Edinburgh: Day 4 – Cardrona, Traquair House, reservoirs
A rainy morning so we decided to take a drive to Scotland’s oldest continuously inhabited house at Traquair, deep in the Border country south of Edinburgh. With deep valleys and steep hills carved out by glacial action, the landscape of the region reminded us of parts of Central Otago, although of course the built environment was much older.
This was roughly our route
First stop on the trip was Cardrona, on the banks of the Tweed, famous for its golf course, trout fishing, and more recently, cycle trail built on a disused railway line.
The hotel at Cardrona
River Tweed
The country house at Traquair was originally built as a hunting lodge in approximately 1107 and was progressively enlarged and redeveloped over the centuries. It is said to be the oldest inhabited house in Scotland. For all of that time it has been owned by the Stuart family and their descendants. Historically the family were fierce supporters of Scotland’s Catholic kings and queens and several senior family members were imprisoned or excommunicated over the years for their ‘rebellious’ Jacobean beliefs.
Traquair House
Mary Queen of Scot’s shoeA letter to the Earl of Traquair written by Charles I in 1641The secret stairway used to escape from the upper rooms of the mansion house in troubled timesTraquair operates its own prize-winning breweryCentrepoint of the Traquire estate’s large maze
The final part of our journey took us up to the two impressive reservoirs supplying water to the city of Edinburgh. The reservoir at Megget was formed by building the largest earth embankment dam in the UK.
The older Talla Reservoir, officially opened in 1905
Edinburgh: Day 3 – Edinburgh New Town and Old Town
After a full-on road trip yesterday, E and Caroline were happy to chill-out at home. So Ian took the number 16 bus into Princes Street, the heart of downtown Edinburgh. Here he spent most of the day ambling about exploring the city. First he walked to the top of Calton Hill, then over to the Old Town including up to the entrance to Edinburgh Castle. After that he wandered through the Georgian splendour of the New Town. Like a canny Scot eager to save a penny or two, he then walked south via bustling Haymarket all the way back to E’s flat in Morningside.
One of the many paths acsending Calton HillThe memorial to Lord Nelson, designed in the shape of a telescope.Arthur’s Seat seen from Calton Hill
Heading now for the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle …
School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
Piper on the Royal Mile
Outside Edinburgh Castle
And then on to the New Town ..
Princes Street
Royal Scottish Academy, Allan Ramsay monument
Royal Circus
Two of the four large churches sitting next to one another on Holy Corner, on the walk back to Morningside.
Waking from our improvised beds on E’s living room couch and floor, out the window the sky is blue!
… while E and Caroline go grocery shopping, Ian headed out on foot in Morningside to explore the built and natural environments.
Blackford HIll, beyond the Royal Observatory (also see Edinburgh Day 15)
Edinburgh Day 2 – Day trip to Bridges, Loch Leven, Japanese garden, Culross
Today saw our first proper road trip of the UK visit, with E kindly acting as tour designer and driver. First destination was the public viewing platform overlooking the three massive bridges (one rail and two road) crossing the Firth of Forth. Then we drove across the newest of the bridges, Queensferry, to Loch Leven, where Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned shortly before being forced to abdicate the Scottish crown. A 20 minute drive from there took us to the delightfully tranquil Japanese Garden at Cowden. Our final destination was the ancient village of Culross, with its magnificent abbey dating back to 1217.
The Forth (rail) Bridge – opened in 1890The Forth Road Bridge, completed in 1964, now only open to a limited amount of trafficThe new Queensferry Crossing road bridge – opened in 2017
Kinross
Scenes from misty Loch Leven:
The Japanese Garden at Cowden…
The tomb of Sir George Bruce, his wife and his eight children
On Day 4 in London we went to the Barbican Centre, walked past St Pauls, met Tess at the Tate Modern, and had some food with her, Darcy and Aless in Borough Market.
The next day we travelled by train from King’s Cross to Edinburgh.
