Easter at Haddington

Reluctant to Return

As part of the Easter holidays we had arranged to go up to Haddington on the day before Good Friday. Neil, Kate and the boys were on an over night stay in Glasgow, which meant we had the house to ourselves for a couple of days. We had a leisurely run up on Thursday morning, stopping off at Teviot Water Gardens for a bite to eat. This is a very pleasant garden centre and there is a lovely walk down by the Tweed but when I was charged £6.75p for a medium bacon baguette and got no refund on complaining I am afraid I will be very reluctant to return.

The River Tweed

St Marys Haddington

Exploring Haddington

On Friday we decided to spend the morning exploring Haddington. We got no further than St Mary's Kirk. On entering the building we were met by a very helpful and knowledgeable gentleman who gave us a condensed history of the church.The first thing that struck me was the impression that you were in a small Cathedral.  Apparently it is the largest Parish Church in Scotland.

At the instigation of John Knox, born in Giffordgate just across the river, the Town Council repaired the Church in 1561 "frae steeple to the west end". A barrier wall was built and the enclosed nave served as the parish church for over 400 years.

 

 A Massive Challenge
In the early 1970s the Church was restored to its full glory.  The restoration of the Church was a massive challenge.  People rose to it locally and much further afield. Miss Hilda Nimmo Smith gave a generous benefaction, the Kirk Session sold four silver Communion Cups made in the reign of Charles I and no longer in use, and Her Grace, the Duchess of Hamilton initiated an Appeal for funds to restore St Mary's. For a full history click on the following link St Marys .

Crypt of the Dukes of Lauderdale

Maitland Family Crest

Stained Glass

A modern example of stained glass

The organ was completed in 1990

A Celebration and a Thumping

On Saturday we were treated to a lovely bar meal at The Goblin Ha Inn at Gifford to celebrate Mrs Gills birthday.
As it was Haddington sevens I fully intended to go when we returned, but the weather was rather miserable and the thought of standing getting soaked didn't really appeal to me. So I stayed at home and was truly thumped and beaten up by Superman.The following video X rated for its extreme violence.