Episodes
-
Host Jackie Bird is joined by curator Antonia Laurence-Allan and historian Sally Tuckett to discuss all things 18th-century fashion. Recorded inside the Georgian House, just days before the exhibition Ramsay & Edinburgh Fashion opened its doors, the trio talk about the artist Allan Ramsay and the women behind the paintings.
What was life like for someone at the centre of the Scottish Enlightenment? Who were his patrons? And what do his paintings tell us about the role of fashion among the Georgian movers and shakers?
To enjoy more episodes of Love Scotland, please follow or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
For more information on the Georgian House, click here. Or click here for more on the 2024 exhibition.
We would like to thank those who have supported the Ramsay and Edinburgh Fashion exhibition, including The American Friends of British Art, NTS Foundation USA, The Real Mary King’s Close, Edinburgh NTS Members’ Centre, and donors in memory of the Duchess of Buccleuch.
-
Joining Jackie this week is Tom Conti, the Paisley-born actor best known for his roles on stage and screen, including 1978’s Whose Life Is It Anyway and 2023’s Oppenheimer. The recipient of Tony and Olivier award, Tom was also named the 2024 Great Scot by the National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA earlier this year.
In his conversation with Jackie, Tom reflects on his hugely successful career and his love of Scotland. Whether in smaller appearances in cult classics, such as Friends and Miranda, or leading roles in Broadway smashes, Tom reveals what it’s really like to lead a life in the arts.
Plus, he discusses his performance of Charles Rennie Mackintosh in the late 1980s, where he filmed in the National Trust for Scotland’s Hill House and Mackintosh at the Willow.
For more on Hill House, click here.
For more on Mackintosh at the Willow, click here.
Love Scotland will return later this year with a brand new series of episode. Subscribe or follow now to make sure you don’t miss any new releases.
-
Missing episodes?
-
Earlier this year, the National Trust for Scotland revealed that a Second World War plane propeller had been found on Arran. Mysteriously, the propeller was wrapped in an old potato sack and had been discovered deep in a peat bog. How did it get there? The Trust’s Head of Archaeology, Derek Alexander, led an investigation to find out.
He joins Jackie in the studio to discuss the surprisingly high number of wartime plane crashes and tragedies in Scotland, and the particular circumstances of 1944 which ultimately led to this propeller being hidden inside a sack.
To see an image of the propeller, click here.
For more information on the Trust’s places in Arran, click here.
-
Earlier this year, Mackintosh at the Willow – a tea room on Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street that dates back to 1903 – joined the National Trust for Scotland’s portfolio of special places. To better understand the venue and the role it played in Edwardian Glasgow, Jackie sits down for a cup of tea with two expert guests.
Celia Sinclair Thornqvist MBE, who purchased, saved and restored Mackintosh at the Willow in 2014, is joined by cultural historian Robyne Calvert to reveal the hidden stories of the last remaining original tea room designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret Macdonald. They also detail the life of Glasgow entrepreneur Miss Catherine Cranston, who once ran the tea room.
Who would have once frequented the tea room? What makes Mackintosh at the Willow such a shining example of its designers’ talents? And what has it taken to restore the magnificent tea room into the stunning location it is today?
For more on Mackintosh at the Willow, visit the website
You may also enjoy our previous episode on the life of Margaret Macdonald, available here.
-
This week, Jackie and her guest discuss six objects in the Trust’s collections that help to tell the stories of some of the most fascinating women connected to Trust places. Regional curators Emma Inglis and Antonia Laurence-Allen help to paint a picture of these six women, whose lives and jobs range from being an ale-brewer in 1600s Edinburgh to the daughter of an earl in Clackmannanshire.
What does a job application from 1910 tell us about the changing world of work at the turn of the century? Why was ale-making seen as a predominantly female profession? And who was the historical figure behind Alloa’s successful glasswork?
For more information about the places mentioned in this episode, please follow the links below:
Gladstone’s Land
Weaver’s Cottage
Alloa Tower
Hill House
Broughton House
Tenement House
Remember to follow Love Scotland so you don’t miss any future episodes.
-
So far this series we’ve looked at two of Scotland’s most famous monarchs: Robert the Bruce and Mary, Queen of Scots. Today, we step back further in time to meet the rulers whose names have become more forgotten to time.
Helping Jackie to acquaint herself with the earliest kings and queens of Scotland is Richard Oram, a professor of medieval and environmental history at Stirling University. Together, they piece together a picture of the most significant crown-wearers leading up to Robert the Bruce.
How did Scotland come to be ruled by a king in the first place? Who made the biggest mark on the kingdom? And just how accurate is Shakespeare’s take on early monarchs Macbeth and Duncan?
Find out more about the Trust’s castles and royal places here.