London: Day 4 – Barbican, Tate Modern, Borough Market
After a quiet start to the morning over a breakfast of Asda branded berry granola, it was back to central London on the tube to explore the brutalist architecture of the Barbican Centre. Eventually finding an escape route out of the Barbican’s maze of raised pathways and courtyards, we hopped on a double-decker bound for St Paul’s Cathedral. From there it was a walk across the Thames on the new pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge, on the other side of which is the Tate Modern art museum. Here we met up with Tess for the first time on our trip, who showed us round the museum’s impressive galleries and exhibitions. The three of us then walked down the bank of the river to the bustling Borough Market, passing the Globe Theatre on the way. After buying some delicious sweet snacks from one of the many market stalls, we headed to a near-packed George Inn, one of the oldest pubs in London, to share a Guinness or two, snacks and good conversation with Darcy and Aless, who had both just finished work for the day. Then, after saying our final farewells to the three cheerful Kiwi-Londoners, we ambled back to the underground to reconnect to the now very familiar Piccadilly line and onwards to Hounslow Central for the final night in our hotel. Tomorrow we’re off to Edinburgh by high-speed train.
The Barbican Arts Centre…
Barbican apartment community…
Roman Wall
St Pauls Cathedral…
Millennium Bridge
At the Tate Modern
Globe Theatre
On the way to Borough Market
London: Day 5 – King’s Cross to Edinburgh
After a big all-you-can eat breakfast at our hotel, we checked out and took the Piccadilly Line tube to Kings Cross Station. At precisely 12:30 p.m. we departed from Platform 2 on the London North Eastern Railway’s fast-train service to Edinburgh, passing through Peterborough, York, Doncaster and Newcastle. Four hours and 45 minutes later we arrived at Edinburgh’s Waverly Station, where E was standing by in his car to pick us up and take us back to his flat, where we dined on guinea fowl, lettuce and tomato sandwiches and handed over the three blocks of Whittaker’s chocolates and the jar of Marmite we had shipped from New Zealand.
Into Central London to meet Aless and Josh at the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and afterwards for a good chat at a Covent Garden pub.
Hounslow Central, West London on a wet Sunday morningHeading to Trafalgar Square with Big Ben in the distance
Trafalgar SquareAless with some famous sunflowers at the National Gallery Two former youthful bathers
Vincent van Gogh: Van Gogh’s Chair. Oil on canvas, painted in 1888.
Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), Hillside in Provence. Painted about 1886-1890.
Henri Rousseau (1844-1910): Tiger in a Tropical Storm. Oil on canvas, painted in 1891.
London: Day 2 – Thames ferry, Greenwich, Canary Wharf, Docklands
Down the Thames by river ferry to Greenwich to visit the Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House, then back to Canary Wharf and Docklands by light railway for a pizza dinner, and tube back home.
Striking out for the Thames
River Thames, MI6 (left) and Vauxhall Bridge
Westminster, Big Ben
London Eye
Royal Air Force memorial
Cleopatra’s Needle
Tower of London (centre)
Tower Bridge
Canary Wharf behind older buildings
We got off the ferry in Greenwich to be greeted by the sight of The Cutty Sark in dry dock. The ship was built in 1869 to carry tea as fast as possible from China to the UK (hence the name ‘tea clipper’). Later, the ship transported wool from Australia; and over a long period since the 1950s has been extensively restored to become a popular tourist attraction.
The portrait of James Cook by William Hodges (no relation) in the Maritime Museum at Greenwich. Hodges was the ship’s artist on Cook’s second voyage to New ZealandAn indication the museum is not averse to portraying radical reinterpretations of Pacific maritime historyThe Queen’s House, Greenwich. Although built for Queen Anne of Denmark by her husband James I, she died before its completion in 1635. It was later given to Queen Henrietta Maria by her husband, Charles I (James’ son).The Tulip Staircase in the Queen’s House (though really they’re lilies)
‘Armada Portrait’ of Queen Elizabeth I by unknown English artist, about 1588
London from atop the hill at Greenwich
Greenwich Park and Royal Observatory from the Queen’s House
Docklands Light Railway (DLR)
Canary Wharf – London’s modern financial centreDocklandsA blue sky day in the heart of the Docklands
London: Day 3 – Albert Memorial, Harrods, Marlow
In the morning the sun was out and the day calm as we headed back to Central London on the Piccadilly underground route. First we made our way to Kensington Gardens to see the Prince Albert Memorial, with the Albert Hall just across the road. Then it was time to do some shopping for chocolate in Harrods, before taking the Elizabeth Line train out to Maidenhead, on the western edge of the city. There we were picked up by British friends, Jim and Monica, and taken to their home town of Marlow, right on the upper reaches of the Thames.
