Last week when we were in Dumbarton, where I grew up and Jack was born, we had a wee walk through the town centre, which like most has seen far better days. Inevitably there were empty shops, but they have tried to jolly things up by covering the shop fronts with these gorgeous photographs of ‘The Rock’. In fact I took the photo on my blog header from the top of this very historic rock which is a volcanic plug. Because of its strategic position at the confluence of two rivers – the Clyde and the Leven – it has been used as a fort and stronghold, and was even used by the army in WW1 and WW2. There’s a tradition (accordng to the author Rosemary Sutcliff) that the Romans had a naval station here and they called it Theodosia, which I believe means given by the gods.
Whenever I see this place in the distance I always feel that I’m home. I don’t know who took these photos but they are very good I think, probably the first one was taken by a drone.
Those are very impressive photos. I really like the perspective of the first one with the houses in the background. It seems to show the size of ‘The Rock’ in proportion to the surrounding area. What an amazing place to call home!
Paula,
I used to play on the land that surrounds ‘The Rock’ when I was wee. It’s one of the many places that Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned in and you can see it from quite a distance. It’s definitely the best thing about Dumbarton.
Ah, suddenly, the name of Jack’s blog, Son of the Rock, makes sense!
Joan,
Men who are born in Dumbarton are called A Son of the Rock, but there aren’t many about nowadays as babies are rarely born at home as Jack was, and the maternity hospital has been in a nearby town for over 50 years now.