Torpichen Priory

Torpichen is a small village in West Lothian, not far from Linlithgow.
At the centre of the town are the substantial remains of what was the Scottish headquarters of The Hospillaters, or Knights of St. John.

The Order was formally recognised by the Pope in 1113. Their estates in the West were administered locally by Priors.
Torpichen was established King David I of Scotland, son of King Malcolm and St. Margaret of Scotland.
The Order was suppressed after the Reformation, but re-established by Queen Victoria.

On Saturday, I attended Mass within the Priory. Historic Scotland have been giving permission for Masses within a number of its properties. 2 weeks ago we had Mass at Cambuskenneth Abbey, and in June we will have Mass in the ruins of Crossraguel Abbey.

Mass was said in the Extraordinary form, and also present were 4 members of the Knights of Malta.
It was an uplifting event for all who were in attendance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torphichen_Preceptory
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_293

http://www.mostly-medieval.com/explore/torphichen.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_I_of_Scotland

The Titan Crane

We are approaching the end of West Dunbartonshire's annual Literature Festival. Tonight we will be in Dalmuir Library for an evening with Scot's TV and Film star Alex Norton.

Earlier this week my wife was at a Poetry Workshop while I was going to a talk in Clydebank Library about the construction of RMS Lusitania. This month there have been events commemorating the sinking of this great Clydebank built liner.

Before the talk, I took myself along to where the world famous John Brown's shipyard once stood. Some of the world's most famous ships were built here, like The Queen Mary, the Queen Elizabeth, HMS Hood and RMS Lusitania.

The only noticeable remnant of the shipyard is the Titan Crane which still proudly stands and has become a tourist attraction. As part of the talk, ticket holders were given a free trip to the top of the crane. So up I went with my camera.

Though it was sunny, it was bitterly cold and I did not stay long out in the open. But I got a few good photographs before retreating inside. The view form the crane of the surrounding area and of Glasgow Airport are quite something.
 After a coffee, I drove the short distance to the Library for the talk.

It was a most interesting illustrated talk. The speaker, Professor John R Hume concentrated on the planning and construction of the ship. There were some fascinating old photographs and we learned a great deal about the construction of such a huge liner. We also found out about the many skills and craftsmen involved in the work. He made mention of part of the work -Tracing- which was done by women. One of the audience had been tracer in Brown's. She humorously mentioned that the linen material, on which the lines were traced before being transferred to blue prints, could be used for making sheets and pillows and handkerchiefs after boiling to remove the ink drawings!

All in all, a most enjoyable evening.

http://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/titan-crane-p256371

http://www.collectivearchitecture.com/projects/titan-crane

http://www.clydewaterfront.com/clyde-heritage/clydebank/titan-crane