Rev Walter Gregor of Pitsligo

Rev Walter Gregor was a Church of Scotland minister from Pitsligo near Banff. Whilst his ministry was a success and he was greatly respected by his congregation, he pursued other interests at the same time. Indeed, he served as curator of Banff museum for a while. Subsequently, Gregor achieved a degree of fame as a folklorist and ethnologist. He wrote an account of Banffshire dialect, which highlighted some curiosities of the Scots language of the region. Many of these were terms pertaining to plants and animals, and in translating these, Gregor demonstrated that he was well acquainted with scientific Latin terminology.

However, his most accomplished work was possibly the research he carried out into the folklore of North East Scotland. Certainly his work was unmarred by hypocritical puritanism: as his morbid tales of kelpies and the ghoulish 'yaird swine' show. Perhaps even more surprising than his ability to write about dark myths was his ability to write down some of the earthier folk-traditions, such as cats emitting semen if they jump over food. Many of the more puritanical members of his flock must have been somewhat taken aback by his unembarassed recordings of such things.

Ardkeen Tower

Castle Hill has long been the site of a fortification. Most of these were utilitarian, but strong. The present day castle is essentially a baronial folly. Yet most Invernessians feel a strong affection for this bright pink sandstone edifice and wouldn't care for a more dignified building, even if our modern day civic developments were to give us any cause for optimism in that regard.

Yet overshadowed by Inverness castle, there lies one of the most aesthetically pleasing pieces of architecture in the Highland capital: Ardkeen Tower.

Little is known about this building's history except that the construction was finished in 1840. The name of the architect is unknown. Yet in terms of contruction it has an elegant portico and a fine lead dome. The building was used as an observatory for some time. Due to its small size and some of the other houses on Castle Hill, it is easy to miss this. But to natives of Inverness, it is an attractive landmark. When the oblique sunshine of afternoon strikes its dome, it is a stand out feature of one of the most beautiful areas of Inverness.