Historic Falkland
The village of Falkland, nestling at the foot of East Lomond in the ancient Kingdom of Fife, is my favourite day out when I am in the mood for a dose of culture and local history. The jewel in Fife's crown, it is set in the agricultural heart of the Kingdom, surrounded by farms - arable, livestock and fruit. It was made a Royal Burgh in 1458 by James II and the Royal Palace of Falkland was the country residence of the Stuart monarchs until 1665 including Mary Stuart (Mary, Queen of Scots - beheaded by Queen Elizabeth 1 of England in 1587) who spent some of the happiest days of her tragic life there hunting deer and wild boar in the forests.
In 1970 Falkland was made Scotland's first Conservation Area with 28 listed buildings and many other old and interesting buildings, cobbled streets and narrow wynds. It has some curious little shops and it hosts several annual festivals and other events and is home to one of Scotland's most successful cricket clubs as well as a tennis club (Falkland Palace has the worlds oldest tennis courts still in use playing Royal or 'Real' tennis), a golf club and a bowling club - all this with a population well under 2000!
In 1970 Falkland was made Scotland's first Conservation Area with 28 listed buildings and many other old and interesting buildings, cobbled streets and narrow wynds. It has some curious little shops and it hosts several annual festivals and other events and is home to one of Scotland's most successful cricket clubs as well as a tennis club (Falkland Palace has the worlds oldest tennis courts still in use playing Royal or 'Real' tennis), a golf club and a bowling club - all this with a population well under 2000!
In the shadow of the hill
Falkland lies at the foot of East Lomond (known locally as Falkland hill). This hill, along with its sister hill West Lomond, 3 miles away, are known as the 'Paps of Fife' and form part the Fife Regional Park, an outdoor resource much valued by the locals. In days gone by this area was covered in forest and was used as a hunting reserve by the ruling classes. As well as deer (still common in the area) there was wild boar - a formidable quarry quite capable of turning the tables on any unwary hunter.
Falkland from above
It is amazing how much history is packed into such a small area. As a Scotsman through and through who is very proud of his country a village such as this gives me an 'anchor' I can relate to. It represents the many hundreds of years of Scottish history which has led to the formation of the land I call home. I never tire of roaming its narrow wynds and beautiful green areas or of climbing the hills above. There are many historic places like this one but I have a personal connection to Falkland - Nichol Moncrieff's house (see below) was where my maternal grand-aunt was taken into domestic service shortly before the outbreak of the First World War at the age of just 12. Some of the family still live in the village.
and finally . . .
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