Latest news with #UpperNithsdale
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Whigham's Inn in Sanquhar: Robert Burns' hostelry to get new life
When Scotland's national bard stopped off for a drink in Sanquhar, there was only one place he found Burns liked the inn run by Edward Whigham so much that he immortalised it in verse, with At Whigham's Inn, prominent property in the heart of the south of Scotland town has become much less welcoming in recent years and has fallen on hard the local community has now stepped in with the hope of bringing the building back into use - with a nod to the poet who found it such a pleasant hostelry. Ronnie Bradford is the community development officer with the Sanquhar Enterprise Company (SEC) which recently bought the building for £30, they hope it can be the subject of an overhaul likely to run close to costing £3m."We need to go down the route of trying to find the funding which, obviously, in today's landscape is going to prove challenging. But we are committed to doing something," said SEC was actually set up to with a view to taking over the town's historic post office when it looked like it might close for good. Luckily that prospect was avoided, but now it has turned its attention to a similarly important building in the Upper Nithsdale old pub occupies a central site on the A76 that runs through the heart of Sanquhar and emerged as a key potential project from consultation with the community."It's a property that is on the High Street in a very prominent position and had been lying derelict for approximately 40 years," Ronnie explained."Dumfries and Galloway Food Share used it for a while as an office but it had basically just been left to rot by a succession of speculative owners who had bought it at auction and sold it." About four years ago the SEC started its efforts to look at taking it over, but the asking price proved too in March this year it heard it might have come into range and - thanks to the Nithsdale Community Trust - got the funds together to snap it said the hard work would really begin now."We own the building, we've got the keys and the next stage is to see what we can do," he said.A first "quick win" will hopefully be to improve the exterior look of the building before developing plans to bring it back into use - most probably as some kind of affordable housing. However, he said anything they did would recognise its significant past."We fully understand the importance of this building - not only in terms of Sanquhar, but it is also nationally important," he said."It fills a gap if you like between the established buildings that have Burns associations up in Ayrshire and down in Dumfries."This Upper Nithsdale corridor very much fills in this gap and we're delighted to have secured the building for that reason alone."We will make sure that we pay homage to the fact that the building has this historic and cultural significance."He said that what the project might finally include was "very much up for discussion".However, he said they felt that due to the housing crisis some kind of housing development was appropriate."We feel that it would be a major flagship in terms of our plans to bring back life and commerce to Sanquhar High Street," said could also be a community space or a heritage element - to recognise its Burns links."It was the only acceptable place in Sanquhar that he would either drink or stay at," Ronnie added."He obviously struck up a major friendship with Edward Whigham and his wife and we want to recognise and pay homage to that." In the process, they could help turn around a story familiar across the region and the rest of the country."We've got a problem with depopulation, we've got a problem of businesses falling by the way," said Ronnie."We've just lost the bank in the last few weeks."So we needed to do something to try and redress that balance and we see Whigham's Inn as being a potential major kickstarter to revitalising that."He knows they have a long way to go in terms of raising funds - and getting work fully by the end of it all, they hope they will have a building back in use which the bard would be proud of. At Whigham's Inn, Sanquhar by Robert BurnsEnvy, if thy jaundiced eye,Through this window chance to spy,To thy sorrow thou shalt find,All that's generous, all that's kind,Friendship, virtue, every grace,Dwelling in this happy place.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
The former coal mine which became a work of art
As relics of our industrial past go, the Crawick Multiverse is a pretty unusual one. Once an opencast coalmine in Upper Nithsdale in southern Scotland, it is now a landscape artwork created by the late Charles Jencks. It was officially opened 10 years ago on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice of 21 June 2015. The hope was that it could attract international visitors and help boost businesses in nearby Sanquhar, Kelloholm and Kirkconnel. Materials found on the site - including 2,000 large boulders - were used to create the work. The £1m project - funded by the Duke of Buccleuch on his own land - followed in the footsteps of other works by Mr Jencks including the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, also in Dumfries and Galloway. The artist - who died in 2019 - said at the time of the opening: "This former opencast coal site, nestled in a bowl of large rolling hills, never did produce enough black gold to keep digging. "But it did, accidentally, create the bones of a marvellous ecology. "This work of land art, created primarily from earth and boulders on the site, celebrates the surrounding Scottish countryside and its landmarks, looking outwards and back in time." The Duke of Buccleuch was delighted with the outcome. Speaking in 2015, he said the site had become a "brutal eyesore" and an "embarrassment". So when his "neighbour from down the road" - Mr Jencks - had offered to transform the area, they were "just over the moon". Reflecting on it today, he said he was still impressed with the final outcome. "The vision of Charles Jencks, which I supported, extended far beyond its original purpose of removing a derelict opencast mine eyesore to the creation of an internationally-recognised work of land art," he said. "Charles's ambition to represent in artistic form elements of the vast cosmos in which our planet is but a minute speck, included galaxies, superclusters and the multiverse itself. "He sought the input of the leading international scientists in the field including Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal and won their admiration." He praised the work of the trust which now runs it and wished them all the best for their second decade. Ten years on, though, what has the impact been? Ronnie Bradford, community development officer at the nearby