Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust

Hello and welcome back to another Monument Monday, today we'll be looking at MPK14824, aka HMP Perth.

Built 1810-1812 as a prison for French PoWs, captured as part of the Napoleonic Wars, the original prison was designed by Robert Reid (1774-1856), the architect responsible for Perth Old Academy on Rose Terrace and much of Edinburgh New Town. At this time, prisoners were allowed to make various arts and crafts for sale to the people of Perth, some examples of which can still be seen at Perth Museum. Officers were billeted in town with local families, after giving their written word they would not attempt to escape back to France.

Following the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the French soldiers were sent home, and the prison became an army depot. In 1839 it was reactivated as a civilian prison, and has remained so since then.

Considerable refurbishments have been made over the years to enable HMP Perth to remain a modern prison, which has required archaeological surveys of the grounds to be made. A report on one such programme of works made by AOC Archaeology is publicly available, and can be read here:
https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/library/browse/issue.xhtml?recordId=1104524&recordType=GreyLitSeries

Image credit: The Scottish Sun

🐾 Join Dr Lucy Wadeson, an archaeologist from the University of St Andrews, for a fun and hands-on archaeology session for children. During the event, you will learn what archaeology is and why it matters, take part in a mock excavation, and handle safe replica artefacts to help them explore the past.

🚸 Suitable for children aged 7 to 10. Under 8s must be accompanied by an adult.
👛 £3 per child, with accompanying adult free.
🎟️ Tickets are available from the library.

Bridgend, Perth. Early 20th century.

Remarkable photograph.

Bridgend Gannochy & Kinnoull Community Council
Perth & Kinross Archive
Perth Art Gallery
Culture Perth and Kinross
Perth City & Towns

Hello and welcome back to another Monument Monday, our monument today is MPK15259, aka the the Deadlands or Diddledans.

Recorded on Rutherford's 1774 plan of Perth (marked "W" below), the Dead Lands were a burial ground, and may have been the graveyard for the medieval chapel and hospital of St. Mary's, demolished in 1651 to provide building materials for Cromwell's Citadel on the South Inch.

By the 1800s this area had become a bowling green, bounded by the river to the east, the outflow of the town lade to the north and the Lady's Walk (taken from St. Mary's, i.e. Our Lady's Chapel), a popular promenade linking the foot of the High Street to the North Inch. However, the fate of the Deadlands were sealed with the construction of Tay Street (shown as "proposed" in Wood's map of 1823). After much consternation amongst city officials, the area was eventually paved, and Tay Street as we know it today was completed.

🚨Job Alert🚨

We're hiring! Could you be our new Project Officer?

Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust is seeking a motivated and organised Project Officer to support the effective delivery of the Perth City Heritage Fund and associated programmes.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in conserving and enhancing Perth’s historic built environment, while also contributing to innovative work in traditional building skills training, community engagement, and climate resilience.

Here are the important details 👇

0.8 FTE | Full-Time Considered
£31,000-£34,000 pro rata
Fixed Term until March 2031

The deadline to apply for this position is 21 June 2026.

For more information on the role including a full job description and how to apply, please visit the posting here on GoodMoves.

https://goodmoves.org/vacancy/a4sP1000001iPTZIA2/project-officer?distance=16.09344&lat=56.39547137009062&lng=-3.438901928995192&location=Perth%2C%20Perth%20%26%20Kinross&page=2

Who remembers Harding Confectioners and Bennies? South Street, Perth, from c.1980.

📷 Dr WH Findlay Collection, Local & Family History, AK Bell Library

Do you want to take part in one of Scotland's largest free heritage festivals?

We're currently accepting applications for interested parties to take part in Doors Open Days 2026.

The festival will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September in Perth and Kinross. Whether you're an established visitor attraction, a new venue or someone with an idea for a walk or talk, we want to hear from you!

For more information or for an application pack, please email our Outreach Officer, Rory Bryce, at [email protected].

Our Community Archaeologist, Tertia Barnett, recently took part in a Scottish Archaeological Research Framework workshop at Kilmartin Museum, where ScARF's new research recommendations for pre-historic rock art were launched!

Tertia took the opportunity to get a photo with Sharon Webb from Kilmartin Museum and Helen Spencer from ScARF as they investigated rock art sites at Achnabrek.

Hello and welcome back to Monuments Monday- our monument today is MPK5598, aka Cleish Castle.

A 16th century tower house, Cleish castle was built for the Colville family, possibly on the site of an earlier medieval motte. The Colvilles were judges and minor courtiers of the Scottish crown, and acquired the lands around Cleish, Kinross-shire, in the 1530s. A marriage lintel, dated 1600, bears the initials "R. C./ B. H."- this probably records the union of Robert Colville and Beatrix Haldane, of Gleneagles.

The castle was abandoned in the 1770s, before being extensively renovated in the 1840s, and is still occupied today as a private residence.

Image credit- James Allan

The famous Church and ancient Yew Tree at Fortingall, pictured in 1953.

The Fortingall Yew is believed to be between 2,000 and 5,000 years old, and is the oldest tree in Britain, if not Europe.

Fortingall Matters
Perth & Kinross Archive
Pictures of Perth and Beyond Page