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The Stone Collector
by Bob CowanMost involved in Scottish curling will have come across the name of Andrew Henderson Bishop. The trophy he presented and which bears his name is played for as the premier ladies' event in...
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Henrietta Gilmour: Pioneer Woman Curler
by Bob CowanThe photo above can be found in the magazine Hearth and Home of March 14, 1895. It depicts four women on the ice, and is probably the earliest published photograph of women curling in...
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The Gilmour Trophies
by Bob CowanIn a previous post (here) I wrote about Lady Henrietta Gilmour, a pioneer of women's curling in Scotland at the end of the nineteenth century. In this article we move forward to the season...
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The Royal Caledonian Curling Club's Railway Station
by Bob CowanThe possible advantages of railways in transporting curlers and their stones to compete in bonspiels had been recognised as early as 1846, as an article in the Royal Caledonian Curling Club...
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The WW1 internees who curled at Murren
by Bob CowanIn the early years of the twentieth century, mountain resorts in Switzerland became popular as winter holiday destinations. There was as yet no downhill skiing, but cross country, skating...
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The day the house got smaller
(or 'Sheet Seven at Crossmyloof')by Bob CowanThe World Curling Federation has clear instruction on the size of the house, the circles, on a sheet of curling ice. Of course, the colourful circles are...
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Curling Minutes Online
Review by Bob CowanEthnology is 'The study of the characteristics of different peoples and the differences and relationships between them'. A short video, here, from the International Society for...
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The Sheriff
David B Smith, my friend and mentor, died on November 30, 2015, at a nursing home in Ayr. He had many interests in life, but I got to know him because of curling. That was in the 1970s, and we were...
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David Chalmers: The Curling Butler at Fingask
by Bob CowanIn the centre of the photo above is Fingask Castle, near Rait in Perthshire. The castle dates from 1594. It remains a family home and is a romantic venue these days for weddings, see here....
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Curling at Hogmanay
The British Newspaper Archive is the project to digitise some 40 million pages from the British Library's large collection of newspapers. It launched in November 2011 with 4 million pages, and four...
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The Largest Fragment
by Bob CowanI have this little book in my curling library. 'Robbie of the Kirkhaven Team' was written by Florence Wightman Rowland, and illustrated by Brian David. It was published in 1973 by Ginn and...
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The Escape Curling Cup
Over the years David Smith wrote many articles about curling history. Many of these appeared in printed publications, predating the Web. It is my intention to resurrect some of them for the Curling...
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Robert Burns and Curling
Robert Burns was born on January 25, 1759. This may have been his curling stone ... but probably not. It certainly dates from the eighteenth century, but the date carved into the stone does not make...
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Pondhunting 'Cairnie ponds' and 'Sprinkle rinks'
It's been a while since I wrote about the project to map the 'Historical Curling Places'. See that post here. The project continues to thrive, and I enjoy the small part I play in it. Although begun by...
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The first curling songs
The earliest printed booklet specifically about curling is from the eighteenth century. It is a collection of songs.Songs for the Curling Club, held at Canon-Mills, was published in Edinburgh in 1792....
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When World Junior Curling Came to Glasgow in 1991
by Bob CowanIn 1991 these eight young curlers had just won the Scottish Junior Curling Championships and were getting ready to represent their country at the Worlds. They were (back, left-right) James...
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The Curlers at Rawyards
'The Curlers at Rawyards' is a nineteenth century painting that shows the sport of curling. It was painted by John Levack in 1857 and deserves to be better known than it is at present. It is a large...
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David's Wall
When the new season begins at Ayr Ice Rink in a couple of weeks, curlers arriving to play will be met by this new construction on Limekiln Road, at the car park entrance. It is a wall of curling...
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The Women in the Painting: Scottish Curling Pioneers
Charles Martin Hardie's painting, 'Curling at Carsebreck', dates from 1898. The image above is just part of the full painting which hangs in a room at Scone Palace, Perthshire. It belongs to the Royal...
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The Abdie Curling House
One of the opportunities at the recent Fife 'Doors Open Days' was the chance to visit the Abdie Curling Club's house, beside Lindores Loch. Now somewhat obscured by trees, it is a 'hidden gem'. Since...
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