Sometimes, photographing something simpler to tell a story can be much more challenging, and rewarding, than shooting a grand iconic landmark. For example, Dunnottar Castle in the northeast of Scotland is an iconic structure, visited by over 100,000 people every year. Perched on top of a 160 foot rock, the castle is truly spectacular.
The ‘Honours of Scotland’ are most likely the oldest regalia in the whole of the United Kingdom. The Honours, consisting of a crown, a sword and sceptre, date back to the 15th century when the sceptre was gifted from Pope Alexander VI to James IV, King of Scotland.
When Scotland was invaded by Oliver Cromwell in the 1600s he was determined to find the Honours to destroy them. For a short period they were hidden in Dunnottar Castle, but Cromwell got word of this and he mounted an attack on the castle.
Unknown to Cromwell, the minister’s wife at Kinneff Church, a few miles south of Dunnattar Castle, decided to remove the Honours for safe keeping. She smuggled them out of the castle and hid them under the floor of Kinneff Church.
After reading a feature on the Honours of Scotland, I decided to produce a conceptual image to highlight the story. However, I resisted the temptation to use the iconic castle as a backdrop to my piece.
A search of ‘Dunnottar’ on Google will bring up numerous images of the castle, displaying its grandeur and beauty. A search on Kinneff Church will result in far fewer hits.
Instead of going for the obvious, I decided to challenge myself. Could I create an image that illustrates the story in a way that doesn’t rely on shooting a landmark that has been shot trillions of times!
Kinneff Old Church is understated to say the least. It is located off the main coast road south from Aberdeen. It is tucked away in a small hamlet of a few houses. But it is the unsung hero of Scotland’s treasures.
The Honours of Scotland were first used as regalia at the coronation of the nine-month-old Mary, Queen of Scots in 1543, and subsequently at the coronation of her son James VI and her grandson Charles II in 1651.
It is incredible to think that the regalia was hidden away from Cromwell’s army, by a local women and her friend. Today, the Honours of Scotland are on public display in Edinburgh Castle.
Kinneff Church is open to the public and there are information boards that tell the story. Perched on top of the alter is an old Scottish Bible. When I saw the bible, I immediately thought about Dunnottar Castle and how it too is perched high up. I used this concept to create my final picture, taking words from the pages of the Bible that sits on the alter of the church, and incorporating the words into my image. The broken headstones add to the idea of ‘something hidden below ground’.
I hope you like my simpler interpretation of the Honous of Scotland’s story.
NGT Photography 