https://www.carolinevawdrey.info/rss/ Sun, 21 Jan 2024 15:02:21 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/dark-sky-inspiration-and-wintery-encounters-21-jan-2024 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/dark-sky-inspiration-and-wintery-encounters-21-jan-2024 This week's Highland Environment Forum e-newsletter starts with a visit to mid-Wales - another beautiful area, and now providing inspiration as Presteigne in Powys turns off the street lighting and becomes their first dark sky community. LED lighting has a devastating effect on invertebrates and other wildlife, but there are some simple methods – in addition to reducing lights and lig Sat, 1 Aug 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/harbouring-information-1-aug-2020 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/harbouring-information-1-aug-2020 During the summer of 2020 I was delighted to see the interpretaion boards that I'd created for Cromarty Harbour Trust in 2019 take their place close to the shore. The three boards cover the history of harbour, HMS Natal, and wildlife that is easy to see from the harbour or close to it. I designed all three boards, but Paul Monk wrote the text for the HMS Natal board. Paul created this websi Thu, 2 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/keeping-the-wolves-at-the-door-2-apr-2020 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/keeping-the-wolves-at-the-door-2-apr-2020 Created for the Townhouse, Inverness, this board can be seen in both Gaelic and English versions to either side of the front steps and alongside their wolves. I undertook the research and writing. The design is by Iain Sarjeant Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/my-highland-house-of-memories-app-30-jan-2019 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/my-highland-house-of-memories-app-30-jan-2019 I really had fun working with Lorna Cruickshank and Alison Parfitt from High Life Highland to source and write about the contents for the My Highland House of Memories projectHouse of Memories is a unique museum-led dementia awareness programme created by National Museums Liverpool. The app is designed to be used by anyone sharing their lives with someone with dementia. It uses photographs of ob Fri, 24 Aug 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/rainings-stairs-24-aug-2018 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/rainings-stairs-24-aug-2018 I very much enjoyed the chance to work with designer and photographer Iain Sarjeant again, when he asked me to research and write this panel for Raining's Stairs in Inverness. John Raining was born in Dumfries in 1659. He married Frances, had two children, became a successful merchant in Norwich and died in 1722. His Scottish roots and Christian belief must have been important to him, as hi Thu, 24 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/well-well-what-have-we-here-24-aug-2017 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/well-well-what-have-we-here-24-aug-2017 And the answer - as far as we can tell - is a well, dating from the 1200s, and unnusual in having steps down the well itself. After the community excavation had finished it was decided to leave the well open, to give people a flavour of some of the evidence we'd uncovered. I was asked by the Cromarty Medieval Community Archaeology Project to write and design a board to go with the well, a Mon, 5 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/medieval-graveslabs-and-family-memorials-5-jun-2017 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/medieval-graveslabs-and-family-memorials-5-jun-2017 This has been a rewarding year for research writing and design work. It began in January with the text for the the newly conserved Kirkmichael. Originally a medieval church, it was later converted to two family mausolea, and in more recent years has been a ruin. Thanks to the dedication and persistence of the Kirkmichael Trust over 15 years they were able to succeed in bringing together all the Fri, 23 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/miller-and-romanes-two-local-heroes-23-sep-2016 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/miller-and-romanes-two-local-heroes-23-sep-2016 The award of a Royal Society ‘Local Heroes’ grant led to a joint project between Cromarty Courthouse, NTS Hugh Miller’s and Aberdeen University Lighthouse Field Station, for which I researched, wrote and designed the 6 banner exhibition 'Miller and Romanes : two local heroes'. All the organisations involved worked together to share Miller and Romanes’ achievement Fri, 26 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/celebrating-architecture-26-aug-2016 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/celebrating-architecture-26-aug-2016 Cromarty Courthouse Museum has been lucky enough to get funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund to allow us to play our part in the Year of Architecture and Design. So far I've created a small exhibition for the East Church vestry (shown above), curated a community photographic exhibition at the Courthouse (shown below), and organised and promoted tours of t Mon, 9 Nov 