Glorious United Kingdom – Scotland

The Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) on the north bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow is Scotland’s national venue for public events. It has five main exhibition halls and is best know for hosting concerts. The main building of the SECC was started in 1983, completed and  then opened in 1985. Ten years later the Clyde Auditorium became part of the SEEC, designed by architect Sir Norman Foster and nicknamed rather appropriately from what you can see of it on the label “the armadillo” by Glaswegians!

The Declaration of Arbroath was a declaration of Scottish independence setting out to confirm Scotland’s status as an independent, sovereign state and its use of military action when unjustly attacked. Written in Latin , it is thought to have been drafted by Bernard, abbot of Arbroath Abbey who was the Chancellor of Scotland at the time. It is dated 6th April 1320 at Arbroath Abbey, the location of the royal chancery. A file copy of the document has been maintained by the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh.

The Dugald Stewart Monument is a memorial to the Scottish philosopher Dugald Stewart. It is located on top of Carlton Hill, overlooking the city of Edinburgh and was built in 1831 to the design of architect William Henry Playfair.

Glenfinnan Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Highland Line in Glenfinnan, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. Built between 1897 and 1901 it forms an integral part of the West Highland line. The viaduct has 21 arches and was built by Sir Robert McAlpine. The line connects Fort William and Mallaig and was a crucial vein for the local fishing industry and the highlands economy. Nowadays it is a popular tourist attraction and made even more famous by appearing in three of the Harry Potter films!

The Italian Chapel in Orkney, Scotland was built by Italian prisoners of war captured in Africa during World War II. It was made from two Nissen huts joined end-to-end with the corrugated interior covered with plasterboard and the altar and altar rail being constructed from concrete left over from work on the Churchill Barriers at Scapa Flow. Most of the interior decoration was carried out by Domenico Chiocchetti, a Prisoner of War from Moena. The Chapel Preservation Committee was set up in 1958 and today the chapel is still a popular tourist attraction.