This afternoon, benefiting from some Spring sunshine, I went off to Pollock House to find more signs of emerging Spring.

Pollock House is an 18th century Palladian Mansion built for the Maxwell family who occupied the site via a succession of castles and grand houses, from the 13th century through to the 21 century. Today, I explored the woodlands and walled garden dating from 1741 which are heavily dominated by Rhododendron, a shrub which is not native to Scotland.

Sir John Stirling Maxwell (1866-1956) had a great impact of the Pollock House gardens. He was an expert horticulturist and a keen collector of new and exotic plants from around the world. The many beautiful trees at Pollock are a legacy of Sir John.

This image shows some early Rhododendron flowers.

I was pleased to find some early daffodils. This species has been held back by the extreme winter 2009-2010.

This is the 250 year old Pollock Beech located on site of the former castle.



Woodland crocus

Rhododendron

Daffodils
Polyanthus
Overall, an interesting and successful trip with lost of emerging Spring colours in evidence.

Labels: Glasgow Pollock

posted by Nigel Cole @ 9:20 AM  0 comments

This afternoon, Glasgow was still very wintry with sub-zero temperatures. However, the sun was shining with a blue sky so I went off to photograph Pollock House which dates from the mid 18th century and sits on the bank of the White Cart Water (river). This is the third generation of castle or mansion built on or near this site in the past 1000 years.

Pollock House, a Palladian mansion. was begun by famous Scottish architect, William Adam and finished by his son, John. The patron/owner was John Maxwell.

The woodlands and walled garden date from 1741.

John Stirling Maxwell placed the house and estate ( 458 hectares) under control of the National Trust for Scotland. Since 1998 the house and gardens have been managed by Glasgow City Council and are open to the public.

Here is the front aspect of the house (facing the river) with a snowman.


A weir on the White Cart. At one stage there was a small hydro electric scheme here to provide power for the house.
A dash of bright colour. These primula (polyanthus?) were found outdoors but in a sheltered alcove.

Labels: Glasgow Pollock

posted by Nigel Cole @ 8:10 AM  0 comments

This evening, I am posting a couple of video clips taken at an earthwork structure at Pollock Park.

The site comprises a circular platform some 30m in diameter with a low bank around the edge and a 9M wide ditch surrounding it.

One school of thought is that the structure comprises a Norman ring-work, a circular palisaded enclosure consistent with those erected by the early Scottish-Norman families and dates from the early 12th century. It may have been the work of the Maxwell family.

Labels: Glasgow Pollock

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:20 PM  0 comments

This morning, temperature was below freezing but visibility good. My timing was good as there occurred snow flurries this afternoon.

I took a trip to Pollock Park which has been voted one of the top public parks in Europe. Firstly, I came across a friendly ( docile) Highland Bull who was feeding contentedly. However, would not like to tangle with him when he is angry!

Near to Pollock House ( a heritage building open to the public) I took a video clip of the the river which runs nearby, this is actually called the White Cart Water. The temperature is evident by blocks of ice around the edges. The weir/waterfall in the video is a remnant of a former mini-hydro electric scheme which was used to provide electricity to the House before the era of mains electricity. Perhaps thought should be given to re-harnessing this energy source.

Labels: Glasgow Pollock

posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:06 PM  0 comments