Scottish Village in London 1909

[OC Richard]

I came across this very interesting postcard



which lead me to read up a bit on just what the "Imperial International Exhibition" of 1909 was. There's a Wikipedia article and all.

Anyhow the dress is interesting, being I presume an attempt to show stereotypical Highland Dress of the time. Note that most men are in the typical dress of that time, the open-collared doublet, long hair sporran, wing collar shirt, tartan hose, &c though one gent is in tweed with the typical Pine Marten sporran. The piper's sporran seems to represtent an early 20th century evolution towards the small pocketlike sporrans which became standard after WWI.

[Jock Scot]

Not many locals on show!

[HenryT]

How did they get the mountains to London? That must have been hard...

[Chas]

How did they get the mountains to London? That must have been hard...

Henry, we're British - of course, we can move mountains.

It is just that we've got them where we like them and see no reason to move them again.

Regards

Chas

[New World Czech]

If you look between the building you can see a nice doorway (tunnel?) in the mountains.

[MacSpadger]

Not many locals on show!

This was held exactly where the BBC Media Centre stands in White City. I believe that the London Scottish were involved, and that people were recruited from as far away as Chiswick.



At this time that strange anomoly existed where the London Scottish, Gaelic Society of London/Comunn Gàidhlig Lunnainn, etc, consisted of people educated privately and expensively in England's best boarding schools and English universities who lived in England. (This also went for many "Irish" Gaelic societies)

Below is a photo of my actual Great Great Great Grandfather, William Gill, born in Aberdour, 23rd December 1843. I think you'll find the actual reality was nearer to this, crippled by hard work, nae' kilts, standing in the doorway of his hovel with his water trough outside. He spoke Gamrie, (pronounced Gee-a-ree), Gaelic. This has since died out, suffocated by the idealised, homogenised Highlands and Islands style Gaelic foisted on the area by non-Gaelic speaking Government ministers who would have probably loved the Heilan' Village at White City, London.

He married Ann Fowlie in Church of Aberdour, 8th december 1866. On the marriage certificate, William Gill is listed as a farm servant, address, Boghead of Hythie. His father Samuel is listed as a farmer. Ann Fowlie is listed as a kitchen maid, her father William's occupation is given as crofter. William Gill was well known in the area as the caretaker of the Mormond White Stag, a giant chalk figure of a horned deer cut into the hillside at Strichen. Like all the males in the family, he was also an ardent member of the Horseman's Word.

[McClef]

If the Las Vegas authorities see that pic I can guess what might happen!

[Jock Scot]

This was held exactly where the BBC Media Centre stands in White City. I believe that the London Scottish were involved, and that people were recruited from as far away as Chiswick.



At this time that strange anomoly existed where the London Scottish, Gaelic Society of London/Comunn Gàidhlig Lunnainn, etc, consisted of people educated privately and expensively in England's best boarding schools and English universities who lived in England. (This also went for many "Irish" Gaelic societies)

Below is a photo of my actual Great Great Great Grandfather, William Gill, born in Aberdour, 23rd December 1843. I think you'll find the actual reality was nearer to this, crippled by hard work, nae' kilts, standing in the doorway of his hovel with his water trough outside. He spoke Gamrie, (pronounced Gee-a-ree), Gaelic. This has since died out, suffocated by the idealised, homogenised Highlands and Islands style Gaelic foisted on the area by non-Gaelic speaking Government ministers who would have probably loved the Heilan' Village at White City, London.

He married Ann Fowlie in Church of Aberdour, 8th december 1866. On the marriage certificate, William Gill is listed as a farm servant, address, Boghead of Hythie. His father Samuel is listed as a farmer. Ann Fowlie is listed as a kitchen maid, her father William's occupation is given as crofter. William Gill was well known in the area as the caretaker of the Mormond White Stag, a giant chalk figure of a horned deer cut into the hillside at Strichen. Like all the males in the family, he was also an ardent member of the Horseman's Word.

Yes tough times in the real world away from the tourist industry's, fanciful eye candy stuff, they have a lot to answer for.

The last time I was over by Mormond's hill, quite a while ago now I found the white horse which was surrounded in gorse and I found the stag too and the dreaded bracken was about to take over. I really hope that some one has attended to stopping the encroachments as nature was about to reclaim lost ground. The adornments on the summit of the hill, whilst necessary, do not help the view either!

Gosh the Horseman's Word! I have not heard of them mentioned for a very long time.

[MacSpadger]

If the Las Vegas authorities see that pic I can guess what might happen!

I believe it's already happened in China. There were ads out a few years ago for pipers to go and live in China for 6 months as part of a "Scottish Highland Village" in a Chinese theme park similar to the one in the pic. If I was young and single, I might have gone for it.

[MacSpadger]

The last time I was over by Mormond's hill, quite a while ago now I found the white horse which was surrounded in gorse and I found the stag too and the dreaded bracken was about to take over. I really hope that some one has attended to stopping the encroachments as nature was about to reclaim lost ground. The adornments on the summit of the hill, whilst necessary, do not help the view either!

I made enquiries about this in the 1990's, with the idea of getting a local volunteer force, (my kin, mainly!), together to tidy up the stag. At that time, (1995), I was told that the area was under the jurisdiction of the US military and I would be arrested for trespassing. What the situation is now, I don't know.