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/uncovering-medieval-cromarty-9-nov-2015 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/uncovering-medieval-cromarty-9-nov-2015 The Uncovering Medieval Cromarty exhibition that I created for Cromarty Courthouse Museum was on display for the Highland Archaeology Festival. We were delighted that lots of people came to see the exhbition and artefacts that were uncovered during the community dig. Hopefully they went away inspired by the enthusiasm and cameraderie of the community dig, and interested in learning more about Mon, 19 Oct 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/commemorating-hms-natal-and-a-new-cromarty-courthouse-exhibition-19-oct-2015 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/commemorating-hms-natal-and-a-new-cromarty-courthouse-exhibition-19-oct-2015 It has been a busy early autumn with a new information board created to commemorate HMS Natal and an exhibition on the Cromarty Merdieval Burgh Community Archaeology dig researched and created for Cromarty Courthouse Museum. The HMS Natal commemoration in Cromarty on 30th September brought everyone closer to the lives of the 421 people who died when the ship expl Mon, 27 Apr 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/looking-forward-to-medieval-cromarty-27-apr-2015 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/looking-forward-to-medieval-cromarty-27-apr-2015 Anticipation of another season's digging for medieval Cromarty begins to mount by this time of year. The past two season's have been absolutely fascinating, as the Cromarty Medieval Burgh Community Archaeology website shows. I, like many people, go along as a novice volunteer, but the expert archaeologists who lead the dig are so encouraging and informative you can't help but be drawn Fri, 21 Nov 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/rigs-and-reels-in-the-cromarty-firth-21-nov-2014 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/rigs-and-reels-in-the-cromarty-firth-21-nov-2014 David Alston, Iain Sarjeant and I all worked together at the East Church, Cromarty and to interpret the Pictish cross slab at Nigg Old Church, and so we were delighted to be commissioned to write 'Port of Cromarty Firth: The first 40 years' to celebrate all that it has achieved since first established in response to the potential of North Sea oil. The earlier history of the Cromarty Firth Tue, 17 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/two-exhibitions-in-cromarty-courthouse-museum-17-sep-2013 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/two-exhibitions-in-cromarty-courthouse-museum-17-sep-2013 I've thoroughly enjoyed carrying out the research, writing and design for two new exhibitions in Cromarty Courthouse Museum this year. The first on the history of the Courthouse and some of the cases held in the building opened in the spring. The second, all about Cromarty's trade and industry from medieval times opened just in time for Doors Open Day this month. My daughter, Alice did Thu, 25 Jul 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/medieval-cromarty-on-display-25-jul-2013 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/medieval-cromarty-on-display-25-jul-2013 I've been having an enjoyable year creating new exhibitions - the latest of which is a small display in the East Church, Cromarty. This is all about medieval Cromarty and has been designed to accompany the community dig, which is taking place from Saturday 27 July to 10 August. Find out all about it on the East Church website. Sun, 7 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/an-inspiration-7-apr-2013 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/an-inspiration-7-apr-2013 The Nigg Pictish cross-slab, dating from the late 700s AD is of European significance, and a masterwork of design and skill. This weekend saw its unveiling after many months of conservation work. David Alston and I were privileged to be involved in the project as writers of the interpretive text. It was inspiring and humbling to be writing about such a beautiful and complex art work. We alwa Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/thanks-to-volunteers-16-jan-2013 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/thanks-to-volunteers-16-jan-2013 Volunteers do so much to make our communities great places to live - so it is nice to see this article on the East Church, Cromarty website in praise of their efforts. I'm now a volunteer for ARCH (Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands), for whom I've been working for the last year as outreach worker, and latterly helping complete their Stop, Look and Listen project. This includ Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/looking-back-16-jan-2013 https://www.carolinevawdrey.infonews/looking-back-16-jan-2013 Work at the East Church, Cromarty is now complete and the church is open to the public. It is great to be able to share enthusiasm for this fascinating building with the visitors, both through meeting them, and through all the interpretive material that I and David Alston have put together, working in collaboration with designer and photographer Iain Sarjeant. You can download some examples b