Don’t forget to follow so that future episodes are delivered to you.
-
Arguably the most famous monarch in Scottish history, Mary, Queen of Scots remains a figure of global intrigue more than 400 years after her death. One question, then: why?
In a previous episode of Love Scotland, Jackie explored the life and times of Mary. Today, she’s on a mission to find out why Mary’s story and legacy have been pored over in such detail for centuries.
Joining Jackie in the studio is Professor Steven Reid of the University of Glasgow, who is also the author of The Afterlife of Mary, Queen of Scots. Together, they unpick the posthumous interest in Mary, the many different perceptions of her legacy, and how Mary’s death has been used throughout history to further different groups’ objectives.
For more information on Falkland Palace, click here.
-
In the second part of a two-episode biography of Robert the Bruce’s life, Jackie returns to the studio with Professor Dauvit Broun of the University of Glasgow.
Last week, we looked at the early life of Robert and how his canny abilities, not to mention his tendency to switch allegiance at opportune moments, helped him to secure power. But what came next?
Picking up their conversation in 1306, when Scotland has been conquered by Edward I of England and Robert faces a tussle for power with the most powerful family in Scotland, Jackie and Dauvit will look at all that happened in Robert’s reign.
To find out more about visiting Bannockburn, click here.
-
Welcome to a new series of Love Scotland.
In this week’s episode, Jackie is joined by Professor Dauvit Broun of the University of Glasgow to discuss the life of Robert the Bruce.
Robert, King of Scots from 1306-1329, led a fascinating life full of changing allegiances, shifting power and military victories.
How much of our common understanding of this Scottish ruler is based in fact? What motivated him to switch sides, on several occasions, in the wars of the 13th and 14th centuries? And why has his legacy had such a lasting effect on the nation’s history?
Next week, Jackie and Dauvit continue their conversation, charting the events that followed Bannockburn.
To find out more about visiting Bannockburn, click here.
-
Jackie gives a brief introduction to brand-new season of the Love Scotland podcast.
We're going across the centuries to delve into the stories of Mary Queen of Scots and Robert the Bruce, then skipping ahead to the tales of the Georgian Tea Room. Jackie also hears from the Trust's archaeology team about wartime relics beind unearthed across the country.
-
We finish our pick of episodes from the archives with this conversation between Jackie and actor Sam Heughan, first released in 2022.
The Dumfries and Galloway-born Outlander star, who has also launched his own whisky brand and became a New York Times bestselling author in 2020, joined Jackie to discuss his on-screen adventures at some of Scotland’s most famous historical sites. They also talked about the effect Outlander has had on the global interest in Scottish stories.
What drew Sam to take on the West Highland Way? What is it that he so loves about the great outdoors? And how did he celebrate landing the part of a lifetime in Outlander?
Hear all of that – and an excerpt from Sam’s book, Waypoints: My Scottish Journey – in the episode.
Love Scotland will return with brand new episodes later in 2024.
-
We’re rolling out the red carpet for this episode from the archives, first released in 2022. With Hollywood’s eyes on this weekend’s Academy Awards, take a dive into this cinematic history of Scotland’s relationship with the silver screen.
What was the first film to earn Scotland a place on the movie-making map? Which horror cult classic was shot in Dumfries and Galloway? And what famous Scottish film was filmed in LA because producers felt Scotland wasn’t Scottish enough?
Jackie is joined in the studio by film and TV critic Siobhan Synnot and NTS Film Manager Anna Rathban as they delve into some of the nation’s most influential movies, including the Harry Potter series, the James Bond classic Skyfall and Marvel’s Avengers franchise. Plus, Anna gives an insight into her behind-the-scenes access on major film sets.
To find out more about Trust properties and sites that have appeared on the silver screen, click here.
Next week, we revisit another 2022 episode, featuring a man who shot to success thanks to his leading role on a Scottish TV smash hit.
New episodes of Love Scotland will return later in 2024.
-
This week, we’re going all the way back to Roman times – an an episode first released in 2023 – to find out about the Antonine wall and why Scotland was ‘Rome’s Afghanistan’.
What led to the speedy evacuation of the Antonine wall, which was once garrisoned by thousands of Roman soldiers? What was Rome’s relationship with the lands beyond the wall really like? And just how did a small, stubborn nation see of a continental superpower?
To find out, Jackie visited the nation-spanning wall herself and then met Dr John Reid, author of The Eagle and the Bear: A New History of Roman Scotland, to get a deeper insight into this fractious period of history and its long-lasting legacy.
Next week, as the Oscars get under way in LA, we revisit Scotland’s relationship with the silver screen.
New episodes of Love Scotland will return later in 2024.
-
This week, we’re returning to one of our most popular episodes, which was first released in May 2022.
