415. The Scottish Referendum

I have swithered and swithered about whether or not to write anything about this, because I absolutely don't want this blog to be seen as political.  However, the purpose of this blog is to create a pictorial record of the village which will hopefully be interesting to folk both now and in the future.

The vote on September 18th is a hugely significant event and, given the strength of feeling that is clearly visible on the streets of Johnshaven, I do feel that this moment in our history should be included here.  So, I had a walk around the village this morning and took photos of all the referendum related signs I saw.

I have disabled comments on this particular post as I do not want any political rants from either side of the debate.

414. Storytelling at the harbour

Today the village was treated to an expert, musical storytelling session with Tam Dean Burn and his Books on a Bike. He is currently following the Queen's Baton Relay around Scotland, performing Julia Donaldson's wonderful children's books for everyone to enjoy.

413. Bark Boiler

Ages ago I posted about the bark boiler situated in the garden of a house near the harbour. The house was sold last year, and an agreement was made between the new owner (who, understandably, didn't want this in his small garden) and the local Heritage Society that it should be carefully removed and relocated in a place where it can be seen and understood by everyone.  

Here it is, having been removed from its brick housing.

A new brick structure was built at the harbour

And here it is, finished off with a perspex lid, for everyone to see.

There are two interpretive boards giving information about the history of the village

in general and the bark boiler in particular.

412. Morris Dancers

Morris dancers are a rare sight in Scotland, but once a year we are treated to a visit from a group comprising dancers from several different groups around England on their annual 'Scotchfest'.  They stay in Brechin for a few nights and travel from there to perform in various communities around the North East.  This morning they performed at the harbour before heading up to Stonehaven.

Fascinating fact -  the earliest confirmed performance of morris dancing in England was 19th May 1448.

411. Addition to the War Memorial

In August this year, a new name was added to the War Memorial to remember a soldier who died during the First World War.  Private 3379 James Ritchie Blues, 4th Battalion Black Watch, aged 26 years, was killed at Flanders on 22nd May 1915.

There was already a Ritchie Blues listed on the memorial, which is presumably how James' omission had been overlooked for so long.  After some investigations to ensure that they were indeed two different men, the Community Council arranged for James to be added 98 years after he was killed in action.

The memorial was washed and Private Blues' name was added in raised letters 

which were then coloured black.

The omission was discovered when local man, Chris Greene, did some research into the lives of the people whose names appear on the memorial.  Interestingly, he can find nothing about one of the men - Edwin S Noble.  If anyone reading this knows anything about him, please do get in touch.  

This story featured in the Mearns Leader in May this year. You can read the story here.

410. Demolition of the Cedars

It's always a bit sad to see any building pulled down but, in the case of The Cedars, something very special is going to take its place.  

This is how it looked at 10:45 this morning.  

 The owners of The Cedars had originally planned to improve and extend the house, but the costs were prohibitive and the result still wouldn't have been ideal for their requirements.  The building lies just outside the conservation area, so the decision was made to demolish and start from scratch with a super efficient, modern Grand Design.

The proposed elevations can be seen here.

Here are a few photos of the Cedars, taken on a sunny day earlier this year.

It was once the village's police house and the cell windows could still be

 seen on the rear of the building.

409. Tattie harvest

 The tatties were being harvested in the field beside Golden Acre this morning.