Posts by Tiana Wilson-Buys
York Minster Chapter House
Friday the 13th has always been deemed unlucky. Well, certainly since October 1307. On this day – Friday 13 October 1307 – all members of the Knights Templar in France were arrested and subsequently condemned to death. This was the beginning of a Europe-wide persecution of the Order of the Knights Templar. This…
Read MoreRosyth Castle, Scotland
It is strange to think that, where I am standing looking up at Rosyth Castle, would have been under water not too long ago. You see, Rosyth Castle used to be on a tiny island in the Firth of Forth – reached only at low tide. Today, the landscape looks very different. The Rosyth…
Read MoreVicar’s Pele Tower, Ponteland
I couldn’t resist exploring the Vicar’s Pele Tower in Ponteland after visiting St Mary the Virgin Church. After all, the Pele Tower is literally around the corner from the church. In fact, the Pele Tower was used as a vicarage after it was rebuilt in the 17th century. Sadly, most of the building was…
Read MoreSt Mary the Virgin Church, Ponteland
Standing solidly on the bank of the River Pont in Northumberland is the ancient church of St Mary the Virgin. A church has stood here for ages, giving comfort and protection to the community. From Saxon times, through the wars with the Scots to the present day, St Mary’s has been (and still is)…
Read MoreOld Gala House, Galashiels
“Sour Plums” is a very strange motto for a town, I would have thought 🤔. But this is Galashiels in the Scottish Borders and there is a story behind the strange motto. The story goes that a group of retreating English soldiers, in 1337, paused to gather wild plums growing near the joining…
Read MoreIona Abbey, Scotland
Millions of people have been travelling to Iona Abbey over the past 1400 years. Many would have walked along Sraid Nam Marbh (the Street of the Dead), past the high crosses, to the holy-of-holies, St Columba’s shrine. It is here, to the Benedictine Abbey, that I have come to join the many who…
Read MoreRoslin Castle, Scotland
The hill is terribly steep and slippery after two days of solid rain. Squishing my way through the mud and wet leaves, I finally reach the midway point, and to my right are the beautiful ruins of Roslin Castle. And the slog was so worth it! A stone bridge takes me across a…
Read MoreThe Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York
“Where are you looking to go, Pet?” asked one of the men sitting on a low wall in Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate Street. We clearly looked like lost tourists! We weren’t quite lost – we were just unsure of which direction to go (I am well known for getting turned around even in my home city 🤣). …
Read MoreMoy Castle, Isle of Mull
A low fog was rolling in from the sea. I pulled my raincoat closed and flipped the hood up over my head as the rain became more insistent. It is only a seven-minute walk to Moy Castle, from where I had parked my car, but I knew I’d be soaked in minutes if I…
Read MoreGala Aisle, Scotland
The first parish kirk in Galashiels stood on a site just south of the Old Town Cross, along Church Street. It was built in 1617 and used as the only parish church in the town until 1813. This church was originally oblong in shape with a gallery around three sides. The centre of…
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