There have even been instances of whales getting trapped under the Clachan Bridge. Frances Ruth Shand Kydd's association with Seil began in 1969 when she married Peter Shand Kydd shortly after her divorce from John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, who is the father of Princess Diana. The couple purchased an 18th-century farmhouse, Ardencaple, on the island. Princess Diana would often bring her sons William and Harry to visit their grandmother on the island. However, Frances and Diana had a falling out a few months prior to the former Princess of Wales' tragic death in a Paris car accident. Frances spent her final years in solitude on Seil, passing away there in 2004. Both William and Harry attended her funeral in Oban, with William delivering a reading. Their father, King Charles, was unable to attend as he was in the USA for Ronald Reagan's funeral.