Kensington Gardens…
Albert Memorial – for Prince Albert who died in 1861. Its four outer corners represent the four British Empire continents of Africa, America, Asia, Europe.
Africa
America
Kensington Gardens, Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial
Royal Albert Hall, opposite the Albert Memorial
Harrods food hall…
Elizabeth Line train to Maidenhead
Marlow, with the Thames flowing byThe river was very high after heavy rainfall in early spring
Click on this list of titles to see our 2024 UK trip photo pages in chronological order. Links back to this list are provided at the top and bottom of all the other pages.
The wedding reception for Harold and Agnes Hodges (nee Haig) was held at the Vedic Cafe in Princes Street, Dunedin, on the night of 6 November 1954. After the event, the photographer at the reception, David Lloyd, provided the newly-weds with two sheets of matchbox-sized photo proofs showing images of people at the reception. Now, more than 60 years later, these small images are reproduced below; enlarged, captioned and, as much as possible, digitally restored to remove scratches and other blemishes.
Family members and other readers are invited to submit further information about the people shown in the photos, including corrections to the captions. To submit comments, use the box at the bottom of the page.
Agnes Hodges (nee Haig) and bridesmaid Marjorie (‘Marj’) Mowat (nee Munro).Catherine ‘Kitty’ Haig and son David Haig – Agnes’s mother and brother. David later married Gaynor Lord, who was also at the reception.Brothers Alan and Harold Hodges.Grace Hodges with Elsie Blythe (nee Hodges) – Harold’s sisters.Dora David (nee Hodges, Harold’s sister) with husband Gordon David.Alfred George Hodges – Harold’s father. Harold’s mother, Jessie Hodges (nee Shanks), was at the reception but not photographed.Blanche Allen (friend of Jessie Hodges, Harold’s mother), Mrs Lucy Blythe (mother of Jack Blythe), Mrs Graham (friend of Jessie Hodges).Gwenyth Emmerson (later Gwenyth Hamilton) and Mrs Emmerson, friends of the Hodges family. Gwenyth’s father, Harold Emmerson, was at the reception but not photographed.Mr and Mrs George Scott. George was choirmaster at Mornington Presbyterian Church.Phyllis Abbott (nee Haig – daughter of Jock Haig) with husband Bill Abbott.Alison Fraser (left), with father Colin Fraser and sister Frances Fraser. Colin’s wife Eveline Fraser (nee Haig, Agnes’s aunt) was also at the reception but not photographed.Beth Fraser (daughter of Eveline Fraser, nee Haig), Douglas Haig (son of Walter Haig) and Nanette Abbott (daughter of Phyllis Abbott, nee Haig).Beverley Abbott (daughter of Phyllis Abbott, nee Haig), Marjorie Fraser (daughter of Eveline Fraser, nee Haig) and June Lord (later June McCrorie).Edith Linzey (nee Haig – Agnes’s aunt) with son Michael and daughter Judith.Tim Linzey (Agnes’s cousin) with John Linzey, his father.Elaine (nee McGregor) and Evan Jones, son of George and Minnie Jones – friends of the Haig family.William (‘Bill’) Morrison and wife Lottie. Bill was a cousin of the MacCallums.Isobel Race (nee Morrison) with her father Robert (‘Bob’) Morrison. Bob was a cousin of the MacCallums. Cutting the cake (1)Cutting the cake (2).Don Crawford – a friend of Harold. Don’s sister Joyce was also at the reception but not photographed. Joyce later married Arthur Patton. Frances and Bob Smithson, friends of Harold.Francis