Perth

The incident this recalls was reputed to be when the Roman legions approached the site from the South, one of their number uttered the words

on viewing the aspect from about this point. While the buildings are more recent, the view up the River Tay to the mountains in the distance is just as impressive on a clear day.

To the East, the lower slopes of Kinnoull Hill rise steeply allowing this view over to Tay Street and the city centre highlighted with autumn sunshine.

Known ( a title it shares with Stirling) as the Gateway to the Highlands, the wall of the Highland Boundary Fault stands prominent on a clear day.
The town grew up at what was the lowest bridging point on the River Tay, and is reputed to have been made a Royal Burgh bt King David I in the 12th century.

The Queen's Bridge dates from 1960 and replaced a late Victorian one on the same spot, while the arched sandstone Perth Bridge in the background dates from the 18th century.
The name possibly has a Gaelic origin, Bar-tatha "Height of Tay" is rumoured to have dated from the time of our Roman friend, has been corrupted to Bertha although the original settlement was a couple of miles upstream. In the middle ages, it was known for a time as St Johnstoun or St John's town, but this title is best known for the football team, St Johnstone FC.

The Perth and Kinross Council crest is shown here on the door of Pullar House which curently houses many council offices. This has evolved from earlier administration's designs which featured a sheep carrying a Scottish flag on the shield. The eagle acquired it's second head in Victorian times when the Russian eagle was much admired.

Perth had it's own convenient prison at 2 Edinburgh Road. This was founded in 1812 to house French prisoners of war. The old town jail sat behind the sherriff court and is now a car park.

Perth was never a centre of heavy industry. It's main wealth came from it's agricultural hinterland and consumer goods.
The Lower City Mills currently houses the offices of the Perthshire Tourist Board, but still uses the water flow of the town lade to grind oats into oatmeal as a tourist attraction. The upper mill behind in the photograph is now the Ramada Jarvis Hotel, and has a glass panel in the floor where the rushing water can be observed.

New purpose built headquarters were built at Cherrybank in the 1980s growing out of the hillside overlooking the city. The company is now amalgamated with Norwich Union.

Perth hplds it's Agricultural Show early in August on the South Inch, allowing the citizens a view farm animals and machinery close up iaddition to it's main commercial purpose.

Perth grew on this site because it was the lowest bridging point on the Tay. It is said the first wooden structure was built by Agricola, but records show an ancient stone bridge washed away by the river in 1210, a fate by it's successor on many occasions. Eventually rebuilt in 1617 only to be demolished by a flood in 1621.
After 150 years with only ferries linking the banks, this attractive sandstone bridge by Smeaton was opened in 1772, and still carries traffic today, with the only concession to age being a 7 ton weight limit being imposed in the last few years. The quality of the build is doubly impressive when you consider Perth's next road bridge, the Victoria Bridege of 1900, had to be replaced in 1960 by the Queen's Bridge.

It is obviously unreasonable to expect an 18th century bridge to carry even half the 21st century traffic, and to relieve this, the Friarton bridge was built in the 1970s to extend the Edinburgh to Perth motorway north of the Tay.

Perth is also the head of navigation on the Tay, which is tidal up to Smeaton's Perth Bridge. There has been trade with continental Europe since the 13th century, and with improvements in ship design and navigation aids, vessels up to around 1000 tons regularly visit the harbour from the Low Countries and the Baltic especially.
Around this maritime link, the first iron steam vessel to be built in the east of Scotland came from Perth in 1837, however this industry died out by 1900 apart from a few sailing dinghies built by McLennan Marine in the 1960s. When the Caledonian Railway constructed a viaduct curving across the Tay in 1864 at the north end of Moncrieff Island to link the city with Dundee, it was built with an opening span at the western end to allow shipping through. These days, the harbour is half a mile downriver.
Main imports are timber and agricultural chemicals while barytes mined in Highland Perthshire is the main cargo outward.

Perth is still a railway junction, and was at one time the meeting point of the North British, Caledonian and Highland Railways. The view of the main (now the only) station here looking north shows the line to Dundee and the northeast branching off to the right towards the river.

Then there is "Perth Airport", a rather grand name for the small airfield about three miles north of the city centre. For many years, this was a respected flying school and it was said locally, that at the time of the first Gulf War, most of Saddam Hussein's airforce had learned to fly here.
Like here, most flying involves only one engine.

Health care in most of Perthshire centres around Perth Royal Infirmary, although some departments have been threatened with closure in recent years in favour of Ninewells in Dundee, the second largest general hospital in Europe. Another side effect of regionalisation (see government and law).

Over the years a variety of medical buildings have been established in and around the city including one which saw service as the County Buildings before becoming incorporated into the new A K Bell library. (see art & culture)
The earliest surviving example is the King James VI hospital on the corner of King Street and Hospital Street (where else?), which is now split into flats. This was built on the site of a former Carmelite monastery, the burial place of King James I, (assasinated in the city in 1437) and his Queen.

The educational establishment with the longest history in the Fair City is Perth Academy. The old Academy building in Rose Terrace is a listed building facing on to the North Inch. This dates from 1807 and was built to accomodate the Grammar School (origins in the 12th century) and the Academy (founded in 1760) and was used until the current site at Viewlands was opened in 1930.

Located at the top of a hill to the West of the city centre, the current Perth Academy sits in extensive playing fields and has been greatly expanded in it's time here. This part of town is now home to Perth High School, a little further up the hill.