Jackie was joined by Dr Ciaran Jones, the lead researcher and author of a report on the links between NTS properties and the witch trials of the 16th-18th centuries.
Why did Scotland try to execute five times as many so-called witches as the rest of the Europe? What fuelled 4,000 people, the vast majority of them women, to be accused of witchcraft? Why were wires inserted into suspected witches? And what was it that finally drew this dark chapter of Scottish history to an end?
This episode looks at the dark past of witch trials – a story that may sound like it belongs in the history books – and the relevance they have to the way we live – and let live – today.
Next week, we go further back in time to find out more about the Roman invasion of Scotland.
New episodes of Love Scotland will return later in 2024.
-
Production is underway on the next full series of Love Scotland, but in the meantime, we’re diving into the archives to highlight five of the top episodes of all time.
This week, we’re returning to two episodes that – when combined – offer a full look at the Massacre of Glencoe. Some 332 years ago this week, around 30 members of Clan MacDonald were killed by Scottish government forces, many while they slept.
This tragic and bloodthirsty event was significant in Jacobean history and has had a long-lasting legacy.
To find out more, Jackie is joined by Derek Alexander, NTS Head of Archaeology, and Scott McCombie, senior ranger. To find out more about Glencoe, click here.
Next week, we revisit another dark chapter in Scottish history: the witch trials.
New episodes of Love Scotland will return later in 2024.
-
As another series of Love Scotland draws to a close, Jackie gathers two companions to discuss the “song that everybody sings”: Auld Lang Syne. With lyrics penned by Robert Burns in 1788, but origins dating back further, it is now a global anthem of friendship, celebration, yearning and nostalgia.
Mairi Campbell, a Scottish musician whose version of the song appeared in the Sex and the City film and who has since created a show inspired by Auld Lang Syne, is the first of Jackie’s two guests. Also joining the conversation is Professor Gerard Carruthers, Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Francis Hutcheson Chair of Scottish Literature at the University of Glasgow.
With just a few weeks to go until people sing Auld Lang Syne on Hogmanay, Mairi and Gerard reveal their personal connections to the song and its words, how it came to international significance, and how it has evolved since its very early origins.
To find out more about Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, click here.
-
Seals and other winter wildlife at St Abb’s Head
This week, Jackie makes a return to St Abb’s Head in the Scottish Borders, just months after she last visited to investigate the summer’s avian flu outbreak. In the winter, many of the seabirds may have disappeared – but there are still a lot to be found.
Joined once again by Head Ranger Ciaran Hatsell, Jackie spends some time getting to know the seal pups on the beach, two years after the population was devastated by Storm Arwen. She also finds out what has happened at St Abb’s Head since the flu outbreak, and how the seals signal the wider health of the local ecosystem.
Weather warning report by Alex Deakin courtesy of the Met Office.
To find out more about St Abb’s Head National Nature Reserve, click here.
-
While Charles Rennie Mackintosh has become a singular icon in Scottish art, his legacy is so almighty that in many accounts, the achievements and contributions of his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh, are often overlooked.
Described by Charles as being “more than half – she is three quarters – of all I’ve done”, Margaret’s artwork, and her place in the Glasgow art scene, deserve their own glory. In particular, Margaret’s involvement in the designing of the National Trust for Scotland’s property, the Hill House, gives us a key insight into her own unique artistic style and the importance of her contributions to Scottish architecture.
This week, Jackie speaks to expert Robyne Calvert about Margaret’s life and legacy.
To find out more about the Hill House, click here.
-
The National Trust for Scotland cares for a dozen Scottish castles, all of which have unique histories and origins.
In this week’s episode, Jackie sits down with author Janet Brennan-Inglis, who also chairs the Trust’s Galloway group, to discuss some of these buildings and their influence on Scotland’s story.
Janet also guides Jackie through the tale of MacGibbon and Ross, two architects who, in the 1880s, completed a comprehensive study of Scotland’s built heritage.
For more information on the Trust’s castles, and to get visitor information, click here.
For more information on Janet’s book, A Passion for Castles, click here.
-
The Case of Osgood Mackenzie
This week, Jackie’s turning her attention to Inverewe Garden in the northwest highlands. A tropical oasis bolstered by the nearby gulfstream, it is a true jewel for lovers of all things floral.
However, its creator Osgood Mackenzie, the author of A Hundred Years in the Highlands, was left in the shade by a family court case that attracted much attention in the newspapers of the day. His wife, meanwhile, has been all but written out from history. The story of this period of Osgood’s life has been dramatised in a new play, which was performed at Inverewe this year. Rob Mackean, the playwright, joins Jackie to pick through the history of the garden and its one-time owner, whose life was as colourful as his flowers.
To find out more about Inverewe Garden, click here.
- Show more