All Stories

The front cover of a book, 'How to read Hands' by Cheiro, shows the palms of two hands with fortune-telling lines marked on them. The back cover shows a lady with a tin of bile beans, with the advert stating 'bile beans banish ill health'.

12 Aug 2020

Predicting the future at the Tenement House in Glasgow

Some items found in the archive at the Tenement House have given us a fascinating insight into the popularity of the supernatural and spiritual in Britain.

A small white-flowered alpine plant growing in a rocky place.

12 Aug 2020

Arctic-alpine plants of Ben Lawers

Ben Lawers is renowned for its arctic-alpine plants. It boasts a great diversity of mountain plants, many of them nationally rare.

A piece of needlework on plain linen set in a dark brown frame. In the centre is a picture of a house with five windows arranged symmetrically around a centre door. The roof is pitched and has three chimneys. Around the house are small pictures of stylised trees and flowers, all sewn in coloured threads that have faded to soft greens, browns and yellow. Along the bottom are the words Jaen Cunninghams work Brea 1833. All set within a vine-like border of green stems and leaves with small yellowed flowers.

11 Aug 2020

Work, rest or play

As children prepare to return to the classroom, we chart changes in education for girls through a selection of samplers from our collection.

A built-in painted dresser with plates on shelves against the wall. The worktop has boxes and jars on it.

11 Aug 2020

The Hill House cookbook

Have you ever wanted to eat like a Victorian? At the Hill House we have an original cookbook by Mrs De Salis, filled with delicious recipes enjoyed by the Blackie family.

Two very old full-length dresses are displayed flat, side by side. The one on the left is a pale pink with a delicate flower pattern and white lace sleeves. The one on the right is a turquoise blue, also with a floral pattern and lace sleeves.

10 Aug 2020

Pretty in pink ... and blue: the conservation of two 18th-century gowns

What does it take to bring two 18th-century gowns back to their former glory, ready for display at House of Dun? We take a look ‘behind the scenes’ at the Trust’s collaboration with The Scottish Conservation Studio.