 |
|
| Author |
Message |
Spry
Great Selkie o' Sule Skerry
User is Offline
Joined: 15 Jan 2007
Posts: 2216
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:59 pm Post subject: Names of places |
|
|
Went to Peebles very early on Friday morning as we had to get to a friend's for the celebration of a Vista-based computer by 10.00am. There was a sale on at Ingles' shoe place and the love of my life decided she should add another half-dozen pairs to the several hundred that occupy three bedrooms, the loft and the greenhouse.
Anyway, I was just standing around chewing on my credit card when I noticed one of these "Old ------" books on the coffee table. You know, "Old Penicuik", "Old Roslin", "Old Tattiebogleland"? This one was "Old Peebles".
Two items caught my attention. All you clever dicks, cats and mice out there probably knew this so I'll brace myself for the snide comments, but the TONTINE HOTEL got its name because its building was financed under the Tontine system devised by a Frenchman, Lorenzo Tonti. Lots of bods invested and got equal shares and as they died off the shares of the deceased were divided among the living until there was only one geezer left and he got the lot.
The other point of no interest whatsoever to you lot, is that Whim House is built on what used to be near-impossible-to-build-on marshland. The Earl of Islay took on the project solely for his own amusement and so the house was built as a whim!
_________________
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Anona.Mouse
Site Admin
User is Offline
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 4076
Location: Under the cat, usually
|
| Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 10:15 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Oddly enough I had heard of "tontine" as a kind of way of betting on your own immortality - and the fragility of your pals' - but the connection with that hotel had never occurred to me.
I like the sound of building a house on a whim, though.
I'm a bit worried about the love of your life and all those shoes, mind. What will you do if Mrs Spry finds out?
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
| |
| Recent Topics |
» Litter
by Anona.Mouse on Mon Sep 01, 2008 2:40 pm
» A Man of God?
by Spry on Mon Sep 01, 2008 1:44 pm
» Accu weather forecast on this forum
by Anona.Mouse on Sun Aug 31, 2008 7:06 pm
» Penicuik Pool
by soup on Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:27 am
» Bumbling in
by Spry on Thu Aug 21, 2008 5:45 pm
» Four Midlothian Post Offices to close
by Anona.Mouse on Wed Aug 20, 2008 7:56 pm
» War crime
by Spry on Sun Aug 03, 2008 3:15 pm
» Just run that one into me again . . .
by Anona.Mouse on Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:33 pm
» Deep Sea Fish (interesting article)
by silvers on Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:44 pm
» Roy Walker - Festival Fringe
by Anona.Mouse on Sun Jul 27, 2008 1:39 am
» Was there ever a Golden Age ? (BBC website 16 07 08)
by Anona.Mouse on Thu Jul 17, 2008 11:42 pm
» Bring back ----
by Anona.Mouse on Tue Jul 15, 2008 8:01 pm
» Weather Warning!
by Big Davie on Wed Jul 09, 2008 3:52 pm
» This is really scary
by TattieBogle on Wed Jul 02, 2008 10:07 pm
» Balerno days
by TattieBogle on Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:46 pm
» H M T Lancastria
by Anona.Mouse on Sat Jun 14, 2008 4:36 pm
» Two minutes of my time
by silvers on Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:11 pm
» penicuik u.f.s.childrens gala day
by Ben_Ledi on Tue May 27, 2008 9:42 pm
» Language and pronunciation
by silvers on Sat May 24, 2008 4:44 pm
» Hi-ho, silvers!
by Anona.Mouse on Mon May 19, 2008 3:13 am
» Glencorse Kirk
by Anona.Mouse on Tue May 13, 2008 3:39 pm
|
|
| |
