Love Scotland National Trust for Scotland

Six places that show Scotland's impact on the world


In this week’s episode of Love Scotland – the final one of the current season – Professor Murray Pittock joins Jackie to discuss some of the Scottish places that have had the biggest influence on global history. From Culloden to Robert Burns’s birthplace, the episode charts moments of great cultural, political and military importance.


Professor Murray Pittock’s book, Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present, is available now.


Click below to find out more about the locations covered in the episode:


Culloden


Robert Burns Birthplace Museum


The Pineapple


Staffa National Nature Reserve


The Hermitage


Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve


Broughton House & Garden


You may also be interested in previous episodes of the podcast, discussing Robert Burns, wildlife at Mar Lodge Estate, Flora MacDonald, and many more stories of Scotland’s present and past. Just scroll back on your podcast provider of choice.

The rich history of tartan


In this week’s episode, to mark the opening of the V&A Dundee’s new Tartan exhibition, Jackie meets its co-curator Jonathan Faiers to discuss the fascinating tale of the pattern’s past.


If you took a random sample of people around the world and asked them to depict Scotland, tartan would likely make an appearance. It connects Bonnie Prince Charlie to punk rockers, and as well as being a symbol of a nation, it has also been used to represent traditions, rebellions and sub-cultures.


Jackie and Jonathan delve into the rich history of the pattern, revealing not only the secrets of its origins but also its modern uses and adaptations.


Tartan at the V&A Dundee, which includes objects from the National Trust for Scotland’s collections, runs from 1 April 2023 until 14 January 2024. 


To find out more about the Weaver’s Cottage, click here. Or you can click here to see more NTS places. 

Romans in Scotland: the Antonine wall and ‘Rome’s Afghanistan’


This week, Jackie goes for a walk at the Antonine Wall and is joined by Dr John Reid to discuss Roman-era Scotland.


The wall, which stretches from Old Kilpatrick on the west coast to near Bo’ness, was around 37 miles long and marked the furthest reach of the Roman Empire in Britain. Using the nation’s rugged features to bolster its defences, the wall was the final outpost in hostile territory.


In their discussion, Jackie and John talk about how Scotland was ‘Rome’s Afghanistan’ – a small, stubbornly resistant nation that saw off a superpower. John also reveals how the brutality of the Romans has been overlooked in recent years, and his theory as to how the Roman invasions impacted the nation of Scotland. 

In this week’s episode, Jackie steps beyond the National Trust for Scotland’s most beautiful stately homes to discover what treasures can be found in the nation’s gardens. Recorded from Greenbank Garden – an 18th-century walled garden just outside Glasgow city centre – Jackie is joined by the National Trust for Scotland’s head of gardens and designed landscapes, Ann Steele. 


Together, they discuss what constitutes a heritage garden, why they were so important to the residents of stately homes, and how these outdoor spaces were used. Then, they turn an eye to the future, looking at what must be done to protect the gardens for generations to come.


To find out more about Greenbank Garden, click here.


You can also discover more on NTS gardens here.

This week’s episode looks at the life of Scipio Kennedy, an enslaved African boy who lived in Culzean in the early 18th century. The events of his early years have been pieced together by Hannah Lawrence from the National Trust for Scotland and affiliate researcher at the University of Oxford, and she joins Jackie to discuss her research into his life.


Together, they discuss what is known about Scipio Kennedy’s life in Ayrshire. Hannah also describes what historical records have helped her to uncover the past.


Then, Outlander actor Colin McFarlane joins Jackie to discuss his own interest in Scipio Kennedy and the research he did for his role as an enslaved person in the hit TV show.