Showing posts with label Alloway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alloway. Show all posts

Monday, March 25, 2024

Robert Burns Birthplace Museum and Gardens, Alloway, Scotland





Robert Burns was the eldest of seven children born to William Burness and his wife Agnes Broun in this cottage on January 25th, 1759.  He was to become the national poet of Scotland who wrote lyrics and songs in Scottish and English. His song Auld Lang Syne is world-renowned, and often sung on New Year's Eve.




Our Cosmos Tour's first stop in Scotland was to the town of Alloway, where Robert Burns was born. We stopped at The Burns Birthplace Museum Monument and Memorial Gardens. designed by Thomas Hamilton, was completed in 1823.



Although our bus tour of the "Highlights of Ireland and Scotland" took place in late October, the gardens were still in bloom and the fall colors added extra beauty.



We discovered that the gardens are a highly sought-after location for wedding photography!




Our view walking across the "Brig o’ Doon," immortalized in Burns’s poem “Tam o’ Shanter.




Walking along the winding paths in the memorial garden and reading the signs on the monuments was a delightful experience.



The Burns Monument was completed in 1823 and soon became a destination for those wishing to pay homage to Burns. 
Inside the monument is a carved bust of Robert Burns and...



...statues of characters from his most famous poems--Tam o' Shanter, Souter Johnie, and Nanse Tinnock.



The Monument and Memorial Gardens were celebrating their 200th year during our visit!




An example of Robert Burns' unique Scottish dialect.




Some of the beautiful flowers we saw in the Robert Burns Memorial Gardens. They reminded me of words from a song/poem he wrote during his short life--Burns died in 1796 at the age of 37. 

Here is a well-known stanza:

"My love is like a red red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Love's like the melodies