St John's in St John's town

Perth takes it's name from the pictish word for woods, but it only became fixed as the name of the city in late 19th century. Before that Perth usually referred to the area around it. In the late medieval time it was usually called after it's church, St John's, so it was St John's toun which by the 19th century was appearing as St Johnstone on some maps. I'm sure by now all you football fans out there will have noticed that the name hasn't disappeared as the local footy team is called St Johnstone.

Below is the church of St John as it stands today in the heart of the city. There has been a church here since the 12th century when a settlement grew round about it. The current church church was constructed mostly between 1440 and 1500.

In the square around the church are a number of carved animal heads sitting on plinths. They are based on the some of the animals which adorn the church itself I think.

The chap looking after the church that day was telling us that the church was made from two churches in the 1920s. Slightly puzzling since the church was pretty much the right shape for an ancient church as it stood. Turns out that he wasn't wrong but we were only given half a story. The church started of as one church and after the reformation was divided up into three churches, imaginatively known as the East, Middle and West churches, and they stayed that way till they were all combined together again in the '20s.

As regulars may have noticed, I rather like a piece of stained glass and St John's has it's fair share. This window is often known as the Blue window. Made in 1975 it marks the connection between the local council and the kirk. A room has been built down at that end of the church, leaving this window badly obscured. Such a shame that this lovely window is now effectively in a corridor.

Dedicated in 1955 in the presence of the late Queen Mother, this window celebrates the towns long connection with the Black Watch regiment.

A statue of John the Baptist by Indian sculptor Finandra Bose

No information on this window was provided but it's patently St George. Great dragon.

A tapistry commissioned by the 51st Highland Division Veterans Association in 2008.

Designed by Alan Heriot and woven in Edinburgh at the Dovecote Studios.

Some carving on the pews in the trancepts.

This is one of a pair of rather lovely candle sticks - a gift from the district council in 1993

The cloth on the pulpit - still positioned where John Knox preached in 1559 - I'm not sure he would have approved (I do though)

The area down at the East end of the church is known as the Knox Chapel. It is dominated by this window of the last supper by Douglas Strachan. It is quite delicately coloured and is worth a closer look because the details in the faces are excellent.

According to Wikipedia, this is the largest collection of medieval bells in the country. I see now in the photo that there is a little drumstick provided. Now if I'd spotted that at the time...... Darn!!

No information on this window either I'm afraid.

We had gone in rather close to closing time so only just had time to grab a few snaps of the carvings on the roof on the way out. This is the nearest to an in focus one I have. 

The Fergusson gallery and a wander round Perth

We had tickets to go and see Kieran Goss last Wednesday in Perth, so we set out around lunchtime and spent a bit of an afternoon in the city (not that it's been a city for that long - Perth only officially became a city on the14th of March this year but it has been unofficially regarded as a city for just about as long as it has existed and has used the word city on it's sign posts for years.)

We found some easy parking just opposite the Fergusson galley. On the outskirt of the city centre, it was once a waterworks - the structure on the top of the building was a tank to hold water. We think that the pillar at the back looked like an old chimney but it does seem a good enough place to put a plant pot. The building now houses the works of the local artist, John Duncan Fergusson, who lived from 1874 to 1961 and was part of the Scottish colourist movement, and his wife Margaret Morris.

Although best known as a painter, JD Fergusson also did a little sculpture. This piece from 1918, positioned outside the gallery, is Torse de Femme.

The gallery own a great many works of the Fergussons and rotate them regularly. These two photographs of the couple were on display.

This is JD Fergusson's Eastre and Fruit.

A painting called At My Studio Window - I hope he had plenty of foliage outside it.

This sculpture is Eastre, Hymn to the Sun. A similar subject to the painting earlier. We were sure that we had seen this before and asked at the desk on the way out. There are indeed several versions of it and we had seen one in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh.

Fergusson's wife, Margaret Morris, was mainly known as a dancer and these pictures were taken by Fred Daniels at her summer school at Pourville Cap d'Antibes in France in the early 1920s.

This particular picture appeared in the Daily Express on 26th February 1925.

Though not one of the costumes in the picture, this one is probably from the same dance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are the legs not tied together??

Margaret Morris also did some paintings and drawings herself. These 4 little sketches by her were probably my favourite works in the gallery.

By the time we'd been round the gallery it was definitely tea time. Hetties tearoom looked like it would fit the bill quite nicely. I can say that their Earl Grey was excellent and they provided a little egg timer to ensure that you brewed it for just the right length of time.

We spotted this curious sculpture on the High Street.

And just round the corner from the High Street these bronze sculptures were attached to the lamp posts.

We had a wander down to have a wee look at the River Tay  before hunting down a bite of food.

Just before the concert we found this 1992 mosaic by William Hamilton called Horse Cross.

Beltane on Calton Hill

At dusk last Monday night we joined a growing crowd of people on Calton Hill to observe the appearance of the May Queen at the Beltane Fire Festival. There was much drumming and dancing as she processed around the hill until the climax at midnight when April turned to May.