and Jack Whitworth, friends of Harold.George and Sybil Ritchie (nee Henderson). Sybil was a neighbour of Fred and Kitty Haig in Beaumont Rd.Gordon Turner and wife June Turner, friends of the Haig family.Hugh and Nessie (Agnes) Sinclair (nee McInnes). Nessie was the daughter of Agnes McInnes (nee MacCallum).Hugh MacCallum and Elsie MacCallum (nee Scurr). Hugh was Agnes’s mother’s brother.Isabelle (‘Isa’) MacCallum and Frances (‘Fran’) Ford (nee Haig) – Agnes’s aunts.Jessie Turner with husband Charles Turner, friends of the Haigs. Joan Latta and Margaret Hellyer; friends of Agnes who went to Otago Girls High School. Jocelyn Carmondy – Agnes’s friend who sang a solo at the church service.Kitty Reid (nee Shannon) and Alan Reid, friends of the Haig family.Margaret Hellyer and Cathy Law, friends of Agnes. Mary Morrison (nee MacCallum) and Jessie Howlett (nee Haig) – Agnes’s aunts.Minnie and George Jones. A bricklayer, George helped build Fred and Kitty Haig’s house at 6 Beaumont Rd.Gladys Dryden and husband Jack, friends of the Haig family.Mr and Mrs Ike Curtis. Ike was a hairdresser and popularly known as ‘the Mayor of Manse Street’.Mr D McKechnie, Miss Martha Galbraith and Mrs McKechnie; connected to the MacCallum family.Mrs Ruby Campion (previously Mrs Ruby David), with daughter-in-law Lorraine and son Laurie David.Mrs Olive Munro (mother of Marj Mowat) with son-in-law Leith Mowat.Myrtle and Ernie Smythe. Myrtle was organist at Caversham Methodist Church. Ernie taught Commercial Practice at King Edward Technical High School.Myrtle and Howard Ashworth, friends of Kitty Haig, Agnes’s mother.Olive Perry (Agnes’s music teacher and organist for the wedding) and Sylvia Armstrong (Agnes’s Sunday School teacher).Olwyn Jones (daughter of Minnie and George Jones – later Olwyn Cramond) and Gaynor Lord (later Gaynor Haig – Agnes’s sister-in-law).Arthur Patton, Roy MacArthur and Ron Schlonbach – friends of Harold.Reg McCauley and wife ‘Teenie’, friends of the Hodges family.Sarah MacCallum, Hugh Sinclair (son of Nessie and Hugh) and Jean MacCallum. Sarah and Jean were Agnes’s aunts.Stuart Reid and Gwenda Mitchell (nee MacCallum). Gwenda was the daughter of Hugh MacCallum, Agnes’s uncle. Stuart’s brother Russell Reid was also at the reception but not photographed.Joyce and Ray Maindonald, friends of Agnes.Ray and Joyce Maindonald (nee Ross).Andrew Haig and wife May – Agnes’s uncle and aunt.Graham Haig with his father Walter Haig (Agnes’s uncle).Valerie Edgar (nee Jones, daughter of Minnie and George Jones) and Adele MacMillan (Sunday School teacher and choir member).William (‘Bill’) Haig, Mrs Marion de Courcy and John (‘Jock’) Haig. Bill and Jock were Agnes’s uncles.Eric and Ruth Patton, parents of Arthur Patton, a friend of Harold.Eugene Sullivan with wife Marjorie Sullivan (nee Smith). Marjorie worked at Beggs with Agnes.(from left) David Lloyd, Curly Lewis, John Harper, and Ernie Banwell. David was a photographer and took most of the photos shown here.Claire Smallman (later Claire Lloyd), a friend of Agnes.(from left) Curly Lewis, Maida Hall, Ernie Banwell, Claire Smallman, Lex Knight (band leader), Beverley Banwell (daughter of Ernie) and John Harper – participants in the after-dinner dance. Maida Hall, Beverley Banwell and Claire Smallman – friends of Agnes.Maida Hall and Beverley Banwell – friends of Agnes.Claire Smallman and David Lloyd.
New Zealand Family History Search 