Sanquhar Enterprise Company, said it had brought "several benefits" to the area. "The unique and inspired transformation of the former opencast coal mine has attracted visitors, supporting local businesses, increasing tourism in the area and raising the profile of Upper Nithsdale," he said. "Local residents have been hired for roles at the site with local trades being engaged in developing the site, ensuring good community involvement in its operations." He said it also hosted school visits, community group trips and promoted affordable access for nearby residents. "The open-air venue hosts festivals, performance art and music events, bringing large-scale entertainment and social opportunities to the region often at 'off season' times of the year." The site now attracts about 10,000 visitors a year and has seen improvements carried out over the past decade to upgrade visitor facilities. A 55-acre site requires plenty of maintenance with a team of four local young people in "front of house" roles, managed by operations manager Brian Johnson and supported by volunteer trustees. It was also recently designated as a significantly important designed landscape by Historic Environment Scotland. A special celebration took place on Saturday to mark the solstice and also reflect on its first 10 years. Gillian Khosla, who chairs The Crawick Multiverse Trust, is proud of what has been achieved but also has an eye on the future. "We stand on the shoulders of the artist and skilled workers who created and now develop this unique site, which has repurposed a derelict and depleted coal mine into an important asset for Upper Nithsdale," she said. "A decade on from opening, now is the time to plan for the next decades to further develop our audiences and increase biodiversity. "Our aim is to be sustainable, both environmentally and financially." She said that future could be shaped by others and they were open to ideas of how to develop the site. In the meantime, they hope visitors will flock to their solstice celebrations and other summer events. "Please continue to visit and share the magnificence of the Multiverse with your friends," she added. It certainly appears to have left its past as an industrial eyesore a long way behind. Charles Jencks - Desert Island Discs The architect who made cancer care a work of art
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Crawick Multiverse: The coal mine which became a work of art
As relics of our industrial past go, the Crawick Multiverse is a pretty unusual an opencast coalmine in Upper Nithsdale in southern Scotland, it is now a landscape artwork created by the late Charles was officially opened 10 years ago on the longest day of the year, the summer solstice of 21 June hope was that it could attract international visitors and help boost businesses in nearby Sanquhar, Kelloholm and Kirkconnel. Materials found on the site - including 2,000 large boulders - were used to create the £1m project - funded by the Duke of Buccleuch on his own land - followed in the footsteps of other works by Mr Jencks including the Garden of Cosmic Speculation, also in Dumfries and artist - who died in 2019 - said at the time of the opening: "This former opencast coal site, nestled in a bowl of large rolling hills, never did produce enough black gold to keep digging."But it did, accidentally, create the bones of a marvellous ecology."This work of land art, created primarily from earth and boulders on the site, celebrates the surrounding Scottish countryside and its landmarks, looking outwards and back in time." The Duke of Buccleuch was delighted with the in 2015, he said the site had become a "brutal eyesore" and an "embarrassment".So when his "neighbour from down the road" - Mr Jencks - had offered to transform the area, they were "just over the moon".Reflecting on it today, he said he was still impressed with the final outcome. "The vision of Charles Jencks, which I supported, extended far beyond its original purpose of removing a derelict opencast mine eyesore to the creation of an internationally-recognised work of land art," he said."Charles's ambition to represent in artistic form elements of the vast cosmos in which our planet is but a minute speck, included galaxies, superclusters and the multiverse itself."He sought the input of the leading international scientists in the field including Lord Rees, the Astronomer Royal and won their admiration."He praised the work of the trust which now runs it and wished them all the best for their second decade. Ten years on, though, what has the impact been?Ronnie Bradford, community development officer at the nearby Sanquhar Enterprise Company, said it had brought "several benefits" to the area."The unique and inspired transformation of the former opencast coal mine has attracted visitors, supporting local businesses, increasing tourism in the area and raising the profile of Upper Nithsdale," he said."Local residents have been hired for roles at the site with local trades being engaged in developing the site, ensuring good community involvement in its operations."He said it also hosted school visits, community group trips and promoted affordable access for nearby residents."The open-air venue hosts festivals, performance art and music events, bringing large-scale entertainment and social opportunities to the region often at 'off season' times of the year." The site now attracts about 10,000 visitors a year and has seen improvements carried out over the past decade to upgrade visitor facilities.A 55-acre site requires plenty of maintenance with a team of four local young people in "front of house" roles, managed by operations manager Brian Johnson and supported by volunteer was also recently designated as a significantly important designed landscape by Historic Environment Scotland.A special celebration took place on Saturday to mark the solstice and also reflect on its first 10 Khosla, who chairs The Crawick Multiverse Trust, is proud of what has been achieved but also has an eye on the future."We stand on the shoulders of the artist and skilled workers who created and now develop this unique site, which has repurposed a derelict and depleted coal mine into an important asset for Upper Nithsdale," she said."A decade on from opening, now is the time to plan for the next decades to further develop our audiences and increase biodiversity."Our aim is to be sustainable, both environmentally and financially." She said that future could be shaped by others and they were open to ideas of how to develop the the meantime, they hope visitors will flock to their solstice celebrations and other summer events."Please continue to visit and share the magnificence of the Multiverse with your friends," she certainly appears to have left its past as an industrial eyesore a long way behind.