Of the churches in Perth, the church of St John the Baptist, or St John's at is usually known is the most historic. Originally consecrated in 1242 and rebuilt in the 15th century, the interior was stripped after a semon by Scottish reformer John Knox in 1559.

Death is represented here by this gravestone in Greyfriars Graveyard. This stone reads "Near this spot lies John Mylne, master mason to James VI who about two centuries ago, rebuilt the ancient bridge over the Tay opposite the High Street which a dreadful innundation swept away XIV October MDCXXI" and was erected by a decendant in 1774.

This was superceded in 1849, by the burial ground at Wellshill to the west. During the second world war, there was a considerable influx of Polish troops into Perth and many of them stayed on after the communists took over back home. This section of the cemetery houses the Polish war graves from the 1940s.

Perth has had a long historical connection with the military. From the time of the conquering Roman Legion, armies and others have frequented the district.
The North Inch (see leisure) was scene in 1396, for the "battle of the clans", not actually a military battle but a "judicial combat" between the clans Kay and Chattan. Witnessed by King Robert III from the grounds of the Blackfriars' (Dominican) monstery, thirty men from each side fought until none were left standing.
Perthshire was the home of the Black Watch, the Royal Highland Regiment, the senior highland regiment of the British Army. Since 1725, they have served with distinction on many fields of conflict earning 14 Victoria Crosses for their bravery. Although no longer based in Perth (the barracks closed in the 1960s with only territorial troops based locally), Balhousie Castle houses the regimental museum.

This memorials to the 51st Highland division was unveiled on the North Inch in May 1995 to mark the 50th anniversary of VE day, and is illustrated on all sides with cartouches of men in action, battle honours, regimental crests and the story of the monument.

Also on the North Inch is this obelisk to the memory of the 90th Regiment of Foot, Perthshire Volunteers". Raised in 1794, this eventually became the 2nd (and finally 1st) Batallion The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) until it was disbanded in 1968.
The regiment fought at Martinique (1809), Guadeloupe (1810), Sevastopol (1855), the Indian Mutiny, and in the Zulu Wars of 1878. They were also among troops evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940.

One of two areas of parkland surrounding the city centre, the North Inch is now home of more peaceful conflicts as a sports area. With Scotland the home of golf, there are three courses within the city including this one enjoyed by these citizens. It is also home to Perthshire Rugby Club and Perthshire Cricket Club, and many amateur football matches are held here. Many of the townspeople simply enjoy strolling by the river, exercising the kids or dog.

The dome of the Bells Sports Centre appeared in the 1960s facing the North Inch to give the city an indoor arena, and has been extended since.

If you prefer your golf more energetic, then Craigie Hill provides a contrast to the riverside North Inch or Moncrieff Island courses.

Waterborne pursuits are catered for of course. The new Leisure Pool, pictured below, was built in the 1990s near the city centre alongside the Dewars Rink which is a popular venue for both curling and indoor bowls.

The River Tay is of course best known as a salmon river, and citizens have enjoyed the town fishings for many years. In the past, pearls were another product harvested from it's waters but the mussels are now protected.

Perth has a fair collection of art decorating the city. This varies from the traditional statues of Prince Albert on the North Inch, and Sir Walter Scott on the South Inch, to some of the more bizarre modern additions. Many of these form part of the "Perth Sculpture Trail" as the council have established.

The Museum and Art Gallery in George Street dates from the 1930s. It was opemed by the Duke of York, later to become King George VI after the abdication of his elder brother in 1936.

The Fergusson Gallery is currently being refurbished. It was built originally as the city's waterworks, a design by Dr Anderson, a former Rector of Perth Academy, it opened in 1830. Water from the river passed through a filter bed on Moncrieff Island opposite before passing through a pipe under the river bed to where two steam engines pumped it into the upper part of the structure which was originally a cast iron tank.
It has has housed a collection of works by Scottish artist J D Fergusson since 1992 (temporarily housed in the main art gallery)

Performing arts are represented here by Perth Theatre with it's entrance in the High Street. The fine Victorian theatre is popular with the citizens and visitors, and has seen many well known thesbians treading it's boards over the years. This is a view fron the circle towards the stage. (Photo supplied by Perth Theatre)

There is also a small theatre attached to the AK Bell Library and the Edwardian City Hall has been a major venue for acts varying from symphony orchestras to "sound alike" rock bands. It has also been popular for conferences, sales, dances and exhibitions.
The building is under threat from factions within the council, an organisation responsible for as much destruction of Perth's heritage as Oliver Cromwell, who wish to have a "monumental void" in the city centre.

Perth's new Concert Hall is located near the Museum an opened in September 2005. This was taken on the weekend it opened it's doors to the public.

The city hosts the "Perth Festival of the Arts" each May and becomes a magnet for varied performers for ten days.
October 2004 saw the Royal National Mod return to Perth after a break of 25 years. The city was home to much tartan and music was heard wafting through the streets as Gaelic Culture displayed its best,

A number of artists and writers with a connection with Perth include
David Octavius Hill, painter & photographer; Charles Mackay, poet & journalist; John Buchan, Lord Tweedsmuir, author (The 39 Steps) & Governer General of Canada who were born in the city
while writer John Ruskin and painter Sir John Millais spent time here.
Sir Walter Scott of course set his novel here and this building behind the museum is known as the "Fair Maid's House" (it was for a long time a shop) while "Hal o' the Wynd's house sits near the City Mills. Alhough the character is pure fiction, the property is of some antiquity.