Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland, Spring 2008 Newsletter
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Colliery Tops Poll of Most Treasured Place
September 19th 2007 saw the official launch of RCAHMS keystone centenary project Treasured Places with an online vote to find the nation's favourite archive image from the RCAHMS national collection. 100 images were selected including archaeological sites, castles and monuments, feats of civil engineering and pieces of urban architecture, showcasing the journey in which our nation's built heritage has unfolded.
Over 22,000 people voted via a specially created website, www.treasuredplaces.org.uk, to decide their winner. In a thrillingly close competition, a survey drawing of the Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange, Midlothian, beat off stiff opposition from a number of the nation's most iconic places to win the coveted title of 'Scotland's most Treasured Place'. Following the win, RCAHMS commissioned Edinburgh Makar, Valerie Gillies, to pen a poem celebrating the Colliery's newly acquired title.
Siobhan McConnachie, project manager of Treasured Places, said:
'The vote has been such a great opportunity for us to find out what the nation thinks and feels about its built heritage. The RCAHMS archive contains many fascinating drawings, photographs and manuscripts of every aspect of Scotland's architecture and archaeology from pre-history to the present day. We were delighted with the enthusiastic voting across all of the places in the top ten; it really was a close run competition'.
The top ten treasured places in order of votes are:
- Lady Victoria Colliery, Midlothian
- Glasgow School of Art
- King's College, Aberdeen
- St Meddan's, Troon, Ayrshire
- The Falkirk Wheel
- Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow
- The Standing Stones of Stenness, Orkney
- Skara Brae, Orkney
- Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian
- Cumbernauld Town Centre, North Lanarkshire
A major exhibition of Scotland's 'Treasured Places' will take place at the City Art Centre, Edinburgh from 25th October 2008 to 17th January 2009. The exhibition will explore the evolving work of RCAHMS from conception to the present day, showcasing for the first time original items from our extensive archive collection. Scotland's top ten 'Treasured Places' as voted by the public will also feature alongside personal accounts of people's connections to their own heritage and their own special places. A complementary touring exhibition will, at the same time, visit ten towns across Scotland.
To find out more about Treasured Places, please visit www.treasuredplaces.org.uk
Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange, Midlothian, survey drawing, RCAHMS, 1999, GV004378. Crown Copyright: RCAHMS
Glasgow School of Art voted Scotland's second most treasured place. SC1075659
Kings College, Aberdeen, voted Scotland's third most treasured place. DP016873
St Meddan's Church, Troon, voted Scotland's fourth most treasured place.
Falkirk wheel seen along the Union Canal, voted Scotland's fifth most treasured place.